Page 83 of Murder on Charity Lane

“What?” Sophie asked.

“Another fruit color.” He started for the kitchen. “Let me grab some drinks. Then we can talk about the police reports.”

“Did your cop friend give you the files for Frank DeYoung?” Lily-Ann called after him.

“Definitely not,” Hamilton said from the kitchen. “No. Nope. That would put his job in jeopardy. He didn’t give me anything, I merely happened to notice a file he accidentally attached to an email. By accident.”

Lily-Ann sat on the couch. “So you know why they arrested CJ?”

“Milco, tamarind soda, or water?” he called.

“Water,” she said. “With ice and a slice of lemon.”

“What’s milco?” Sophie asked.

Lily-Ann felt her lips thin. “Half milk and half Coke.”

“I’ll have Coke, hold the milk!” Sophie called, then glanced at Lily-Ann. “How does he come up with these things?”

“He likes beverages.”

“Then why does he do such terrible things to them?”

Hamilton brought the drinks, his Birks scuffing the floor. “They arrested CJ because another witness came forward. Should I wait for everyone else?”

“Anthony’s working.” Lily-Ann took a glass from Hamilton, enjoying the coolness on her fingers. “But Ocean and Mrs. B should be here any minute, so let’s—”

“It’s just me,” Ocean said, as she opened the screen door. “Mrs. B’s staying home, drowning her sorrows in sherry and sudoku.”

Sophie made a sympathetic noise. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m okay,” Ocean said.

Lily-Ann suspected that the quaver in her voice gave lie to her words. She wanted to ask, but she resisted the urge.

“Mrs. B said that while CJ might not always stay in her lane at the YMCA pool, she’s not a killer.” Ocean scratched her wrist, sending paint flecks to the floor. “I think she’s been dreaming of proving her innocent and feeling better about what we did last time.”

Lily-Ann was absolutely content with what they’d done last time. Everything had worked out fine, as far as she was concerned. So she didn’t reply, she simply went to the kitchen for Hamilton’s dustpan, then swept the paint flecks from the floor.

“At least the cops won’t think Mrs. B is a suspect,” Ocean said, her voice still tight. “She can’t, like, claim she was hiding in a closet in the DeYoungs’ mansion.”

“Also, there’s a new witness who says CJ pushed Frank,” Hamilton said.

Sophie peered at her drink as if to check for milk. “Well, shit.”

“What new witness?” Ocean asked, from between her teeth.

“Sunny Wheeler came forward. He presented written testimony through his lawyers, which frankly is how I’ll testify, if I ever have to testify for anything, via a written statement that my lawyers drafted, so I can ensure accuracy as well as—”

“Hamilton,” Lily-Ann cut in.

“Er, right. So the news is Sunny also saw CJ push Frank down the stairs.”

“Oh, come on!” Ocean said. “That can’t be true.”

A corroborating witness. Well, that was unexpected. On the other hand, while Lily-Ann didn’t trust Mrs. B’s judgments, she trusted her sentiments. Also, Mrs. B had stood by Anthony despite his history, despite his appearance; plus, Lily-Ann owed her for creating the oasis in which she lived—so she’d keep digging.

“Why didn’t he say anything at the time?” she asked.