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They all stared at the bright yellow curls.
“What does cyanide look like?” Naya asked.
“Sugar,” Bodhi told her.
They eyed the crystallized sugar on the lemon peels with distrust.
“Bag it,” Hank said grimly.
Aroostine had already produced a pair of blue gloves and an evidence bag from who-knew-where. She snapped on the gloves and opened the bag.
“I sure hope that police officer gets here soon,” Maisy breathed.
Sasha gave her a careful look. For all her bravado, Maisy was, after all, a civilian. Sweat beaded on Maisy’s forehead, her pupils dilated with fear.
“You okay, Maisy? You want to sit down?”
She gulped and shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Sasha turned to her other friend. “How about you, Naya?”
Naya took a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m getting real tired of partying with you guys, not gonna lie.”
“It’s a fair point,” Leo told her. “I’m getting tired of partying with us, too.”
They laughed faintly, but their hearts weren’t in it.
Aroostine tilted her head and squinted.
“I know that look,” Sasha told her. “Wheels are turning in your mind. What are you thinking?”
“Rex wasn’t supposed to get bludgeoned to death,” she responded. “He was supposed to be poisoned. You heard them. Everybody knows Rex is wild about almonds.”
“It would be the easiest thing in the world to slip some cyanide into his drink,” Leo mused.
“But something happened, and the murderer had to act spontaneously instead of waiting for the cocktail hour,” Sasha chimed in.
“Then why kill Grady?” Bodhi wondered.
Leo tapped a finger against his lips. “Because Grady knew something he shouldn’t have.”
“What did he say right before he collapsed?”
Sasha gasped. “He told everyone that Rex had just found out he’d become a father.”
“Someone besides Grady knew. Someone who wanted that knowledge to die along with Rex,” Leo said.
“And Grady,” Naya added.
“Well, I guess we know Grady wasn’t the killer,” Maisy said with a deep sigh.
Sasha and Leo’s eyes met over Grady’s body. “Looks like we’re back to square one,” she said.
CHAPTER20
Once they were alone in the dining room, Leo addressed the small group of friends and colleagues gathered around Grady’s body. “I screwed up. I never imagined the killer would strike again right under my nose.”
Sasha corrected him, “Wescrewed up.Wemissed something.”
