Page 48 of The Hard Way

I lowered my voice. “You’re breaking in?”

“Mm-hmm.” He took a fry. “Could take a while. Not as long as if she’d updated her operating system.”

“I can’t believe you just walked in and switched Nancy’s phone.”

Odin looked up. “She doesn’t even lock her doors.”

Thor arrived while we were waiting for Odin’s program to work. He slid into the booth on my side. “Your sisters didn’t tell anybody. I’m convinced.”

“You let Vanessa talk to them alone like I said?”

“Yeah. I took a walk around the grounds and let her talk to each of them.”

He’d walked the grounds.“How does everyone seem?”

He shrugged. “Same. I told Vanessa we were looking into foul play, and she’s all over it. She knows she’s being framed. She also heard the rumors that Nancy Zietlow was having an affair. Just for the fuck of it, I suggested Andy Miller was the boyfriend. She thought it was hilarious.”

I nodded, wishing I could’ve been there to laugh with my sister about the idea of Andy going after Nancy Zietlow. Nancy had to be fifteen years older than him. But more than that, Nancy had that sophisticated-lady thing going on, whereas Andy was more like,sup, dude.

I made Thor tell me every little detail of what my sisters said and how they seemed and even what they were wearing.

“Vanessa’s fierce like you,” Thor said. “Your younger sisters believe in the system, they believe the truth will come out. Like there’s some mistake. Vanessa is keeping the whole idea of a frame job to herself. She’s a protective lion to those two.”

My heart did a little flip. “Did you ask who Rhonda married?”

“Reggie Baker. Know him?”

“No way!”

“You know him?”

“Dude, I know everyone here. Huh.”

“What?”

“Oh, Rhonda and Reggie hated each other in high school, but I guess that’s how it goes.”

“Combustion,” Zeus said. “You think he could’ve engineered this?”

“Hmm.” I sat back and folded my arms. “Reggie was a band guy. Tuba.”

“Tuba, huh,” Thor said.

“Yeah.”

“Maybe not, then,” Thor said.

Zeus nodded in agreement.

“What? Being a tuba-playing band guy means he can’t be devious?” Odin asked.

“Well…” I said, trying to think how to explain the entirety of American high school culture to Odin.

“Sort of. Let’s just say, whoever Nancy is having an affair with just moved up a notch on the suspect list,” Thor said. “Anyway, it’s beautiful out there. The sheep are great. Petey was out there barking.”

“Petey!” I said. “Such a good dog.”

“They’re taking good care of that place, baby.”

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