Page 17 of Again with Feeling

“Uh, thanks, Millie. I hadn’t considered that terrifying possibility yet.”

Keme pushed his hair behind his ears and said, “What about the dad?”

Bobby and I looked at each other.

“That lady, the sister, she told you the dad got sick,” Keme said. “Maybe he needed the money.”

“I think that was later,” I said slowly. “Candy was talking about Vivienne by that point, about how she’d never share her money. But you might be on to something. He definitely didn’t like that we were looking at the slough. And he was eavesdropping on the conversation.”

Bobby made a face. “I should have thought of that. It wasn’t until Candy brought him up in the conversation that he interrupted, and then he couldn’t get us out of there fast enough.”

“You know who I think did it?” Millie said. She waited, and I could tell she was working up to something, but even so, I wasn’t prepared for the sheer magnitude of: “CANDY!”

In the next booth, a glass shattered. (Kidding.)

“They’re sisters, right?” Millie said. “And it sounds like Candy is SUPER jealous of Vivienne, like, her success and everything. AND—” She even held up a finger. “—she was eager to insert herself in the investigation so she could tell you bad stuff about everyone else, which is what some killers do because they want attention. I saw that on TV when Fox made me watch that show with all the widows who were killing each other.”

“I have no idea what that was,” Fox said, “but I want to watch it again.”

I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, Millie said, “AND Candy had opportunity, in terms of the murder. She lived right next door to Richard, and she was home the night he disappeared. And Dash, you always say that if we can establish opportunity, then we consider the person a suspect and look for motive.”

“I do?” I asked.

“There was definitely something off about her,” Bobby said.

“The kimono,” I said.

“She has a lot of resentment—”

“The nail polish.”

“—and she was quick to blame Vivienne—”

“Oh, and she fell instantly in love with Bobby. So, zero gaydar.”

“—but her explanation for why she believes it was Vivienne is pretty weak.” Bobby turned in his seat. “Do you want to go over that last part again?”

I grinned and shook my head.

“She fell in love with you?” Millie actually clasped her hands. “That’s so sweet!”

“Bobby doesn’t show up on gaydar,” Fox said. “He’s not even a blip. Oh, except when I saw him snogging that little powderpuff on the boardwalk the other day. Was that Kiefer?”

“No,” Bobby said, and I thought a little color came into his cheeks, “and—”

“It’s the way he walks,” Keme said.

“Oh my God,” Millie said. “It IS the way he walks. AND HIS HAIR.”

“His hair—” I tried.

At the same time, Bobby said, “My hair—”

“And his jeans,” Fox said. “Marvelous hind end, but sometimes it’s like a pair of bowling balls swimming around in a denim sack.”

“What is happening?” Bobby said, mostly to himself.

“Just let it wash over you,” I said. “They wear themselves out eventually.” In a louder voice—to our alleged friends—I said, “Bobby shows up just fine on gaydar, thank you very much. And for your information, it’s fine for some gay guys, like us, to present as more traditionally masculine.”

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