Love Can Be Murder

kill Carl, that I would have chosen something a little less obvious than the scarf that at least a thousand people saw me wearing last night?"
    He chewed on his tongue, then retrieved the pencil and pad of paper. "Ms. Beadleman, I think you'd better tell us exactly where you were last night, when, and who you were with."
    She recited her schedule and timetable as best as she could remember. Capistrano corroborated her story until the time he dropped her off. Then she was on her own.
    "Nell was asleep when I came home, so that's when I decided to go to Carl's. No wait—I lay down first, and received a phone call."
    "From?"
    "From an ex-roommate of mine in Biloxi, Elise James. She went to grad school here and came up for Homecoming."
    "What time was that?"
    "Around midnight."
    "What did she want?"
    "It was a strange conversation. She was stoned, I think. She said something about wanting to tell me everything and asked me to meet her at the chapel today at noon."
    "Do you know what she was referring to?"
    "We had a falling-out when she lived with me, after which she moved out. I assumed she wanted to apologize. Elise can be dramatic."
    "What did the two of you argue about?"
    "It's personal."
    "We can always ask her," Jaffey said.
    She sighed. "Elise got it into her head that she was...attracted to me."
    All the men smiled, even Capistrano, the lout.
    "She's a lesbian?" Jaffey again.
    You'll have to ask her."
    "Are you a lesbian?"
    "No."
    "Bisexual?"
    "No."
    "So this girl hit on you and you threw her out?"'
    "What does this have to do with Carl being murdered?"
    "Just amusing myself," Jaffey said with a nasty little smile.
    "Let's get back to the subject," Capistrano said.
    She smirked at him—he could pester her, but no one else could?
    "What happened after the phone call?"
    "I dozed off for a couple of hours, then I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. I changed into these clothes and my tennis shoes, ran over to Dr. Seger's and back, then went to bed."
    "Dr. Oney said she didn't hear you leave or return."
    "I tried to be quiet. And the bedrooms are on opposite ends of the house."
    "What did you see when you got to Seger's house?"
    She shrugged. "Nothing. I saw his car sitting out front."
    "A black Volvo."
    "Right."
    "What else?"
    "Some lights were on, in maybe two or three rooms."
    "You didn't see anyone inside?"
    "No. I didn't get close enough."
    Jaffey sneered. "Are you sure you didn't see your old flame boinking your cousin?"
    She bit down on the inside of her cheek and maintained eye contact. "I'm positive."
    "So where does she come into all this?"
    "Angora?"
    "Yes."
    "We went to school here at the same time."
    "Did she know Dr. Seger?"
    "Everyone knew him."
    "Did she know him in the biblical sense?"
    "No."
    He looked at his notes. "She lives in Baton Rouge?"
    Roxann nodded.
    "Why did she come back to South Bend?"
    "I stopped in Baton Rouge for her wedding, then she decided to come with me. She didn't know about Cape following me."
    "What happened to her groom?"
    "He changed his mind at the altar."
    Jaffey made an amused sound. "A jilted bride might just be mad enough to nail the first guy she meets."
    "I wouldn't know." Although the same thought had crossed her mind last night.
    "When did your cousin return from her evening with Dr. Seger?" Warner asked.
    "I don't know. When I woke up this morning and went outside—"
    "To clean your incriminating shoes," Jaffey cut in. "We saw the roll of paper towels."
    "When I went out on the back porch to clean my running shoes," she continued, "Angora was asleep on the chaise."
    "Did you notice the bruises on her neck?"
    "Immediately."
    "How did she say they got there?"
    She took a drink of the coffee.
    "Ms. Beadleman?"
    "She said that Carl put them there."
    "How?"
    "She said they were getting ready to... have sex and he started choking her."
    "Did she say why?"
    "She said she'd told him something that made him angry, but she wouldn't tell me what."
    "Can you make a guess?"
    "No, I can't."
    "What else?"
    "Angora said she passed out, and when she came to, she was alone in his bed. Then she left."
    "Did she walk back to the house you're staying in?"
    "I assume so—her dress was a mess, and she was barefoot. I didn't see her shoes."
    "We found them on the porch. Muddy, same as yours. And we found a tiara on the dresser in his bedroom. Someone told us you got a crown last night for some kind of award?"
    "Yes, but the tiara is Angora's. Mine is—" She stopped. Where was