"Pete. Pete, listen to me will you. We cleared the others, we have to start thinking of the ones in the garden." Art pleaded with his partner. "There has to be a way one of them got inside without being seen."
White sat slumped in his chair, chin propped on his chest and arms folded. "There's no goddam way, I don't care what the captain says. There's just no goddam way."
"Look," Art began patiently. "Let's take them one at a time and check them against the statements again. Degrew we can scrub—"
"Oh, you're sure?"
"Don't be a jerk, Pete. She was up at the lectern in front of everybody almost right after Spade went inside. The chef, the catering staff..." He scribbled some notes. "Let's just leave them for now. I know it wasn't the chef. He was consoling himself in the garden over the mess he made of the cake. Not a killer's profile. Alec Fletcher."
"What about him?"
"He was first one in after the scream. He was also cuddly with the Hayes woman." Art scribbled some more. "Not really likely since they were together the whole evening." He doodled a heart with an arrow through it. "You gonna help or what?"
"What."
"Fine. Be a smartass."
"You're just doin' what we've already done, eliminate everybody." White gave his partner a bleak look and leaned forward on his desk. "I know what we have to do, Art and I'm not tryin' to be a jerk about it. It's just that I can't see a way around the times." Art didn't respond. "You hear me?"
"Get this," he said suddenly excited as he thumbed through his notes. "Brenda Carlisle."
"Gee, that's enlightening, Detective Washington."
Art ignored him and went on. "According to both Fletcher and Hayes, Brenda Carlisle went to the bar for another drink." He flipped a few pages. "Mrs. Morano says that Brenda Carlisle got up and moved when Emily Crouse joined the group." Another flip of pages. "Cheryl Woz-whatever, said that Brenda said she wanted another drink and left the group."
"What's the point here, Art?"
"The point, partner, is that we have this Brenda Carlisle away from the group during the tribute—and none of them said she came back." The two detectives stared at one another, the imaginary smell of wood smoke from overheated brains permeated the office. "Now who do you like?"
**************
Alec and Darlene sat quietly at the kitchen table surveying the damage caused by their lusty encounter, both stunned by the speed and the outcome of their passion. Darlene looked down at the stains on her dress and the flour on her legs and began to giggle.
"What?"
"Look at us. Talk about hands in the kitchen."
Alec laughed, shaking his head. "We're lucky we didn't seriously hurt ourselves. How the hell am I going to get all that flour up off the floor?"
"First we have to make sure we don't step in the broken glass. Who keeps a flour canister on the kitchen table anyway?"
"Besides me? What's that liquid over there?"
"I don't know. Whatever you had on the counter in that plastic jug."
"Oh shit, lemonade." He got up quickly then realized he had no pants on and sat back down. "I think we both need a shower."
"Me first." She said. "I still have things to do today. You can start cleaning in here."
He looked at her in surprise. "Things? You're going to shower and leave?"
"Yes, Alec. I'm sorry but I didn't plan for this- this- what happened. I've got stuff I have to do. I have to go home and get clean clothes; that's going to be choice on public transit. I'll try and come by later and help you tidy up."
Alec stood again, this time careless of his appearance. "I'll call you a cab while you shower. And don't worry about cleaning, I'll look after it."
"You're mad."
"Hey, why would I be mad? I spend a lot of my time wrecking my apartment, humping potential girlfriends and seeing them off to their busy schedules."
Without a word, Darlene stood and marched from the kitchen straight to the bathroom, leaving Alec alone amidst the debris of their suddenly soured passion.
"Shit!"
Geena packed up her things and tried to keep the conversation light as Brenda watched stone-faced from the window seat. Her apartment was finished and ready to reoccupy and Millicent wanted her to do a walk through before the bill was paid to the cleaners; she insisted on paying for the work when she learned that Gary would be in hospital for some time, draining their savings.
Geena thanked Brenda for letting her stay and tried one final time to express the difference between how she felt about her and how she expected that to be interpreted. Brenda waved her off with an indifferent shrug.
"I want to remain friends, Brenda." Geena said, standing in the open doorway.
"Sure."
"Brenda, I'm married to a man I love, surprisingly enough, after what happened. There never was any thought that you and I- well, at least on my part." She shrugged and let the unfinished sentence hang. Brenda nodded and placed a hand on the door, gently pushing it closed.
"Gotcha, Geena."
The cab pulled away and he watched, raising his hand then letting it fall, getting no response. The sky threatened rain again and a sporadic wind hissed through the trees and ruffled his damp hair. Alec wrapped his towel over his shoulder and plodded back up the steps to the lobby and climbed up to the second floor.
He paused outside Brenda's door debating whether or not he would speak to her about Darlene then decided against it; he had already caused enough grief with his stupid comments. The door opened just as he started to leave and Brenda stepped into the hall, jerking back in surprise.
"Sorry, Bren, I was just coming in. Didn't mean to scare you."
"Getting a breather outside from your marathon romp?" She snapped bitterly.
"Huh? What's your problem?"
"You, Alec. You and all the trouser-packed, empty-headed morons like you! I'm surprised Millicent didn't call the cops about all the racket you made."
He gawked in disbelief at the statement and the venom in her voice. "Brenda! Jesus, what's come over you?"
Her whole body trembled and her face suffused in a blotchy pink. "Your whole species! That- that asshole that lived there." She threw her arm toward Wally's old apartment. "He was another one, always strutting around like women should fall and writhe at his feet!" Her voice rose and fell and Alec found himself stepping back from her intensity. "None of you know just when to butt out!"
"Brenda, calm down for christ's sake. What brought this on?" He reached a calming hand and she slapped it away, almost daring him to do something else. "Brenda let's just relax here, okay? Can we sit down somewhere and talk this—"
"I wouldn't sit with you if you were the last wo- person on earth!" Her eyes flared and she bared her teeth, scaring the wits out of Alec. The sound of her apartment intercom buzzer sounded and they both froze. Through the door they could hear the voice of Detective White calling her name.
******
"Did they arrest her?" Sophia helped herself to another of Millicent's social tea biscuits and settled back on the lounge beside her husband.
"No, at least I don't think so. They just said they wanted to question her downtown." Alec sat forward with his forearms on his knees, turning the glass of wine slowly in his hands. After the police had taken Brenda away, the residents, all alert to the events taking place, gathered in the garden to discuss, with Millicent providing refreshments. Even Regina found herself intrigued, finally adjusting to the overwhelming changes taking place at Garbo Towers.
"Why didn't they just question her here?" Sebastian wanted to know. "If they didn't arrest her, why take her downtown?"
"I had to go downtown." Geena said. "They didn't arrest me. You were the one that needed a lawyer."
"Maybe we should get your friend to go down there and help Brenda." Alec turned to Sophia.
"Robbie? He's already defending Seb. It's the same case, I don't think he would or even could do that."
"Then I think I'm gonna go down. She needs some support and she is a friend...to all of us."
"I don't like to talk about people behind their backs, but I think we all know about Brenda's proclivities." Millicent drew everyone's attention to her position. "So I think we should avoid making any judgments on little more than supposition and innuendo."
"Gosh, I always thought she was kind of neat." Cheryl said.
"There's nothing wrong with Brenda." Emily defended. "She's just suffering the symptoms of a woman in her situation. She always seemed quite together about her orientation but I think that inside she was in great conflict."
The others stared incredulously at Emily; it was one of the longest remarks they'd ever heard from her and it was considerably more profound than any of them thought her capable of being. She took a sip of wine and smiled shyly.
"I also think that the recent events," she threw quick glances at Geena and Alec, "just served as a catalyst to that conflict."
"Wow! That's really interesting, Em." Cheryl looked at her with genuine awe.
Stanley coughed and placed a steadying hand on Cheryl's arm. "Is this all leading to some kind of conclusion on our part with regard to Wally Spade?"
There was a shifting of seats and some muttering among the group and ultimately, a consensus.
"Yeah, I think it might." Sophia said what the rest acknowledged with hesitant nods.