The old lady shrugged.

Amanda said, “Is it possible that it could have been a man?”

Lucille didn’t answer right away. “No, I don’t think so. Davida got a lot of mileage out of being a lesbian.”

“All the more reason to keep an affair with a man hidden.”

“A man…” As if considering an exotic species. “No…” Lucille shook her head. “I knew my daughter better than one might think. She wasn’t interested in men.” Another sip of whiskey. She stared at Amanda. A smile spread slowly. “As the saying goes, it takes one to know one.”

Barnes almost choked on his drink although Lucille’s admission shouldn’t have come as a shock. It was well-known around town that she’d treated her husband coldly, had had no use for men since the divorce. He thought that resulted from a bad marriage, but maybe he’d mixed up cause and effect.

“One of the reasons I didn’t like Minette,” Lucille said, “is that she wasn’t real. Just a shallow, stupid girl using my daughter as a meal ticket. Now it’s out in the open…what that little bitch was doing all those nights my daughter was working.”

Barnes rubbed his chin. “I think Davida was doing more than working, Mrs. Grayson. Davida had gonorrhea but Minette is clean. There was someone else in your daughter’s life.”

Lucille took a deep breath and let it out. “I see.”

“That’s why I asked if there was a man in her life,” said Amanda. “The disease is passed easier from male to female than from female to female.”

“Aha…” Lucille nodded. “I see your logic, but I still know my daughter. If she got the disease, it was from a woman, most probably a woman who sleeps around with men.”

“Any candidates?” Barnes asked her.

Lucille smiled. “You’re wondering about Jane.”

“Jane moved back to Berkeley. She and Davida reignited their friendship.”

“That silly boat ride. Why anyone would subject themselves to bumping and…” Lucille checked herself. Finished her second drink. “Could Davida and Jane have had a thing? Oh, yes, definitely.”

Sitting back and enjoying the look on the detectives’ faces.

Amanda said, “Definitely.”

“I know it for a fact, dear. Not that either one would tell me. But I’m able to recognize love when I see it. Davida always loved Jane. It just took Jane twenty years and all those ridiculous marriages to decide she loved Davida.”

21

Excusing herself, Lucille left them alone in the parlor. Barnes steadied his hand with more bourbon.

Amanda drank water and said, “Well that was earth-shattering.”

“Jane and Davida. Just like the old days. I told Jane about the gonorrhea when we met up a couple of nights ago. She was pretty casual about it, suggested Davida had gotten it from Minette. Now I’m thinking she was out to make a point: this has nothing to do with me.”

“Maybe a diversion, but maybe also the truth, Will. No matter what Mother says, Davida could’ve been flinging with a Y chromosome.”

“We’ve gone over all of her e-mails for the last three months- personal and business- haven’t found anything hinting at a secret male lover.”

“Nor have we found anything linking Jane to Davida.”

Barnes conceded the point. “Maybe Jane’s still in denial about her own sexuality.”

“Or Lucille has it all wrong.”

“It’s not just Lucille, it was Alice Kurtag, too.”

Amanda’s turn to concede. “Jane wanted the relationship but wasn’t ready to come out.”

“Mandy, what if Jane was all thrilled about hooking up with Davida and Davida wanted to go public? Jane wasn’t ready for that. She goes to Davida’s office to beg her to hold off on any announcements, but Davida refuses.”

“She visits with a shotgun in hand?”

“So they drank together and had an argument. Jane left and returned to do the deed. Donnie Newell told me that Jane freaked out big-time after they did a threesome. If Davida threatened to out her, she could’ve freaked out again.”

“Maybe Newell was taking the heat off himself and directing you elsewhere. And we know he owns shotguns.”

Barnes gathered his thoughts. “Okay. You win. I’ll go back and round up Newell’s guns.”

Amanda applauded silently.

Barnes said, “That doesn’t mean that Jane is off the hook.”

“All this time, you’ve been saying the crime had a masculine quality to it. Then we get a decent male suspect and/or his eagle-eye shootin’ wife and you switch to Jane Meyerhoff. Does Jane even know how to shoot?”

“Never saw her actually do it but she grew up on a ranch- okay, enough of this, I’ve been blabbing so much I might as well run for city council. We’ll get the guns and we’ll talk to Jane, see if we can’t get her to admit to the affair.”

“How do we crack her?”

“Lucille figured it out, it’s useless denying it.”

“Lucille’s a lesbian with a lesbian daughter. She could be accused of overactive gaydar. Jane denies it, it’s her word against Mother’s.”

“Then we lie, tell Jane that Davida told Lucille about their affair in no uncertain terms, and Lucille told us. Then we sit back, no judging, and watch how she reacts.”

“Ah, the suspense,” said Amanda. “I love my job.”

Lucille’s visitors had thinned, but the mansion still buzzed with latecomers. After mingling for a few minutes, Amanda and Barnes found Jane in the kitchen, placing cucumber, cress and egg salad finger sandwiches on a silver tray. She looked up and resumed her work.

Barnes said, “We need to talk some more.”

“About what?” Forced lightness in her voice.

Barnes placed a hand on her arm. Immediately, Jane’s eyes watered. Barnes whispered, “Lucille told us.”

Tears etched a meandering trail through Jane’s foundation. “Told you what.” No question mark in her inflection.

“About you and Davida.”

Jane stared at the refrigerator.

Barnes said, “She told us.”

“What does an old woman know?”

“Davida told her everything.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Lucille wants to make it public.”

Jane’s face infused with color. More than a blush- the deep hue that comes from a hard slap. “But why would she want…” She shook her head. “Can’t we discuss this later?”

“I’m afraid not,” Amanda said.

Barnes said, “The only way we’re going to get your side of it is if you tell us.”

Jane wiped her hands on a napkin and picked up the tray. Amanda took it from her and placed it out of reach. The gesture- being deprived of her task- made Jane sag.

“My side of it.” Sick smile.

Barnes said, “How long have you been involved with Davida?”

“Please, Will.” Jane’s eyes were pleading. “Can’t you just let things be? My mother is here. She doesn’t know and I really don’t see the point of her finding out now that Davida’s gone.”

“I’m not talking to your mother, Janey, I’m talking to you. How long have you been involved with Davida?”

Jane’s eyes skittered between Amanda and Barnes, then trailed back to the fridge. Amanda followed her gaze. Nothing to see on the old Sub-Zero. No cutesy, kitschy magnets, no personal touches. The kitchen was as sterile as an operating room.

Jane said, “Since I filed for my divorce.” Her shoulders lowered another inch. “Parker went crazy, started doping more heavily, became an absolute psychotic shit! I called Davida for support because…I don’t know why…she’d always been there when I was down…before all those men, and she did it again, became my main source of support. Because Mother had zero tolerance for my complaints against Parker, sometimes I think she preferred Parker to me- never arguing with her, dressing right. Then he goes and turns into such a shit! But it’s my fault, spoiled Janey whining about another man gone bad. Parker played it. Horrible to me but courtly to her. Mother is not only a gossip, she is also the most superficial person I know. Makes Minette look like Gandhi- if Davida hadn’t been there for me, I would have had a total breakdown!”