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“What did you want to drink? Are you liable to get called out again?”

“Hopefully, no. I’ll grab a beer.” Jack opened the fridge.

The microwave dinged.

Ellery removed the plate as Jack poured his beer into a tall pilsner glass. Watson led the way as they joined everyone in the library where they were going through Tosh’s box of photos.

Jack went over to examine the open panel. He briefly shone his flashlight inside the tunnel. He pushed the panel back into place, and sat beside Ellery on the long leather sofa. He picked up his plate of leftovers.

“This is a really nice room,” Tosh told Ellery.

Ellery smiled. “Thanks. It’s amazing what a subscription toBetter Homes and Gardenscan do.”

Originally the library had not been on the list of planned renovations, but there had been quite a bit of paint left over, so Ellery had the room—which consisted almost entirely of towering bookshelves—repainted pristine white. The mermaidfigurehead had been moved from the dining room to the library, and Ellery had sprung for having the antique rugs cleaned. He’d purchased a couple of large leather sofas and chairs, dragged a couple of carved wooden chests out of the cellar to use as tables, and called it a day. The end result was surprisingly charming.

“Hey, Chels, can I see that one?” Flip asked.

Chelsea seemed to come back to herself with a little start. “Oh. Sure.” She handed Flip a snapshot. The insincerity of her smile as she handed the photo over caught Ellery’s attention.

Wasit his imagination? Or were there odd undercurrents flowing through their reunion?

Flip glanced at the photo and handed it to Ellery. “Ellery, this is a nice one of you and Noah.”

Ellery took the photo, studied it with Jack.

Man, they had been young. He felt a pang at Noah’s mischievous grin. Smart, talented, witty Noah...

Next to him, he felt Jack smile at the youthful Ellery and his rather alarming hair.

“I know,” Ellery said. “I must have been going forGQmeets tumbleweed-in-a-tornado.”

Jack chuckled but was tactful. “You were a very cute kid. Have you mentioned Noah before?”

“I don’t think so. Noah died the year before we graduated.”

Jack gave him a quick look. “Died?”

Chelsea gave a sudden laugh and held out another print out to Ellery. “Hey, Ell. You were talking aboutThe Cat and the Canary.”

Ellery automatically reached for the snapshot and examined the ever-so-slightly blurry photo of the cast taking their bows.

Chelsea said, “I think that was closing night.”

“Wow,” Jack said very mildly, studying the players in their 1920s costumes.

This was met with knowing laughter.

“We got rave reviews for the costumes and sets,” Ellery said.

“Ellery played Charlie,” Chelsea said. “The villain. Not very convincingly.”

Ellery shrugged. He couldn’t argue with that. By that point in his education, he’d begun to be uncomfortably aware of his limitations as an actor.

Tosh put in, “I got to play Annabelle, but the part really should have gone to Chels.”

Chelsea’s smile was a little sour. “You were good. Anyway, you looked the part of the damsel in distress. I didn’t.”

Jack directed a thoughtful look her way.