Silence Of The Hams

figure out why and are embarrassed to say so. Being kind to someone puts them in your power.“
    “Are you being kind to us?“ Jane asked.
    Patsy laughed. “I hope so, but it’s because I like you two so much. How about some cookies and coffee?”
    Jane glanced around the busy room. “If you’re a good cook, too, I might have to kill you.”
    Patsy laughed heartily. “Don’t worry. My family has nearly banned me from the kitchen. My kids are all good cooks out of self-defense. They’d have starved otherwise. I’ve mastered egg salad sandwiches and that’s about it. But my oldest daughter came by last night and made the cookies. Stay where you are.”
    She bustled off to the kitchen while Shelley studied the one notebook that was left on the table. As Jane watched her, Shelley suddenly did something very odd. Her eyes widened, she looked down and said, in the sappiest voice Jane had ever heard, “Ooooh, my.”
    Jane stood up and leaned over the table to look. The mother cat had deposited a sleeping, milk-sated kitten in Shelley’s lap.
    Shelley, who despised cats, looked up at Jane and said in a tiny voice, “That’s so sweet I think I’m going to cry.“ She gathered the kitten up tenderly and held its little soft body to her face. “What a baby!”
    Patsy came back in with a tray. “She wants you to have that one,“ she said.
    “No, no. I hate cats,“ Shelley said. She had her eyes closed and the kitten against her cheek.
    “They’ll be ready for new homes in about two more weeks,“ Patsy said as she poured coffee. “Jane, you need one, too.”
    Jane shook her head regretfully. “I have two cats already who would probably consider these little guys chipmunks. And my dog would either be afraid of them or think they were snacks. These cookies are wonderful! And the coffee is—well, hot.”
    Patsy didn’t take offense. “Best I can do. Would you prefer tea? I boil water well and you could drop the tea bag into the cup your- The sludgy coffee was removed, Shelley reluctantly put the kitten back in its box, and the three women applied themselves to cookies and Earl Grey tea. “Strangely impersonal funeral this morning, wasn’t it?“ Patsy said. “I felt sorry for Tony Belton.“
    “Me, too,“ Jane said. “He didn’t seem pleased at the way Rhonda latched on to him. What do you suppose the nature of their relationship really is?“
    “I don’t know. I’ve only seen Tony at the office when I went in to pick up paperwork,“ Patsy said. “I’ve always thought he was a nice young man. I wonder what Rhonda has in store for him.“
    “What do you mean?“ Shelley asked.
    “Just that I assume her interest in him is self-interest, because she’s that kind of person. He’s handsome, young, and apparently pretty pliable judging from the fact that he sat up front with the family even though he and they were obviously unhappy about it,“ Patsy said. “But does she plan to marry him or does she think she can profit from him financially?“
    “How would she do that?“ Jane asked.
    “I’m not sure, but Rhonda never lets a penny go without making it scream for mercy. Depending on what kind of partnership agreement Stonecipher and Tony had, she might stand to profit from stringing him along.“
    “Might they both have profited from her husband’s death?“ Jane asked.
    Patsy shrugged. “I guess it’s possible. But I only handled the client billing. How the money was distributed once it came in is anybody’s guess.“
    “But Emma would have known,“ Jane said. “Are you thinking they conspired to bump her off?“ Patsy asked bluntly.
    “Not thinking, exactly, just wondering. After all, somebody did kill her.“
    “Isn’t that odd?“ Patsy said. “If you divide people into potential victims and potential perpetrators, I’d have put her firmly on the perpetrator side. I didn’t have many dealings with her, but I had the feeling she had a strong instinct for the main chance.“
    “But she was victimized by Stonecipher, apparently, and for a long time,“ Shelley said.
    “Yes, but that was sex,“ Patsy said. “Whole different category. How are the police getting along with their investigation of her death? The article in the paper this morning was awfully vague.“
    “Badly,“ Jane said. “There were two other things going on at the apartment building at the same time. A party and a garage sale. Apparently half the town was in and out all afternoon. They need someone