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I COULDN’T jump up and scream and point to hiripped , handsome Franklin, who’d had soand routine by now Franklin, with a house we all entered only once a year for his annual party, a house that could be full of things stolen fro

Franklin could have had Tonia Lee just by crooking his finger, and his legendary char she must have knoas incredibly suspicious How had he persuaded her to return the key to the key board, or to give him a ride from Greenhouse Realty to his house? He must have told her that he had arrived at the Anderton house to find Tonia Lee already dead--though what explanation he could have given her for going to the Anderton house at all I couldn’t i back the key would lessen the chances of his being suspected of so he hadn’t done, but Idella couldn’t stand up to the heavy secret she carried, the guilt she felt I re in the bathroom of Beef ’N More, the day of her death And Franklin, of course, could tell Idella was cracking Even if she couldn’t face the fact that Franklin was almost certainly the murderer, she would feel terribly conscious that she had lied to the police And to her eht?"

"What?" I juht brown eyes full of concern His innocent light brown eyes, I thought with a swelling heart

"Um, as a matter of fact, Martin, I don’t feel too well" People were getting up, chatting Tiet you home, then"

Martin retrieved our coats while I sat at the table, afraid to look up for fear I’dacross fro

"Want to stop at The Pub for a drink?" he asked, his voice warht

"Sure Then we’ll see after that," she said teasingly

There wouldn’t be ht It was already a case ofto bet it would be hers Franklin probably still had the vases from the Anderton place in his house Somewhere He’d be afraid to sell them in Atlanta, surely, with the case still so fresh On the other hand, I argued with erous! His car would be an even riskier place, though

I slipped intoit for et the police to search Franklin’s house?

Martin’s ar to make it to the car?" he asked, concerned

"Martin, I’," I told hiet the car I’ it around as quickly as I can"

I nodded absently, and was only vaguely ahen he left

"It was so nice to meet you," a voice at my elbow said with routine courtesy

I looked up at Miss Glitter "Enjoyed it," I said auto at her elbow Terry Sternholtz and Eileen ca very pretty in the dark blue, her curly red locks tae to realize that Terry had dressed up as much for her date with Eileen as I had for my date with Martin

"I’ll be late Monday," Terry told her boss "I have an early appointment with the Stanfords"

"I’ll be in Atlanta all day," Franklin said casually "I’ll see you Tuesday"

But as Eileen, Franklin, and his date walked away, I gripped Terry’s arentle; she looked surprised as she asked , ere at the Greenhouse’s, that a self-defense course wouldn’t have helped Tonia Lee? Because she had been tied up?"

Terry groped in her memory "Sure," she said finally "I remember So?"

"Do you by any chance remember who told you Tonia Lee had been tied?"

"Oh Yeah, it was Franklin, next risly stuff like that, but Franklin gets into it"

"Thanks, Terry I was just curious" Terry looked at me doubtfully, but then Eileen called her i lance

Donnie Greenhouse’s stupidity had maybe saved his life He’d heard Terrytied and realized its significance long before I did--well, maybe he wasn’t so du so to ask her where she’d gotten that da piece of information All the tiht until I realized Arthur had takento er to tell Arthur what I’d seen; okay, napkin-folding can’t be used as evidence, but at least I’d get a e to Lynn surreptitiously, an indicator that the police should look Franklin’s way very quickly

But Arthur had his own agenda, and in a particularly esture I remembered vividly from our relationship, he raised his hand when I started to talk

"Roe, that guy is bad news," he said, fixing me with his flat blue eyes His voice was low and steady and absolutely sincere "Because of the good ti you Get away frorapes on round check on hireat force, to stop whatever he was going to say I was thrown completely off-track "I appreciate your concern But I a you that I am in love Now, you listen to this "

"If you won’t shuck hiht"

"But you have to know that that erous?" asked Martin with a ferocious cheerfulness

"Mr Bartell," Arthur said, hostility in his voice "I’m Arthur Smith, a detective on the local force" Martin and Arthur shook hands, but looked as if they would just as soon have arm-wrestled

If they’d had fur around their necks, it would have been standing on end

"Glad I ht the car around"

"Thanks, honey," I said, and Martin slid an aro to the car

"Tell Lynn I need to speak to her," I told Arthur over , Roe?" Martin said after we’d left the Carriage House parking lot "Are you really feeling sick?"

"No But soht, and we have to talk about it" Who else was erous situations than Martin? He was dangerous himself Maybe he would have an idea

"Does it concern that policeone out with?"

"He’s married and has a baby," I said fir you about me?"

"Yes, but that’s not what I want--"

"He said I was dangerous Do you believe that?"

"Oh, yes But--"

And suddenly ere in the ure out Sos for athered it wasn’t the warning but the feelings that upset Martin And then also, he felt that Lizanne’s engageivento tell Martin I loved the earrings and wouldn’t have taken an engageiven it toto say If we had fallen in love like teenagers, ere quarreling like teenagers, and if we had been a little younger, I’d have given hi

And then, just as we pulled intotruly terrible

"I have to go" He was suddenly calently, "about Franklin Farrell Before tos"

"Please coh tootheir natural vent

"As soon as I handle the situation at the plant, I’ll come back"

"Wait a second," I said as I slid out of the car I ran to unlock my back door and ran back to the car "Here’s ers around it "I have another I’ll use Coet back"

We looked at each other searchingly "I’ve never given anyone a key tothe car door and running into the townhouse

Madeleine was standing curiously in the cold draft fros as I stood in the kitchen area wondering what on earth I was going to do

I wandered up the stairs, pulling off s in, and sat at ure out what to do

What if I called the police station and said there was a kidnapped woed to break in to see?

Maybe not I could hardly call Arthur to find out

Report a fire?

Well, the firenize the vases, as indeed most of the policeraphs of theeneral ht tables

To if I couldn’t draw attention to Franklin now Day after tomorrow, Franklin would take the vases to Atlanta and sell them or drop them--in the river on the way, if he hadn’t done it already

He’d be out of his house tonight, with Miss Glitter

I stood there in the bathrooainst the decision I was about to hts about how incredibly stupid I was, I pulled on heavy socks and blue jeans and a T-shirt and a sweatshirt I zipped up my black boots and found an old jacket with deep pockets I found a knit scarf that had a hood for the head and then two long ends that tossed around the neck, which I pinned so I wouldn’t have to keep fooling with the I had on was black or dark brown or navy blue I looked like soht in the closet, just enough to pick out dark colors, but not the right dark colors Aht wryly

I did keep on ed, terrified and deter that looked as if itinto Franklin Farrell’s house