Hotline to Murder

what Tony had done, of course, making sure that Josh was out of town on the weekend he had volunteered to hold the class here.
    “Do you know what she was wearing?” Josh asked, as if he were revealing a scandal. “Short shorts, skimpy top. No underwear. If a girl’s dressed like that, she’s asking for it.”
    “It was a warm night. And maybe the killer took her underwear with him. Maybe he has an underwear fetish.” Tony was heating up. “Where do you get off, anyway, saying that she was asking for it? That’s antediluvian thinking, Josh.”
    Josh backed away in mock surprise. “Sorry, Noodles. I forgot that you’re a born-again feminist. Working for women. Working with girls. Listening to their problems. You’re pussy-whipped, that’s what you are. You’re not the Tony I used to know who could pick up a girl on the street just by smiling at her and then would dump her with a frown. Now I bet you tell them you feel their pain.”
    Usually, Tony would have had a fast comeback for Josh, but he was in no mood tonight. He stood up and said, “You have exactly three seconds to get out of this room before I throw you downstairs.”
    It was doubtful that he could throw the larger Josh anywhere, but Josh knew his temper and was smart enough not to aggravate him further. Josh backed out of the room with his arms up in a gesture of surrender and went down the hall to his own room.

    CHAPTER 4
    Tony was driving to an appointment when his cell phone rang. He pressed a button and said, “Tony speaking.”
    “Hi, Tony,” a female voice said. And after a pause, “It’s Carol.”
    Carol? Why was his ex-girlfriend calling him? He felt the same thrill she had evoked in him when they were dating and he saw her or heard her voice. Then he became wary. “Hello, Carol.”
    “Can you talk? You sound distracted.”
    “I’m driving on the 405. I don’t like to talk on the phone when I’m driving.”
    “Is there a better time when I can call you back?”
    No, there wasn’t a better time. If she had something to say, he wanted to hear it now. He went into defensive mode. “I’m late for an appointment, but I can talk to you for a minute.”
    “That’s big of you. All right, I guess I deserve that. Anyway, Josh called me. He’s worried about you.”
    Josh called Carol? That got Tony’s attention. Josh and Carol got along like cobras and mongooses. Or was it mongeese?
    “Josh is worried about me?” That was reflection. He was using his listening skills in ordinary conversation. Perhaps, if he had mastered these skills when Carol was his girlfriend, she wouldn’t have dumped him.
    “He says you’ve changed. He says…well, he didn’t explain it very well, but he doesn’t think you’re the same person you were.”
    “Maybe that’s an improvement. As I recall, you didn’t like the old Tony.”
    “You know better than that. It’s just that…”
    She hesitated. The old Tony would have interrupted at this point. The new Tony used silence as a tactic, waiting her out.
    “It’s just that you didn’t seem to respect my feelings.”
    Feelings. Now he knew a lot more about feelings than he had. Maybe that’s what Josh didn’t like about the new Tony. Josh was not known for his empathy. But calling Carol was potentially a mistake on Josh’s part. If Tony and Carol had stayed together, Carol would have moved into the townhouse and replaced Josh. Although Tony hadn’t gotten around to telling Josh that.
    Where was this conversation going? What did Carol want? Should he get his hopes up?
    “Tony?”
    He changed lanes to pass a slower car. “I’m still here.”
    “You were quiet for so long I wasn’t sure. What I was wondering is, would you like to…uh, well, get together and talk some more?”
    He was tempted to say, talk about what? Haven’t we talked about it all, ad nauseam ? Or at least he had listened while she talked. Well, sometimes he had argued. Sometimes he had let his mind wander. He didn’t want to be the bad guy now. He also didn’t want to get hurt anymore. He said, “When would you like to get together?”
    “What are you doing this evening?”
    “I have to go to a meeting.”
    “Oh. I’m going out of town on business tomorrow. I won’t be back for several days. I hoped we could see each other today. What time is your meeting?”
    “Seven.”
    “When will it be over?”
    She was starting to act as if she owned him. Again. “I’m not sure.”
    “May I ask what kind of a