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“Of course.” Ellery hunted for a towel to dry off Watson. He couldn’t help teasing, “Sleep okay?”

Tosh laughed, staring at the coffee perking in the machine. Then she looked up, said earnestly, “I really like Jack.”

Ellery, kneeling beside Watson, replied, “Me, too.”

“I wasn’t sure at first because he seems so...so...”

“Serious?” Ellery suggested wryly.

“Well, yeah. But I think he’s serious in a good way. He’s...authentic.”

Ellery had never particularly thought about it, but yeah, if byauthenticshe meant Jack was honest and unpretentious, then Jack was authentic.

Watson rewarded his efforts with a quick kiss. Ellery rose and opened the fridge to get Watson’s food out.

Tosh said, “I mean,reliablemay not sound sexy, but when you’ve been with someone whoisn’treliable...”

Ellery wasn’t sure if Tosh meant Freddie because Freddie had been a long time ago and Tosh had dated plenty since. In fact, Tosh probablydidn’tmean Freddie. She probably meant Brandon or Todd. And there she had nailed it.

Besides, reliable or not, Jack was totally sexy. Reliability was just icing on the cake.

He finished preparing Watson’s food, set the metal bowl on the floor, and Watson proceeded to give a stirring portrayal of a pup who hadn’t eaten in months.

Tosh poured the coffee into the mugs. “But also, it’s pretty clear that whatever you want is fine with Jack.”

“Wellll, I wouldn’t gothatfar,” Ellery had plenty of experience with Jack expressing his feelings when hewasn’tfine with what Ellery wanted.

Tosh finished doctoring the coffee and picked up the mugs. “Anyway, thisone is a keeper.”

“I’m going to do my best.”

They exchanged grins, and Tosh started upstairs, Watson, having already gulped down his breakfast, following.

Ellery spent a couple of minutes deciding what to feed the human members of the house party, eventually deciding on bacon and gruyere egg bites, fruit, and pastries. While the bacon cooked, he began phoning the people he’d invited to the housewarming to let them know the party was off.

There was a flattering consensus of expressed disappointment, but no real surprise.

Nora said, “It’s the right decision, dearie. Especially with more snow on the way.”

“Isthere more snow on the way?” Unhappily, Ellery glanced out the kitchen windows.

“According to popular opinion.”

“Or unpopular opinion.”

Nora said bracingly, “It’s always fun to share adventures with good friends. Next time you get together you’ll be able to reminisce about the time you were snowed in at an isolated country house with an axe murderer on the loose.”

Ellery only heard one part of that sentence. “Is there reason to think Edwin Dolph is still on the loose?”

“No, no. But we can’t be sure that heisn’t.”

She sounded unreasonably upbeat about it.

Ellery phoned Dylan next.

“I figured that was coming,” Dylan said. “But if you have to be snowed in, these are probably the best possible circumstances.”

“True. Other than the possibility of an axe murderer roaming the countryside.”