“You sure it’s not because you don’t like anyone to speak ill of your precious Aidan Rhodes?”
“Sailor, are you kidding me? You’re going to choose this moment to be jealous of Aidan?”
“I wouldn’t sayjealous....” He trailed off with a shrug. “I just don’t enjoy being a member of this supernatural ménage à trois we seem to have going. Anyway, to answer your earlier question, the arraignment hearing has been postponed.”
“Postponed? But... this is ridiculous. Until you’re arraigned, I can’t bail you out. How long can they hold you without charges?”
“Forty-eight hours in California. But if the prosecutor can show good cause, she can ask for an extension.”
“What’s the good cause, in this case?”
“Apparently there’s a question as to whether Dupree died from the injuries sustained in the beating.”
“But... what do they think killed him, if not that?”
“All I was told was that the medical examiner had some ‘concerns.’”
“Well,” I said, blowing out a breath, “maybe that’s good news, then, right?”
“When you’re facing murder one, any news is good news.” Sailor cast a quick glance over at the sheriff’s deputy, who appeared to be staring at the wall. “Here’s the odd thing: There’s a rumor going around that the prosecutor’s office received a couple of boxes of cupcakes.”
“Cupcakes,” I repeated. “You’re thinking Renee dosed the prosecutor’s office? Why would she want to helpyou?”
“I have no idea, but that’s the scuttlebutt.”
“And you believe it?”
He shrugged. “I kept seeing red dahlias, and fungus, so it would fit. And these guys in here would have no reason to lie to me, as far as I can tell. Especially about something like cupcakes.”
“Renee might be angry with you for what happened to Tristan. We think it’s possible he came to San Francisco to work with Renee, to be the other half to hercoincidentia oppositorum.”
“We?”
“Aidan and I.”
“Uh-huh. And what makes the two of you think that?”
“Jamie mentioned it, and then Renee confirmed it.”
“So we might have to consider the sources.”
“True. But Aidan thought it was a good possibility. He says there aren’t that many options for Renee, so she might have recruited him.”
“Imported him all the way from Germany, like a BMW? I can believe she’s put out a global search, but was Tristan that well respected?”
I shook my head. “That thought struck me too. So if they’re lying, then what does that tell us?”
He gave me a barely there smile. “You mean you haven’t figured it all out yet, supersleuth?”
“Not hardly,” I said softly.
“I’m kidding,” he said, his voice gentle. “It’s been less than two days, Lily. You’ll get this.”
“One other thing: I saw something at your apartment yesterday.”
“You went to my apartment?”
I nodded. I wasn’t going to fill him in on the details of getting chased by his look-alike; he had enough to worry about.
