Catch a Falling Knife

her friends would approve of what she was doing. When asked why she went public about her job, she said that the police had received a tip that Elise Hoffman had been the Shooting Star. Donna felt she had to set the record straight because this could have an effect on the murder investigation and also because she wanted to protect Elise’s reputation. Elise had been a good girl.
    At one point in the article Donna was quoted as saying, “The only time I feel in control of my life is when I’m dancing.” What did she mean by that?
    “Well, her secret is certainly out,” I said, as I finished skimming the article.
    “It sounds as if you already knew about this,” Mark said, eyeing me, suspiciously.
    “Donna asked me not to tell you about it. She said it would be just too embarrassing if you knew. She has a crush on you, you know.”
    “In today’s world, crushes can only get the crushee into trouble,” Mark said in an irritated voice. “Well, I realize that you’re way ahead of me on this, but how does the fact that Elise wasn’t the Shooting Star affect the investigation?”
    “Unfortunately, probably adversely for you because it eliminates some of the suspects. For example, anybody connected with Club Cavalier. And Elise’s father.”
    “Are you saying that Elise’s father would only be a suspect if Elise had been the Shooting Star and he had known about it?”
    “That’s about right. As far as the harassment issue, he apparently didn’t know about that until after she was killed. And he would have been more likely to kill you than her, based on that alone.”
    “That’s comforting. Do I need a bodyguard?”
    “Just don’t go near his dog. He’s big enough to eat you in a couple of bites.” I gave him a brief rundown on my visit to the Hoffmans’ place the day before.
    “What do you think of Elise’s mother as a suspect?”
    “June? Unlikely. She had no discernible motive. Her thinking is less rigid than her husband’s. In fact, she doesn’t seem to approve of his website.”
    “So who does that leave?”
    “You.” I immediately saw how bad my joke was when Mark’s face fell, so I tried to soften it. “Actually, we need to take a closer look at Ted and Donna. Ted is a strange duck and he knew about the harassment, apparently because Elise filed the complaint in order to excuse herself in Ted’s eyes for not being a virgin. It’s possible that this backfired on her.”
    “Are you saying that Ted may have become so incensed about the fact that Elise wasn’t a virgin that he killed her?”
    “Stranger things have happened. He seems to be really hung up on virginity. Although he didn’t admit it to me, he may be a virgin, himself.”
    “Does he have an alibi for the night of the murder?”
    “Hopefully, Detective Johnson has been better at getting that information out of him than I have. He doesn’t have a car, but he only lives a mile from Elise’s place. And her father didn’t call him until some time after the murder. At which time, of course, he was home.”
    “So Detective Johnson talked to him?”
    “Yes, but I don’t know whether he searched his place.”
    “Like for a weapon?”
    “Or bloodstains on clothes. Or a diary detailing the dark deed.”
    “Are you saying that we have to do that?”
    I hesitated. “I admit that the thought has crossed my mind. Otherwise, I doubt that anything will be pinned on Ted unless a witness comes forward. But I promised Albert that I would be careful about breaking the law this time around, so let’s explore some other possibilities first. Let’s talk about Donna.”
    “Newly exposed as the Shooting Star. But what reason would she have to kill Elise?”
    “We may have to put some pieces together,” I said, carefully. “Something Eric Hoffman said gave me a glimmer of an idea. I think I need to go back and talk to him again. But when June isn’t there.”
    Mark grinned. “Won’t you get eaten up by his dog?”
    “Monster and I are friends now.”
    My doorbell rang. Who could it be at this hour of the morning? Tess was the only person I could think of who would have the nerve. And she would probably phone me first. I walked to the front door while Mark made the article we were reading disappear from the computer monitor just in case it was somebody we didn’t want to know what we were doing.
    I opened the door and saw Detective Johnson standing beyond the outside door, which still had the winter storm window