Page 76 of Death on Gallows Path

“Found out what?”

She gave no sign of hearing my question.

“Though I wouldn’t mind having sex again. He wasn’t much for duration, but he didn’t demand a lot, either. Too busy talking.”

So much for Damon’s skills in bed.

“But he couldn’t shake off those two,” Blanche added.

“Those two?” Clara repeated.

“Those two women who hung onto him all the time.”

Poor, poor Damon. Needing to wrest himself away from his wife and Girlfriend One to find time for Girlfriend Two. And likely never knowing how low she’d scored him.

“So, what did you do?”

“Went to dinner. Salmon. It was good.”

Which explained why she and William were late diners at the Tavern. She’d waited until after dog training ended, in case she could connect with Damon. Had she known William was there, watching her?

And exactly how much watching did he do?

Ew.

Abruptly, Blanche added to Clara, “Gotta go. Get me on TV and we’ll talk more.”

She went inside the office, having never once looked at me.

* * * *

“I can’t believe I didn’t recognize her right away in the Roger. It was dark when I saw her with Damon, but still—”

I cut off Clara’s self-remonstrations. “Probably that shirt.”

“It is weird.” She chuckled.

Released from the staring cats and Blanche’s oddly mesmerizing impression of a semi-zombie, a suspicion popped into my brain . . . and out of my mouth as I settled into the passenger seat of the van amid the dogs’ greetings.

“Was it my prejudice against her shirt playing tricks with my mind or did she indicate she was messing around with Damon to get information out of him?”

Looking up from her phone, Clara’s eyes narrowed. “What she said . . . It could be interpreted that way. But do you think she’d have the smarts to be a spy, try to get information to help her husband’s company?”

“I don’t know,” I said slowly.

We looked at each other, then turned in unison to look back at the car wash’s office, where — presumably — husband and wife had reunited.

“All the business stuff he talked about first . . . That sure seems to be his focus,” I said.

“I was thinking I’d ask Glen Selka if he knows anything.”

“Perfect.”

Her high school classmate achieved great success after leaving North Bend County and remained grateful that we’d helped him out of a tight spot.

She said, “I’ll call Glen and Gundy Vance.”

As owner/manager of Shep’s Market, he knew local business people. And we’d cleared up issues affecting his family, too.