"Do you still have a stress ball?" I asked Reina.
"Only one?"
She whisked out a carved box and opened it. Inside were five crocheted stress balls in different colors.
I closed my eyes and picked one. It was purple, like Violet's hair. I started to throw it into the air and catch it again. "So, what do we have as motives?"
"Revenge," Ange said.
I dropped the ball and picked it up again.
"To stop him from saying something?" Harper said.
I caught the ball.
"Money," I said. Again, another catch.
"What about love or hate?" Reina asked.
A searing pain shot through my head as I dropped the ball.
I swayed a little.
"Sorry, I think I need to lie down," I whispered.
The next thing I knew, Ange and Harper grabbed me and lowered me flat onto the sofa with my feet propped up by a couple of cushions. A crochet blanket was wrapped around me.
"I only need a moment." I sat up and tried to push myself upright.
"Stay down. You almost blacked out," Ange ordered. "Shall I give Nick a call?"
"Heavens, no. He's got more than enough to do. I think it's only... the lack of sleep and everything. I haven't been doing too well since Aunt Violet, you know."
I lifted my hand. It was still shaking slightly, and the veins stood out.
"If I could have another cup of tea..."
"Of course. When did you last eat something?" Harper asked.
I started to think back. I'd had breakfast, and now it was evening.
"No wonder you're feeling faint," Reina chided when I told them. "I can have something brought up from the kitchen, or we could put a lasagna in the oven. Good idea?"
"Do you want to sleep here?" Harper asked. "Your room is still waiting for you."
"No, I think... Cosmo still needs feeding, and I'll be fine."
"You need a break," Reina said. "A real break. We can play detective when you feel better."
"It's not playing," Ange said. "But you're right."
It turned out, a slice of lasagna and a round of Scrabble helped me feel better.
But I still started to feel faint whenever we tried to get back to the topic at hand. "It's no use," I said. "I need to go home."
"I'll take you," Reina said, fetching my coat.
"What about my car?"
