She shouldnt have added that last sentence. It implied that she had something to accuse him of. Which she didnt.

"Can I make a confession, Moonlight? I always thought you were the cutest, and definitely the most together, girl in school. I could never get up the nerve to tell you what I thought. Perhaps I should have, maybe things would have worked out differently."

"All that is of no relevance," she said. The night was sharply cold and her coat was unzipped, but suddenly she was boiling hot. Why on earth was Winters not stepping in to give her a hand? He might have turned to stone, for all the help he was.

"Is Lorraine at home?" she said.

"I am." The girl poked her head through the V between her brothers arm and his body.

"Get back inside," he said.

"They know Im here. Lets get it over with." Lorraine pulled her head back.

Gary stepped to one side. "Sorry Moonlight, cop guy, but Im not inviting you in. Come here, Lorraine. We can talk on the porch as well as any place else."

"In full view of the neighbors?"

"Shocking, eh? Theyve probably never seen cops at this door before."

Winters still didnt say anything. Smith cursed him and b.u.mbled on. "Are your parents at home?"

"Strangely enough, no. My dear step-father has been called away on an important business matter to Vancouver, and Mamas visiting her sisters in, shall we say, Toronto."

By which Smith a.s.sumed that Gary, fresh out of prison where hed no doubt learned a thing or two about intimidation, had kicked them out of home and out of town.

No loss to anyone. Least of all to the patrol officers of the Trafalgar City Police.

"Whats the matter?" Lorraine asked in her soft voice. She stood at her brothers side clutching a tattered pink robe around her skinny frame. The slippers on her feet had teddy-bear heads. They were clean and looked new. "Im sorry about last night, Mol. I mean, Constable Smith. But those people...Jasons family, they made me so mad. Are you going to arrest me?"

"No, Lorraine. As I told Gary." She glanced at the brother. All anger and aggression. And, Smith hoped, protection. "Were here about Jason Wyatt-Yarmouth. You knew him?"

"We were engaged." Lorraine pulled a well-used tissue out of her pocket and blew her nose.

"Im sorry," Smith said. Why the h.e.l.l was she conducting this investigation? "I need you to think back a bit, Lorraine. On Christmas Eve, I was in the police truck outside the convenience store and you were going into town. We talked for a few minutes. Remember?"

"Yeah."

"Think back before that. Like around dinner time. Did you see Jason then?"

She shifted her feet. "Yeah."

"When?"

Lorraine took a quick peek toward her brother. Then she looked so directly at Smith that the officer knew the girl was about to lie, or at least to dissemble. "Jason came here around six oclock, maybe six-thirty. I was the only one at home, so I invited him in for something to eat. I put a couple of frozen dinners in the microwave and we talked for a while and then we ate." She sniffed. "Im cold, Gary. Do we have to stand here on the porch?"

"Yes we do. These people are not welcome in our house. Not without a warrant."

"Not a problem," Winters said. "Its a pleasant evening." Somewhere down the street, a s...o...b..ower roared to life. At the bottom of the hill a car spun its wheels searching for traction.

"After you had dinner, Lorraine, did you notice what time Jason left?"

She looked everywhere but at the police. "Sure. It was nine oclock. I went back inside and turned on the TV. The movie was starting. Right, Gary, the movie was on."

"I wouldnt know, Lorraine, I wasnt here."

"Oh, right."

"Where were you, Mr. LeBlanc?" Winters asked.

"I slept on Donnie Bernards couch. You can check if you want. Id had a disagreement with my father in the afternoon and decided to spend the night elsewhere. I came by the next morning to check on Lorraine. Found that the parents had been drinking at a friends place and hadnt even made it home. They were in the drunk tank and Lorraine alone and in a bad way."

"Was Jason driving?" Winters asked the girl.

"I dont know. I didnt look outside."

"Do you know where he went when he left here?"

"Back to the B&B, I guessed. He said hed phone me later and I could come to their Christmas Eve party. Christmas Eve. Like I was part of a real family."

Chapter Fifteen.

"Shes lying."

Smith started up the van. "You think so?"

"Yes, I do." Like a real family. G.o.d, but that was sad. Lorraine had retreated into the house, in a flood of tears after mention of the aborted Christmas Eve party.

"Does it matter?"

"Does it matter that Lorraines lying to the police in a suspicious death investigation? Dont be stupid, Molly, of course it matters."

Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel and he could hear her take a sharp intake of breath. "I meant Jasons activities that night. He killed his friend, and was taking the body to dispose of it in the wilderness when he went off the road. Lots of wilderness around here. Im guessing he found Ewan with Lorraine and they got into a fight over her. Both men are dead. Case closed."

"Nothing is obvious here, Molly. Does it matter? Yeah, it does. It matters to the law and it matters to me." He sat in silence as she drove downhill in the direction of town. Hed left her to do most of the questioning of Lorraine because Smith had a rapport, no matter how tenuous it might be, with the girl. Whereas he, obviously, represented authority, Smith, in her handmade red gloves and spiky blond hair, at least knew Lorraine. The brother was another matter. He hadnt needed to say anything out loud to the effect that he liked Molly, it had been written all over his face as soon as he opened the door and saw her coming up the walk. Before the hard guy faade fell back into place.

Winters closed his eyes and thought about what Molly had said. Perhaps he should just write it up as a fight between friends that got out of hand. But suppose there was another reason Jason had been driving around with his friends dead body in the car. He had to know Ewan was dead. Jason was a medical student, for G.o.ds sake. Surely they learned on day one the difference between a dead person and a living one.

Had Jason killed Ewan and been trying to dispose of the body? Or had someone else killed him and Jason was trying to protect him, or her?

Or had Jason, knowing his friend was dead, been taking him to the hospital and gone the wrong way? Why would he do that? To avoid overloading the EMS on a busy night? That sort of consideration wouldnt fit with the impression Winters had gained of Jason Wyatt-Yarmouth.

Smith pulled into the back of the police station. He could tell by the set of her shoulders that she was smarting from his rebuke.

Only eight oclock and he was dead tired. Barney was a night person, and Eliza said theyd be having dinner around nine. Barney was actually a morning, afternoon, and night person. The woman didnt seem to have low gear. Shed pretty much taken over their computer room. She was on vacation, so she was only working half time-twelve hours a day instead of twenty-four.

Smith backed the van into its parking spot. Winters unfastened his seat belt.

Lorraine LeBlanc was not a bad liar. Considering her family life, she would have learned such a basic survival skill. Sixteen years old. That would throw a good-sized spanner into the works. He couldnt drag her down for further questioning without a parent or guardian present. And considering that the parents appeared to have vacated town without the courtesy of leaving a forwarding address that meant legal complications he most certainly didnt need.

The radio squawked. "Seven-two. 911 call. Disturbance at 1894 Victoria Street."

"Not them again," Smith groaned.

Winters grabbed the radio. "Winters here. Ill meet Seven-two at the scene." He fastened the seat belt. "Enjoying your day off, Molly?"

"As much fun as a day at work." She put the gear into drive.

Lucky helped Ellie carry the tea things into the kitchen. It was after seven, long past time to be home. Andy would be wanting his dinner. Not that Andy Smith ever expected dinner to be on the table when he walked through the door. Usually he considered himself to be fortunate to be provided with a hot, cooked meal at all. He wasnt incompetent in the kitchen, and when the children were young Andy fed the family about half the time. But somehow, as middle age settled in and Moonlight and Samwise found lives of their own, Andy sort of forgot how to cook. Not that Lucky always took up the slack, but this morning shed taken a four-bean chili out of the freezer.

"Thank you for being here with me, Lucky," Ellie said as she opened the dishwasher drawer.

"Glad I could be of help."

"This is all so difficult. Those poor boys. And the police poking around. Never thought Id complain about living in a town with a low crime rate, but I guess if they dont have anything better to keep them occupied they have to make themselves look important. Oh, sorry, I forgot-Moonlight."

"My daughter does her job to the best of her ability." Lucky knew she sounded pompous. It was difficult, sometimes, in the anti-establishment circles in which she moved, to defend her daughters dedication to her career while at the same time ensuring that she herself still supported the civil rights, environment, and peace activists who might occasionally fall afoul of the police.

"Do you know, Lucky, Im starting to wonder about letting rooms to these college types."

"People of any age die. Youre far more likely to have a sudden death with us of the older crowd, you know."

"All this...going on. Having girls upstairs. Girls like, well, like Lorraine. Shes a sorry creature, Lucky. That mother of hers should be horsewhipped."

"I dont think they do that any more." Lucky rinsed the tea pot.

"Well they should. Alan and Sophie arent married, you know."

Lucky struggled to contain a laugh. She remembered smuggling Andy into her dorm room at the University of Washington. She and her roommate Jane had agreed on the hours Jane was to be in the study hall. Lucky returned the favor. Jane hadnt come back to school after summer break and was dead before Thanksgiving. Lucky was pleased Jane had been able to have some fun in life before cancer chewed through her body.

"Theyre young, Ellie, what do you expect?"

"Take some baking for Andy," Ellie said. "Ive more than Ill use. This business has put the guests off their appet.i.tes."

Lucky needed no further prompting to rip a length off a roll of plastic wrap and use to it to bind shortbread, cookies, and squares. Nothing like a touch of chocolate chips or sprinkling of colored sugar to make Andy forget the little wife was late serving his dinner.

She carried her goodies out to the hall and put them on the table by the door while she rooted through the closet for her coat.

The guests were still gathered in the common room. Wendy had come back downstairs to join them. The door was open.

"Ghouls," she said in a voice that could be clearly heard in the hall. "I cant imagine why theyre making such a fuss over a car accident. Isnt it bad enough that my brothers dead, without them wanting to drag every little detail out about what happened the day he died?"

"Theyre just doing their job," Rob said.

Lucky sat on the deacons bench to pull on her boots.

"He might be, but that female cop. G.o.d, have you ever seen such a superior b.i.t.c.h."

Lucky tied her laces, while reminding herself that not everyone in town could be expected to love the beat constable.

"Bet hes s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g her." Jeremy.

"Youre the one whos screwed. In the head. What the h.e.l.l gives you that idea?" Rob.

"She wants to get ahead, doesnt she?" Wendy again. "You can see ambition practically dripping off her."

"Heres an interesting fact, Wendy: ambition doesnt become a dirty word when its applied to a woman." Rob.

You tell 'em, boy.

"Look at your own mother, Wendy, Order of Canada isnt she?" Rob.

"Course your mothers quite the screwable piece herself. Despite being, what, fifty years old?" Jeremy.

"What the h.e.l.l does that mean?" Wendy.

"Will you guys drop it?" Alan, coming down the stairs.

"Sorry, pal. You cant hear yourself when people are talking? That must be a problem. Me, I never much care what I can hear when Im on the job. Unless shes not breathing, that is." Jeremy. "Course I might pay attention if that blond cop came banging on my door with her truncheon."

"You are such a jerk." Rob.

"Not that youd know." Jeremy. "I can see whats going on in the dark, you know, Robbie. You cuddle up to that computer as if she were a wh.o.r.e."

Lucky Smith was certainly not the housemistress of this bunch. But enough was enough. If someone didnt interfere theyd soon be coming to blows. She took a step toward the common room.

"Stop it. Stop it," Wendy yelled. "My brothers dead and youre arguing about whos s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g who. I dont care. I dont care. I dont care." She began to scream. Long and loud, without end.

Lucky took a step toward the girl.

"Well done, Jeremy." Rob took a half-hearted swing at Jeremy, but he missed and tripped over a loose edge of the rug. Rage flooded Jeremys face, and he pounced and followed Rob to the floor, fists moving.

Kathy, coming out of nowhere, brushed past Lucky. She jumped on Jeremys back, pummeling him with her fists. Alan grabbed Kathy around the waist and tried to drag her off. She turned, grabbed his arm, lifted it to her mouth. Her jaws closed.

Alan yelled and dropped her. Holding his arm and swearing a blue streak, he leapt backward, knocking into the Christmas tree. The tree swayed and the ornaments rattled.

"Tabernac." Sophie grabbed a lamp and swung the base toward Kathys head.

Lucky grabbed Sophies arm. "Drop it."

She did and turned to tend to Alan.