"What time was it?" I asked.
"About 1:00 AM. A bit later," Pamela said.
"Well, well, well!” Ange said. “That’s not the time of night you usually leave your Reiki therapist. Or even a lover. Unless you have a very good reason not to stay overnight."
"We all know there’ve been tons of women after him," Harper said.
"And he wasn’t interested in any of them," Ange added. "Maybe this mystery woman had something to do with it."
"Or she didn’t want anybody to know she was getting treatment," I suggested. "There are enough people who scoff at the idea of healing energy and touching to balance your chakras or whatever it does."
"Good point," Harper admitted.
"When did you leave Jake’s place?" I asked Pamela.
"A few days before he passed away. Just after the gigantic dust-up with the kid about the car." She paused. "You don’t think I had anything to do with his death, do you?" she asked, her voice tight.
I paused a little too long.
"Not anymore. Oh, my goodness," she said.
"I'm sorry, but you've got to admit—it looked pretty strange, with you lying and…" I faltered.
"I didn't mean to, but word spreads like wildfire. How was I supposed to know he’d get murdered only a few days after I left, while I was still trying to protect my privacy. Don't you think if I had anything to do with it, I would have faked pictures of me on the cruise?"
"I guess so. I'm sorry. You lost your cousin. I lost my aunt. And with you out of the picture, I don’t think the police are any closer to catching the culprit."
"No. It's all a mess."
"At least you're in the clear. That's something," Harper said to Pamela.
"I wonder if I should stick around for a while. I was only dropping in to arrange a few things, and, of course, the funeral."
"Do you have a date yet?" Harper asked.
"In a week or so. The body was released today," Pamela said. "I only want this over and done with."
"Where do you live?" I asked.
"Seattle."
"Then you could go back home and return for the day?"
"I could. Honestly, I don't know what to do. I so want there to be justice, but I'm not sure I can handle staying in that house until then." Pamela twirled her empty brandy glass.
"No, I get that. How about you tell us what you need done, and we'll keep you posted?" I suggested. I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "I was on the detective's radar for a New York minute too, until he found out I was too far away to have anything to do with the murders. I guess we're in the same boat.”
She sighed. "We are. Are you really sure you wouldn’t mind crossing off a few things? Because I could always ask Jimmy—"
"No, it’s ok, I’ve got free time and I'm in the perfect place for it. Plus, when I’m in doubt there's always Louisa. She knows everything anyway."
"She does," Pamela admitted. "She wouldn't have been the source, would she? The person who blabbed about my stay at Jake's?"
"It's confidential. You've got to trust me."
She nodded.
"Another drink?" Harper asked.
