Page 57

“I get it.” Ellery rejoined Nora behind the sales desk. “You think I’m being unfair to Jack. But you weren’t there this morning. He wasnotpleasant. Let me put it that way. And that wasbeforeI got hit in the face.”

Kington removed his spectacles and wiped them. “Perhaps Chief Carson was a little flustered to find you there?”

“Jack?Flustered? No way.”

Nora said, “Chief Carson thinks the world of you, dearie. He knows how you’d view what must have seemed necessary action on his part. Feeling like a-a stormtrooper couldn’t have been very nice for him.”

Ellery snorted.

Kingston said, “Indeed not. I expect it made him defensive and maybe a bit angry to find himself in such a position. He was probably in a hurry to put an end to an embarrassing situation.”

This was an angle Ellery had not considered—he was not entirely convinced by Nora and Kingston’s reasoning—but Jack had definitely seemed off balance that morning.

He idly picked up another paperback.Trigger Mortisproclaimed the title.

“Where did these come from?”

“Imelda dropped them off yesterday evening. It’s a nice haul.”

Ellery nodded absently. Imelda, who worked at the veterinary office, was one of their best customers. He met Nora’s gaze and made a face. “Okay. I’ll give Jack a call. Meanwhile, maybe you should summon the troops.”

Nora did not go so far as to high five Kingston, but Ellery suspected she would have if he hadn’t been watching.

He went into his office and phoned Jack’s cell, but Jack did not pick up. That was disappointing, but also partly a relief. He was still shocked that Jack,hisJack, could be as heartless and cold as he’d seemed that morning. Getting clocked hadn’t hurt a fraction as much as Jack saying,You’re interfering with an officer in the performance of his duties.That (literal) pulling of rank felt unfair, unjustified on several levels.

At the same time, he acknowledged his presence at Dylan’s had definitely not helped matters. In fact, if he’d realized Jack was going to make an arrest, he’d have steered clear.

As it was, they found themselves in new and threatening territory. Where they went from here, Ellery was unsure.

Chapter Fourteen

“First, we have to look at motive,” Nora was saying as she doled out neatly typed pages to the circle of sleuths gathered in the Crow’s Nest open area.

“For which case?” Stanley Starling inquired.

“DearMr. Carterhasto take precedence.” Edna glanced around the circle. “We’re all in agreement surely?”

The others murmured assent, flipping dossier pages back and forth. Ellery, counting out the cash drawer, hoped he hadn’t made yet another miscalculation in calling for this emergency meeting at the clubhouse.

“Very well,” Hermione said briskly. “What have we got on our victim?”

Once again there was much scraping and flapping of papers, before Nora admitted, “Not much, I’m afraid.”

“There’s an understatement,” Stanley remarked.

Nora sniffed. “I’m not a magician. I have to something to work with.”

“Her driver’s license?” Hermione questioned. “That’s the only documentation we have on Ms. St. Simmons?”

Mrs. Ferris gasped. “WITSEC!” she exclaimed. “It explains everything.”

“Well, noteverything, dear,” Nora said.

Stanley said, “It doesn’t explain what WITSEC is, for one thing.”

Kingston supplied, “United States Federal Witness Protection Program.”

Stanley made a noise of dismissal, which was Ellery’s reaction too.