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Aware that there had been a falling out among the Silver Sleuths following Jane’s discovery of the Foster fragment in her place of work, Ellery offered a neutral, “Probably. But I’ve yet to hear it.”

In the dim light he saw Jane’s mouth curve in a sour smile. “If I were you, I’d take a good, hard look at Jocasta.”

“Lara’s kid sister? Really?” Ellery automatically scanned the rows of empty seats for Jo Fairplay. He spotted her hunched over in the front row, busily typing notes into an iPad.

“Yes.”

“But the letters came from someone in Pirate’s Cove.”

Jane said, “Lara used to spend summers here when she was young. Which means, so did Jocasta. She could very well still have friends on the island.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Nora’s not the only one with her ear to the ground. You also might not know that Jocastawas trying for a career in music too. She didn’t get anywhere until Lara went to prison. But once Lara got out, Jocasta made the decision to return to working as Lara’s PA. Except, I don’t think it wasentirelyher choice.”

Ellery turned to study her. Jane smiled another of those humorless smiles. “People don’t talk to me like they do you. They do something even more useful. They forget I’m in the room.”

Having zero idea how to respond to that slightly unsettling statement, Ellery resorted to a neutral, “Ah.”

“Of course, I’m not a mental-health expert, but I do believe those three have a very interesting emotional ménage à trois.”

“I’m not sure I know what that means.”

Jane tittered. “Ménage à trois? It’s French for—”

“No, I know what the term means. I’m not sure whatyoumean.”

“You must have seen the movieAll About Eve? Well, this is the musical.”

“But didn’t you just meet them all today?”

Jane preened. “I had a private dinner with them last night. It wasveryenlightening.”

“I bet. That must have been fun.”

“Yes. It’s nice to be appreciated by talented, successful people who don’t enjoy looking for the worst in others.”

Ellery nodded noncommittally.

That was a slap at the Silver Sleuths. From the first, Jane’s former comrades had been openly skeptical of her find, which, understandably, she’d not taken well.

Perhaps because of their occasional—well, let’s be real, MORE than occasional—

peripheral involvement in some of the island’s high-profile investigations, the members of the Silver Sleuths book club had developed a certain skepticism toward their fellow man, much akin to that of a jaded big city detective nearing a well-earned retirement. Plus, Jane had lived on the island for little more than a decade, which still made her an outsider in the eyes of many. Maybe that factored in too?

Whatever their reasoning, Jane was, not surprisingly, hurt as well as angry at the suspicion directed her way.

After all, lifewasfull of lucky coincidences and timely happenstance. Ellery could testify to that. The problem was, healsowas dubious of her claim.

It seemed too convenient that Jane should stumble across such a find at the very moment when a prospective buyer, who might be willing to take some shortcuts in the verification process, should appear. Such things did happen, but did they happen to the Jane Smiths of the world?

He asked cautiously, “Are you going to be at the book club on Tuesday?”

“No. Nora made it clear I was no longer welcome.”

“Did she?” He didn’t think Nora would be deliberately unkind, but she could be painfully blunt. Sometimes that New England forthrightness could feel like sandpaper on an open wound. And perhaps Jane had reason to be sensitive.

He pulled a page from his mother’s playbook and said, “Maybe certain people, whose names we won’t mention, have their nosesa bitout of joint.”