Crowned and Moldering

I rubbed my arms, suddenly chilled. “That’s creepy, don’t you think? I mean, she couldn’t have been ru

“Evidence?” he said. “Like what?” It was obvious that he already knew the answer. So this was a quiz, maybe?

“Blood,” I said immediately. “Or semen? Dirt? Or sand from the beach. Maybe she was dragged up to the house from the beach.” I thought about that for a second. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“No, it doesn’t. But I won’t reject any wild theories just yet.”

As I reached for an olive, I suddenly remembered something else that might be important. “Okay, I’ve got a wild one for you.”

His mouth curved into a smile. “Of course you do. I can’t wait.”

“Did you happen to hear about the rat we found the last time Mac and I went out to the mansion?”

“I did. Some of your guys were talking about it at the pub one night. There was a lot of laughing, and the consensus was that your rat was barely big enough to be seen with the human eye. But you insisted on having the place exterminated, anyway.”

I sniffed. “If you’ve seen one rat, you’ve got to assume there are a few hundred more hiding somewhere. And that many rats can work like an army. They were pla

“Are you kidding? A no-kill exterminator?”

“I’m not kidding. Well, they do kill termites and carpenter ants—any bugs that destroy wood. But the rodents are trapped in cages and driven out to the mountains, where they’re set free.” And, yes, I suspected that the rats would come scurrying back to town, but my hope was they wouldn’t remember their previous address.

He scratched his head. “Now I’ve heard everything.” He grabbed his pen. “I’d better get the name of your exterminator. He might’ve seen something while he was out at the house.”

“Good idea.” I gave him the name of my guy, then grabbed a cracker. “Over the past fifteen years, though, do you think those rats could’ve eaten Lily’s clothing? Could they have chewed through any sheets and towels left lying around?”

He thought about it as he reached for another chip. “As far as I know, rats will eat anything. Frankly, they might’ve eaten parts of her flesh, too, if they could reach her inside the dumbwaiter shaft. We may never know.”

I grimaced. “Thanks for that visual.”

“It’s disturbing, but entirely likely.” He shook his head. “But back to the question of clothing. Even if rats did eat away at it, I think there would still be some remnants. But I’ll discuss it with the medical examiner. He’ll know more about rats’ eating habits than I do.”

Gathering up my nerve, I said, “Okay. So why are you talking to me about all of this?”

He sat back in his chair, but before he could speak, Tiger took the opportunity to hop up onto his lap.

I started to get up. “I can take her if you’d rather not hold her.”

“I don’t mind at all.” He stroked her soft fur, looking perfectly content.

“She doesn’t mind, either, clearly.” I shook my head at my presumptuous, flirty pet, then glanced down to see Robbie gazing up at me with a hopeful expression. Robbie’s problem was that he was too polite—not that I was complaining. Tiger, of course, had no such issues.

“Okay, come on.” I patted my lap, and the sturdy little dog jumped up and made himself comfortable. “So, what were you going to say?”

“The reason I wanted to talk to you,” Eric began, “is because I’m worried that this case has gone completely cold. Evidence has a way of disappearing after this many years. The cops working the case have retired, died, or moved away. Memories fade, so it’s going to be hard to find anyone who can shed new light on what happened.”

“That’s true.”

“You knew Lily and Sean and Amy. You knew who their friends were and what they were like in school. You heard the rumors about their parents.”

“Yes, but half the people you work with in the police department went to school with them. We all knew the Brogan kids. I mean, I’m pleased that you trust me to answer your questions, but you’re always telling me that you play by the rules. So why don’t you talk to someone in the department? Why don’t you ask Tommy? He knew the Brogans.”

Eric absently scratched Tiger’s neck, and the pushy little cat stretched up, demanding more.

“You know Tommy,” he said with a shrug. “He likes everyone. He’s not objective enough and he’s not as insightful as you are.” Eric quickly held up his hand. “Before you say anything, I’m not trying to be harsh. Tom’s a great guy, but he himself admitted it’s true. He’s the one who told me I should talk to you.”

“But I like everyone, too,” I protested weakly. Okay, nobody on the face of the planet was as nice as Tommy—which was why it was so hard to understand why he had married Whitney, but that was a different story. I wasn’t sure why I objected to telling Eric what he wanted to know. Was I afraid I might hurt Sean? Maybe.

Eric gri

“It is?”

“Yeah.”

I sighed, because he was right about me. “Okay, so what do you want to know?”

He checked his notes. “Lily had a boyfriend. Did you know him?”

“Oh yeah. I knew him.”

“See? Right there,” he said, pointing directly at my face.

I frowned. “Right where? What?”

“You wriggled your nose.”

“No, I didn’t.” I touched my nose. “I don’t wriggle.”

“Yeah, you do. And that little wriggle tells me you didn’t like the guy.” He gri

“Oh, all right.” It wouldn’t hurt to give him some details. They were fresh in my mind after my run-in with Cliff at the market. And just thinking about him brought back the anger and fear. “His name is Cliff Hogarth, and you’re right: I don’t like him. But it has nothing to do with Lily.”

“Let me be the judge of that. Why didn’t you like him?”

I sighed again and reached for a sip of water. I realized the anger was still so fresh, I could barely swallow. “Because he’s mean, pushy, vain, and obnoxious.”

“You’re talking about him as though he still lives here.”

“He does. He moved away, but now he’s back.”

Eric made a note on his pad. “So, what’s his story?”

“Cliff dated Lily most of their senior year, but I never got the feeling she was serious about him. I hope not, anyway, because he’s horrible. He left town at some point. Let me think.” I shut my eyes and pictured the scene back in high school. “He must’ve left right after graduation.”

“And when did he come back?”

“A few months ago.”

Eric glanced up, his eyes narrowing. “A few months ago?”

“Yeah. Pretty big coincidence, right?”

“Is it?”

“Maybe not.” Those were the same thoughts I’d had earlier, after Cliff had accosted me, but I’d been too freaked-out to think clearly. Now, talking to Eric, my thoughts were starting to solidify. “Maybe Cliff heard through the grapevine that the town had finally sold the lighthouse mansion. If he was Lily’s killer, he would’ve kept tabs on the place, right? He would want to get back here and make sure that the police didn’t find anything that incriminated him.” I gave Eric a hard stare. “I told you he’s mean and pushy, but now I realize that’s putting it mildly. He’s downright malicious. I wouldn’t be one bit surprised to find out that Cliff Hogarth killed Lily.”