Part 24 (1/2)

A huge spoonful of pumpkin gunk landed on the paper in front of me, narrowly missing my foot.

I picked my way around the slime-ridden newspaper and sat down beside her. ”I'm sorry.”

The spoon made a hollow sound against the pumpkin flesh as Meghan removed the last of the fibrous pulp. She got up and went inside. I didn't know what to do; she'd never acted like this before.

She came back with a roll of paper towels and a bowl, sat down beside me again. Leaning forward, her fingers picked through the goo, extracting pumpkin seeds and dropping them into the bowl.

She turned to me. ”Well, aren't you going to help?”

”Uh, let me go wash my hands.”

I came back and dug into the orange muck, squirting the slippery seeds into the bowl. We'd soak them in brine and roast them in the oven.

”So, am I forgiven?”

”Don't you dare pull something like that again. Not while this is going on. I thought something had happened to you.”

I felt mothered. I didn't like it.

But it wasn't her fault. ”Okay,” I said. ”Point taken”

Then I filled her in on what Ambrose had told me about the lye. ”I'm a little surprised that he told me. And last night he seemed...” I searched for a word. ”...quite human.” It fell short of what I meant, but I considered it a compliment.

Meghan looked at me sideways. ”You're such a dope.”

”What?”

”You. Are a dope. Otherwise you'd have picked up on the fact that Detective Ambrose likes you.”

”Likes me? You mean, in the junior-high sense?”

”Yes. Detective Ambrose is attracted to you. Interested. Wants to get in your pants.”

I stopped pawing through the pumpkin guts, stunned. ”How can you tell?”

She shook her head, smiling. ”How can you not? You've messed around in his investigation, been stubborn and combative, in short given him little but grief, and he's still solicitous and understanding and concerned about your safety. But, honey, that's nothing compared to the vibe between you two.”

”Vibe? Really?”

She lifted her eyebrows a fraction. ”You tell me.”

I went back to sifting through pumpkin innards. Okay, the thought of Ambrose being interested pleased me. And maybe something about him drew my attention in an adolescent, stomach-fluttering way I'd tried to ignore. Because, I told myself, it didn't matter. Present circ.u.mstances didn't bode well for any kind of relations.h.i.+p between us.

On the other hand, loneliness had been a part of my life for so long it had become comfortable. Living with Meghan and Erin diffused the weight of it; we were a kind of family. But I missed the kind of intimacy I'd had with Mike. I missed the male perspective. I missed s.e.x. I'd had a string of dates here and there, but nothing with teeth. And I got the idea any involvement with Barr Ambrose would have teeth.

Scary.

But maybe good scary.

I pushed the thought away. Never mind. Let Meghan play matchmaker. I didn't have to buy into her sentimental notions, vibe or no vibe. So there.

I swished my fingers through the acc.u.mulation of slick seeds in the bowl. ”We need to find out more about Walter's money situation.”

Meghan gave me a look, but let me get away with changing the subject. ”I checked with the lottery commission. Three years ago Walter won $1.3 million dollars. He took it in one lump sum, though, which knocked it down considerably. Maybe Detective Ambrose can tell us if it's all gone, or if Walter had enough left to provide a motive for murder.”

”I meant to ask him about that. He did say he's going to talk with Debby and Jacob this afternoon. Oh, and that reminds me. Debby and Jacob are brother and sister.”

”Really? Yeah, I guess that makes sense. He seems protective of her.”

”I'll say. To the point of being creepy. You think they could be, you know...?”

”Sophie Mae! That's gross.”

Maybe so, but those two had something beyond the usual brother-sister stuff.

Meghan stood up. ”Listen, I need to go get some props for Erin's Halloween costume. I hope this all blows over by then. It's her second favorite holiday.” Christmas being number one, of course.

Costumes made me think of Tootie in the photo with the guy in the bunny suit. ”Oh, no. I forgot to take the photos and stuff from Walter's over to Tootie.”

She stared at me. ”The fourth box, the one the thief missed. We never told Detective Ambrose about it!”

”It's just some old photos, a few other mementos.”

”Sophie Mae, what if there's something there that's important?”

”Like what?”

”Like I don't know. Just call him, okay?”

”Sure. I'll do it now.” I stood up to go inside, then stopped.

”Meghan?”

Holding her pumpkin-slick hands out in front of her, she looked up. ”What?”

”Do you think we should get a gun?”

Her face hardened. ”Are you out of your mind?”