Fear of Frying

tasteless,“ Shelley replied blandly.
    Edna rose majestically and left the table without another word.
    “That’s a pissed-off lady,“ Jane said.
    “Yes? Well, so is this,“ she said, pointing at her chest. “How dare she set herself up as the goddess of Benson and Allison’s marriage! She hasn’t any right to run their lives that way.“
    “It’s out of love for them,“ Jane suggested halfheartedly.
    “That’s not the point. Lots of people have done extremely damaging things out of love. It’s wrong of her to decide what’s right for her son and his wife. They’ve obviously made a hard decision, and it’s up to them to make it and live—or die—with it.”
    Jane glanced up and noticed Sheriff Taylor entering the room. He was looking for them, but Edna caught him first. Holding on to his arm to keep him from escaping, she led him to the stairway. He made a quick stay there gesture at Jane and Shelley.
    John Claypool and Bob Rycraft came into the dining room behind Taylor. They were obviously making polite discussion, and it was apparently agony for both of them under the circumstances. John looked haggard and tired and kept scratching his ankle. Bob was trying to strike a tactful balance between sympathy and his usual optimism—and failing badly.
    The two men headed for the table where Jane and Shelley were sitting as if it were an oasis.
    “We’re so sorry about your brother,“ Jane said. “It’s a terribly shocking thing.“
    “And I owe you ladies an apology,“ John Claypool said. He seemed to have aged a good ten years in one day. “I—we—should have believed you. If we had, the local law enforcement people could have gotten a much better lead on solving this horrible crime.“
    “It’s perfectly understandable why nobody believed us,“ Jane said. “After all, it looked to everyone like Sam was alive and well.“
    “Marge must be insane,“ he muttered.
    “Did you know Sam had a twin brother?“ Shelley asked.
    “God, no! Biggest surprise of my life. I guess our parents must have known, but they never said a word. Not a word. And Sam never mentioned it either. I can’t figure why not. Jesus! How on earth am I going to break this to them?“
    “Marge said Sam never mentioned his brother because he’d had a miserable life before your parents adopted him and he didn’t want any connection with it, no reason to remember it,“ Shelley said.
    “She told you that?“ John asked.
    “No, she told the sheriff. Has Henry turned up yet?“
    “Henry?“ John asked.
    “Sam’s twin,“ Jane explained. “His name is Henry Something.“
    “Oh, I didn’t know. No. No sign of him that I know of.“ John’s face was red with anger. “He’s long gone by now. The bastard. Came in and killed Sam, wrecked our lives, got poor old Marge thinking she was an oversexed teenager, and then skedaddled the hell away when his crime came to light. Shit!“ He caught himself. “Sorry, ladies.“
    “You’re entitled to be upset,“ Jane said soothingly.
    “How am I going to tell the folks? That’s what I’d like to know. It’s going to destroy them.“
    “You’ll find a way,“ Shelley said. “Just don’t make hasty decisions.“
    “So you’re convinced Henry killed Sam?“ Jane asked.
    John Claypool’s mouth fell open for a second, then he sputtered, “Isn’t everybody? Of course he killed Sam. Good God! Here’s this bum of a guy, God knows what kind of criminal background, goes looking for his twin and discovers he’s a rich, respected man. All he has to do is knock him off and step into his shoes. And his big house, and his business. The deal even comes with a ready-made wife. My God, Marge is nuts. Do you think she could have been stupid enough to fall for it? Did she really think this guy was Sam?“
    “You’ll have to ask her,“ Shelley said. “I imagine she’s telling your wife all about it now.”
    Bob Rycraft had slipped away after Jane and Shelley had let him off the conversational hook. Now Liz joined them. She had Al in tow.
    “Mr. Claypool! I’m so terribly sorry to hear about your brother!“ Liz exclaimed. “This is too horrible to imagine. What can we do? Do you need any relatives notified? How can we help?”
    John was bowled over by her forceful offers of help, and muttered vague thanks.
    “I understand there was a twin brother masquerading as Sam? Did you know about him before?”
    The conversation was a repetition of the one Jane and Shelley had