Part 20 (1/2)

'I think she's right about those two being lovers. What do you think?'

'I'm not convinced,' Pen said, 'but I have my suspicions.'

'If they are, it's conceivable that they did decide to eliminate your father.'

'That's pretty hard to buy.'

'People commit murder every day.'

'I know that.'

'And the people they kill, more often than not, are friends or members of the family.'

Pen nodded. 'I've done some research on the subject.'

Bodie shrugged the comforter off his shoulders and leaned forward, elbows on knees. 'I'm not saying they're guilty. The thing is, Melanie thinks they are. She might or might not be right, but there's a strong chance she'll do something about it. I say we not only keep an eye on her, we help her.'

'Help her do what?'

'Nail them,' Bodie said.

'What?'

'Only we control Melanie, we channel hera First, we convince her that the vision isn't enough. Then we offer to help investigate. I think she'll go along with that.'

'And do we investigate?'

'Just some minor-league snooping. Who knows? We might actually turn up some evidence.'

'Fat chance.'

'If we do, we take it to the police. If we turn up zilch, at least we've kept Melanie out of trouble for a while, and maybe she'll even end up convinced they had nothing to do with it.'

'One problem. I'm not supposed to know about this vision she had, and I don't imagine she'd be overjoyed to find out you snuck into my bedroom to fill me in.'

'Tell her that you're suspicious. Right now, she thinks you'd take Joyce's side.'

'Did she say that?'

Bodie nodded.

'I guess I can't blame her.'

'But if you let her know that you have doubts of your own about Joyce, I think she'll see you as an ally and confide in you.'

'It's like conspiring against her.'

'Joyce?'

'Melanie.' She sighed. 'I don't know. If we start looking for clues or whatever, we might just end up feeding her delusion.'

'If it is a delusion.'

'Yeah, if. And if she's right, I'd be as anxious as anyone to see those two get what's coming to them.'

'Tell Melanie that.'

'Maybe I'd better.'

'I think she'll be glad to know you're with her.'

'Maybe.'

Bodie stood up. 'I'd better get out of here.' He lifted the comforter and carried it to the foot of Pen's bed. 'Talk about feeding delusionsa if she woke up and found out I was over herea' He put the comforter on the bed. 'She'd never, no way, believe it was innocent.'

'I don't know how innocent it was.'

Bodie's eyes widened.

'I didn't mean that.' Again, she felt herself blush. 'I meant the way we're plotting against her.'

Bodie nodded and went to the door. He paused with a hand on the k.n.o.b, and looked back at Pen. 'The times are out of joint,' he said.

'I think that should be Melanie's line.'

He smiled. 'Goodnight, Pen.'

'Goodnight.'

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

Melanie was not in the room.

Bodie snuggled down and shut his eyes again. The bed felt too warm and cozy to leave. Briefly, he wondered where Melanie had gone.

Then he pictured Pen in her room last night sitting cross-legged on her bed: her mussed golden hair, her blue eyes, the light sprinkle of freckles across her nose. He saw the s.h.i.+ny blue pajama s.h.i.+rt open at her throat, the way it lay smooth over the mounds of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and how it draped her lap. The pants legs were stretched taut to her knees. Her ankles were slim and bare.

Bodie ached as he lingered on the image of her. If onlya If only what?

Maybe if she had started to cry. She hadn't been close to it, though. But if she had cried, he could've comforted her - moved to the bed and put an arm around her, and she would've turned to him. He could've held her gently as she wept. Kissed her.

G.o.d, to kiss her. Just to hold and kiss her.

Thinking about it made a hollow ache in his chest.