Hotline to Murder

car?”
    Or going out with women. But his love life was in a tailspin, and he wasn’t about to discuss it. “I like to hike.” Although he hadn’t been hiking for a long time. And his gut showed it.
    “Where do you like to hike?”
    “Have you ever been up the Palm Springs Tramway?”
    “No.”
    “Well, from the top of the tram you can hike up Mt. San Jacinto. It’s beautiful up there.”
    “I’d like to do that sometime.”
    The waitress brought their food, and Shahla dove into her pie and ice cream. Tony sipped on his decaf. After he had allowed her to take several bites, he said, “Tell me about why you think Martha might be a suspect.”
    “Jealousy. Joy was the star of the volleyball team, and Martha was riding the bench, mostly. Now she’s replaced Joy in the lineup as an outside hitter. But she’s not as good as Joy and never will be.” Shahla emphasized the last sentence.
    “That doesn’t mean she killed Joy. Jealousy? There must be more to it than that.”
    “How about insane jealousy? They’ve known each other all their lives, and Joy has always been better at everything. School. Sports. Attracting boys.”
    “How do you fit into this?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You said that they’ve known each other all their lives. But Joy was your best friend. Couldn’t you be feeling a little jealousy because of their closeness?”
    Shahla glowered at him and took a big bite of pie.
    “Well, look who’s here.”
    Tony knew who it was even before he raised his eyes. He would know his ex-girlfriend’s voice anywhere. And Carol was with a man—not a bad looking man, a prosperous-looking man. Tony felt a twinge of something inside. And she was looking good, with a skirt and sweater that didn’t hide her curves. Her short brown hair with red highlights set off a smiling and perfectly proportioned face. No need for a nose job there. And she looked happy.
    “Hi, Carol,” he said belatedly. “Uh, this is Shahla. Shahla works on the Hotline with me.”
    “Working the late shift, eh?” Carol said, pointedly looking at her watch. Tony realized it was almost midnight. “Hi, Shahla. I’m so glad to meet you. This is Horace.”
    Tony awkwardly stood up from the booth and shook hands with Horace. He didn’t see a ring through his nose, but maybe it was invisible.

“Well, we won’t keep you,” Carol said. “It must be way past Shahla’s bedtime. But it was great to see you both.” She tucked her hand into Horace’s arm and guided him to a table in the corner.
    “Who was that?” Shahla asked, her eyes wide.
    “That was my ex-girlfriend,” Tony said, following Carol with his own eyes and wondering how she still had such control over his emotions.
    “She’s very pretty. But…”
    “Pushy? Sarcastic?”
    “I didn’t want to say anything bad about her.”
    “You don’t have to. I know all her faults by heart.”
    ***
    “I love your house.”
    Tony had driven Shahla home, and they were sitting in his car in the driveway of a roomy and modern two-story house—the kind Tony would like to be able to afford someday. A house without attached neighbors.
    “Fortunately, my father had lots of life insurance. And my mom works.”
    “Your father? Your father is…?”
    “My father is dead.”
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that.” Tony couldn’t imagine what it was like to lose a parent. Both of his parents were still alive.
    “He was murdered.”
    “Ohmygod.”
    “It’s been long enough so that I can talk about it. Five years. But the pain never goes away.”
    “It must be very hard for you.” Before taking the class he wouldn’t have known what to say. But that didn’t seem strong enough, somehow.
    Shahla was silent. And Tony didn’t know what else to say. Should he ask for details? It was time for her to go into the house, but he didn’t want to push her to get out of the car. That would seem heartless. He saw a light on in an upstairs window. Perhaps her mother had heard them drive in. As Shahla had said, his wasn’t the quietest car in the world. At least Mom would know her daughter was safe.
    “My father was coming home from a meeting at night,” Shahla said softly. She seemed to be speaking to herself. “He stopped at a place like a 7-Eleven to get a loaf of bread or something. A man came into the store and pulled a gun on the clerk. I don’t think he even saw my father. The clerk gave him the money, and the robber was going to take him to the back of the