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Priscilla cah her French doors in a hurry

"McKenzie," she ‘called "McKenzie, stop McKenzie" She reached the table "What are you doing here?"

Cilia was also wearing a swiured I was either delaying her swie of her tailored clothes, I could detect a heaviness in Cilia’s hips and thighs, a bulge at the belly, and a softness in her upper arms and shoulders It was the body of a forty-plus woreat many twenty-year-olds ished they looked as fit

"You look awful," Cilia said

"People keep tellinghere?"

"Merodie Davies will be released from jail today," I said

"That’s wonderful," said Silk

"You carateful, of course"

"Sure you are"

"Is--Is the Anoka County Attorney going to arrest someone else?"

"The case is closed and will soon be buried along with Eli Jefferson"

Cilia sighed as if a great weight had been lifted frolass table from me

"I’m surprised Mr Muehlenhaus hadn’t told you already," I said

"Who?"

"Stop it, Cilia I’m not in the mood"

"What do you want? Why did you come?"

"You had me, Cilia," I said "You really had me with the story about your father and brother and Brian Becker Tell ht sht as well have asked a professional gambler if he had the cards after he bluffed me out of a pot I didn’t pay to see her cards, so she wasn’t going to show them

"True or not, it worked," I said "You talkedthat you killed Eli Jefferson You didn’t, though, did you?"

I turned an to squirht now"

"In a minute"

"Leave now, or I’ll call the police"

"Here" I slipped my cell from my pocket and pushed it across the table at her "Useat Silk

"Cilia, you said you put the envelope containing Merodie’s check on the coffee table in the living room," I said "But I saw the crime scene photos, read the reports--there was no coffee table in the living roo a room was practically awash in blood, Jefferson’s blood, by the time you said you arrived You couldn’t possibly have missed it--if you had actually been there You weren’t It was Silk who delivered the check"

"No," Cilia said