"Cream?" Mrs. McKee asked Sean. "Sugar?"

"Both," Sean said. He expected the cream to be the real stuff, and much to his satisfaction, it was.

Mrs. McKee, Samantha, and Megan all helped themselves to cake and coffee. For the next ten minutes the only sounds were forks clinking on plates, coffee cups being refilled, and the ticking of the grandfather clock in the living room.

"Ma, I've already told Mr. Simmons what you told me about Richard and Annabel," Megan said once she'd finished her cake.

Mrs. McKee poured Sean a third cup of coffee. "I don't know that I have that much more to add," she said.

"Remember what you told me about Richard and that girl."

"Megan, that's all secondhand information," Mrs. McKee objected.

Sean smiled. "I'll take what I can get."

Mrs. McKee wiped her mouth with her napkin and set it back down on her lap. "Poor Missy."

"Missy?" Sean said.

"Well, back then she was Missy. Now she's Anna. I guess that's a lot more sophisticated."

Sean nodded. "Go on."

Mrs. McKee shook her head. "It was just very sad."

Sean took a sip of coffee and put his cup down on the red checked tablecloth. "Sad in what sense?" he asked.

"He ruined her life."

"He, being Richard?" Sean asked.

Mrs. McKee nodded. "She was this quiet mousey little thing who used to work in her family's liquor store, never dated or anything like that. She really didn't have lots of friends either, really just Annabel and Joyce. And they weren't tight. Not at all. Actually, I think they used Anna to get liquor from her parents' store."

"So Anna was kind of like Carrie," Megan said.

"Not that bad, dear," Mrs. McKee replied. She turned back to Sean. "Anyhow, then Richard came along and swept her off her feet."

"That's hard to believe," Samantha said. "He's such a dork. He looks like Ichabod Crane."

"It's true, dear," Mrs. McKee said. "Back then he was a lot heavier. He really was very good-looking. And he played basketball. He really owned the place. All the girls wanted to go out with him."

"And this was pre Annabel?" Sean asked.

"Oh yes." Mrs. McKee nodded. "Definitely. Then Annabel came along. I heard that Anna told Annabel she was pregnant and Annabel went right out and seduced Richard. I guess she saw it as her chance. In any case, Richard told Anna that she was on her own. And you know what? Annabel broke up with Richard shortly after that. Which was just like her. Of course, they got back together later, after Richard had divorced his first wife."

"What happened to the baby?" Sean asked. "Did Anna get an abortion?"

"No. Anna insisted on having it, but her parents made her get rid of it."

"That's terrible," Samantha cried.

"I'm sure it wasn't very nice for her," Mrs. McKee said. "But maybe it was best for the child."

"Maybe," Samantha said, but Sean could tell she wasn't convinced.

Mrs. McKee patted Samantha's hand. "These things usually happen for a reason," she told her before continuing on with her story. "The poor dear never went back to school after that. Just worked in the family store. She was getting home-bound instruction. And I think that's as much as I can tell you, because that's all I know."

"Did she stay here? Did she move?" Sean asked.

"Well, she went away for a number of years. But then she came back and started her grooming business. And I guess she was able to move on," Mrs. McKee said.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, the Colberts were her clients. If she hadn't forgiven them, she never would have worked for them."

"You wouldn't have worked for them," Mr. McKee said. "Not everyone feels the same way you do." He pushed the plate of cookies in front of Sean. "Have one," he urged Sean. "They're b.u.t.terscotch oatmeal pecan."

Even though Sean was full, he took one anyway. After all, it would be rude to refuse. Mrs. McKee watched Sean take a bite. When she heard his sigh of pleasure she smiled.

"You can come anytime," her husband joked. "My wife is a sucker for a good eater."

Megan reached across the table and grabbed a cookie as well. "These are my favorites," she said. "Samantha, do you want one?"

Samantha shook her head. She looked as if she was deep in thought.

"Is there anything else you can tell me?" Sean asked Mrs. McKee after he'd finished his cookie and refused another.

Mrs. McKee shook her head. "I haven't been very helpful, have I?"

"On the contrary," Sean said. "You've been very helpful."

And it was true. She had been. As Sean got up to leave, Megan volunteered to walk him and Samantha out to the car.

"You know," Megan said once they were outside, "I don't know if this is important or not, but I think Melissa and Anna have a thing going."

"A thing going?" Sean said. He felt like an idiot. Either he was losing his marbles or Megan was unclear. Of course, he preferred to think it was the latter, but one never knew.

"You know-a thing," Megan repeated, giving him a meaningful look.

After a moment the light dawned for Sean. "Oh," he said. "You mean that kind of thing."

"Yeah. That kind of thing," Megan said. "What kind of thing did you think I was talking about?"

"I wasn't sure," Sean confessed. "Why didn't you tell me before?" he asked.

Megan bit her cuticle. "Well, it's like their private business," she explained. "I mean, who cares, right?"

"Right," Sean said.

"But then I thought, well maybe it has something to do with what happened, you know?"

"I know."

"Even though I don't like Annabel-I mean she was a total b.i.t.c.h-that doesn't give people the right to kill her."

"Yeah," Samantha said. "If we killed everyone who was b.i.t.c.hy, the world would be an empty place."

"But a better one," Megan said. "In fact, that's not a bad idea except the whole death thing skeeves me out."

"It's definitely gross," Samantha replied. "Once, I saw this cat that had gotten run over by a car." She shuddered at the memory.

"How sure are you about this, Megan?" Sean asked.

"I'm not sure, sure," Megan said. "But I'm pretty sure."

"What's pretty sure?" Sean asked.

"I saw them giggling together in the store."

"They could have been sharing a joke," Sean said.

"It wasn't that kind of giggle," Megan said.

"Then what kind of giggle was it?" Sean asked.

"It was a kind of sharing giggle."

"That's what I just said," Sean told her. He thought that given the circ.u.mstances he was doing an admirable job of retaining his patience.

"This was a different kind of sharing giggle," Megan told him.

"Maybe they're good friends," Sean suggested.

Megan shook her head. "That's not the kind of vibe I got. I mean, I could be wrong. But I don't think I am. I'm usually not about that kind of thing." Megan rubbed her arms. "It's cold out here. I'm going back inside." And she turned and went up the steps.

"What do you think?" Samantha asked Sean as she pulled away from the curb.

"About what Megan just said?"

"Yes."

Sean closed his eyes so he wouldn't see how close they were to the cars parked on the side of the road. "Sure," he answered. "Why not? Anything is possible."

Samantha grunted. Sean decided she looked extremely distracted-not something he wanted to see when they were on the road together. To take his mind off of Samantha's driving, he called Ines and filled her in on the conversation he'd had with the McKees. Then he called Clyde and told him what he thought.

"But you can't prove anything," Clyde said.

"No, I can't," Sean said. "This is all speculation. But my gut tells me this is the way to go."

Clyde laughed. "Are you sure you're not having indigestion?"

"Maybe that too," Sean replied.

Clyde was quiet for a moment. He knew his old friend and he knew his hunches. Nine times out of ten they were correct. "All right," he said. "Let me nose around and see what I can come up with."

"That's all I'm asking," Sean said and hung up.

"So what's going to happen now?" Samantha asked.

"Nothing is going to happen."

"Nothing?" Samantha said.

"Not yet," Sean said firmly.

"That's ridiculous," Samantha said.

"No," Sean replied. "That's reality."

Five minutes later, Mrs. McKee called Sean and told him the rest of the story. "I just didn't want to say anything in front of Samantha," she said.

"I can see why," Sean replied after he heard what she had to say.

"Who was that?" Samantha asked Sean when he was done.

"Megan's mom," Sean answered. "She just wanted to tell me she wanted to share her coffee cake recipe with Bernie and Libby," he lied.

"She's very nice," Samantha said.

"Yes, she is," Sean agreed.

Chapter 29.

It was nine-thirty the next morning. Bernie was in the kitchen of A Little Taste of Heaven putting a pumpkin pie in the oven. She was wondering if they should invest in one of those fancy new cash registers instead of sticking with their old basic ninety-nine-dollar model when her cell rang. She slid the pie in, closed the oven door, and picked up her phone. Megan was on the line.

"You've got to come over to the pet shop," she cried. "Samantha is flipping out."

"Flipping out as in how?" Bernie asked while she wiped her hands on the towel lying on the counter.

"Just please come," Megan replied. Then she hung up.