“Because while it’s titillating to suggest that you could track down a killer by the scent he or she wears, it’s problematic. First of all, a killer would have to be stupid to wear any sort of cologne while stalking his victim because scent is one of the strongest memory triggers. And we don’t want our villain to be stupid. At least not in the books we read. In real life, definitely.”
“I see what you mean,” I said. “In real life, I would appreciate a dumber villain.”
“Right. Another problem with scent is that you can’t pinpoint it. One of the housekeepers might’ve been wearing perfume that day. Or she could’ve used an orange blossom dust spray on the tables. Or it could’ve been another woman walking down the hall and Phil thought he smelled it inside the room. It’s all too inconclusive.”
“Don’t tell Douglas, but I’m hesitant to trust too much of Phil’s story.”
“Me, too.” He grabbed a bite of salad before continuing. “Okay, we’ve got our victims lined up. So, who are our suspects? What are their motives? How does everything play out on our timeline?”
I shrugged shyly. “I made a list of suspects.”
“You rock.” He beamed at me like the proud father of a four-year-old. “Let’s see it. We’ll play the Scooby-Doo game.”
“The what?”
“The Scooby-Doo game.”
I found the list in the junk drawer—which was right where it belonged, given that two of the people on my list were now either dead or in a coma—and handed it to Mac.
“Scooby-Doo, the cartoon show?” I said. “I watched it a few times when I was a kid.”
“I watched it constantly,” Mac said with boyish excitement. “At some point in every show, Scooby and the gang gather around and analyze who might’ve done the crime and why, how they covered it up, and how the gang’s going to get them to confess. Basically, they brainstorm.”
“But . . . Scooby-Doo was a dog, right?”
“It’s a cartoon, so anything can happen,” he said.
“So the dog solves crimes.”
“You need to let go of those prejudices.”
I smiled. “Right. Sorry. So, where do we start?”
He waved the list. “See, you were already in Scooby mode a while ago.”
“I just never knew what that was called.”
He grinned. “Jargon matters.”
“I see that now.” I glanced at Robbie, who was inching forward on his belly. I made a tsk-tsk noise with my tongue, and without missing a beat, he backed up right to the dining room door.
“Okay, let’s start at the top with Jane,” Mac said.
“But Jane’s not on my list.”
“I know. But you need some practice until you get the hang of it. And besides, you need to establish a firm alibi for Jane.” He swirled his wine and took a sip. “So, ask yourself, how did Jane kill Jesse? And why? What did she have to gain?”
“It’s a little creepy to practice on Jane, but here goes.” I took a moment. “Okay, because she wanted his money. His house. She was tired of his nagging.”
“Did he nag her? Really?”
“No, but we’re just practicing, right?”
“Yeah, but let’s try to keep it realistic.”
“Well, realistically, Jane wouldn’t kill Jesse. But okay. Jesse got a little cranky sometimes.”
“So she killed him?”
I thought about it for a minute, pictured poor Jesse sprawled on the couch in his boxers. And took a deep breath as another possibility occurred to me. “Jesse was dying of some horrible disease and didn’t want to draw it out until he was too sick to get out of bed. But he didn’t have the nerve to do it himself, so he asked Jane to put some sleeping pills in his beer or something. She did it to relieve him of the misery of a prolonged death.”
“That’s good,” he said. “That’s really good. A mercy killing. She’ll still go to jail, but that was a real good motive.” He patted his heart. “I’m so proud of you.”
I laughed. “You’re nuts. Besides, if that really happened, Jesse would’ve told her where to find the necklace before he died.”
“True.” Mac scowled. “Damn. That’s where it’s weak. But let’s keep going because you’re on a roll. What did she have to gain?”
“His house? His money?”
“Also kind of weak since Jane already has a huge house and it looks like she’s got some money.”
“Her grandmother left her some cash along with that gigantic house, which she turned into a beautiful bed-and-breakfast. And she’s going to be very successful.”
“Good. But she could still be after his money because some people just want more. But I’d say Jane is slipping down the suspect list.”
“Good. I didn’t put her on there in the first place.”
He cut into his steak and took a bite. “Who’s next?”
“Let’s do Stephen now.”
“You don’t like him,” he said, grinning.
“I guess it shows. I don’t like how he moved in on Jane. He grabbed a room at the B-and-B and now it looks like he’ll never leave. It’s a little disturbing.”
“Maybe he likes her.”
“I wouldn’t blame him. She’s fabulous, but still, it’s a little hinky. Jane’s not too happy about it.”
I related what Lizzie had heard from Ned. Namely, that Stephen had insisted on getting a tour of Jesse’s house, until Jesse finally blew up over it.