Page 60 of A Murder is Going Down

‘What are you talking about?’

‘You were out at their house before Felix died.’

‘No, I was home.’

‘But—’

‘But what?’

‘Someone saw you.’

‘Who?’

We reach the kitchen, which is empty, and Aunty Sam turns to face me, looking more annoyed than guilty, which is a bad sign.

‘Adam,’ I say, not even hesitating before throwing him under the bus. The phone in my hand vibrates, but I ignore it.

‘Who the hell is Adam?’

‘Elena’s friend.’

‘I’ve never even met someone called Adam.’

‘He was here at the house the other day and recognised you. Dark-haired guy, um, kind of looks like the dude fromTed Lasso.’

Aunty Sam’s face wrinkles. ‘I don’t watch TV.’

Patrick appears in the doorway like he’s been summoned. ‘Jason Sudeikis,’ he says.

‘What?’ I’m so surprised to see him that I smack my hip against the kitchen bench.

‘The guy fromTed Lassois Jason Sudeikis,’ he says, exhibiting zero shame at his transparent eavesdropping. ‘And where’s this iced bun I’ve been hearing about?’

‘Not him – the other one. Roy Kent,’ I say.

‘Who the hell is Roy Kent?’ Aunty Sam says.

‘That’s the character name,’ I tell her. I appeal to Patrick, ‘You know the guy I mean.’

‘Oh, yeah, the handsome one. Sure, why are we talking about him?’

‘I was trying to describe Adam to Aunty Sam,’ I say. ‘She would have seen him at the party here the other day.’

‘I don’t remember him,’ Aunty Sam says. ‘He must have mistaken me for someone else, because I was at home the night Felix died.’ She lifts a stack of plates off the kitchen bench and carries them through to the table in the next room, where Michael is slicing into a gigantic bread-and-sugar monstrosity. ‘Now, can we please have some of this bun? I’m starving.’

‘Hey, Heidi,’ Michael says pleasantly. ‘Bun?’ (If I hear the wordbunone more time,thisbun is going out through the window.)

‘Sure.’ I take a seat next to Elena, who is either reading or pretending to read the paper.

‘Where did you go this morning, by the way?’ Aunty Sam asks me, taking the chair opposite. She probably thinks she’s changing the subject.

‘Just for a drive,’ I say, as Patrick says, ‘We went to see Adam.’

Okay, then.

‘Does everyone know this Adam?’ Aunty Sam repeats, clearly confused.

‘I’ve never met him,’ Michael says helpfully.