Sour Grapes

giggled.
    “I heard you singing. It sounded great. I didn’t realize you’ve gotten so good.” “ There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me. You aren’t the only one in the family who can do stuff, you know.”
    “Of course, I know that. You’re a unique person, Atlanta, with talents all your own. I’ve always known that, and I’m very proud of you.”
    Atlanta glanced away and laid the guitar on the bed beside her. “So, how is the case going? Have you guys figured out who killed Barbie yet?”
    “No, not yet. We just found out for sure this afternoon that she was murdered. But we’re working on it.” Savannah sat down on the other bed, took her loafers off, and wriggled her toes. “I think that Barbie was killed by someone who specifically wanted her dead. But I don’t want you and the rest of the girls to let your guard down. Remember what I said about always being in groups and keeping the door locked at all times.” Atlanta gave her an exasperated look. “Can’t you stop being a big sister even for minute?”
    “A whole minute? That’s a lot to ask. I’ve been a big sister since I can remember.”
    Atlanta reached down and trailed her fingers over the guitar’s strings and mumbled something under her breath.
    “I didn’t quite catch that,” Savannah said. “ That’s probably a good thing,” Atlanta replied. “What did you come up here for anyway? To check and see if the door was locked?”
    Savannah drew a deep breath, knowing she was swimming into shark-infested waters. “Mrs. Lippincott and Catherine Villa have asked some counselors from Mental Health Services to drop by this afternoon and talk to anyone who might be upset about this thing with Barbie and—”
    “I’m not that upset.”
    “I know. You’re handling it very well. But I was thinking that maybe you and I could speak to one of the counselors about, you know, what I found under the bathroom sink.”
    The look on Atlanta’s face was even worse than Savannah had expected. Savannah had seen the same expression on the mugs of guys who had just been zapped with a stun-gun.
    “Are you kidding?! You’ve got to be kidding! Like I’m going to discuss something like that with a complete stranger! Forget about it It ain’t happening.”
    “‘Lanta, I’m worried about you. Very worried. So, I’m going to speak to a counselor about you.”
    “Not without me there, you aren’t. You’re not going to talk about me behind my back.”
    Savannah slipped her shoes back on, stood, and walked to the door. “I’m so glad you changed your mind. I’ll make the appointment for later this afternoon.”
    She quickly stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. It was only a couple of seconds until she heard something hit the other side. Mmm, she thought, too small to be a guitar... must have been a hairbrush or sneaker.
    It was definitely time to make tracks in the opposite direction.

    * * *

    A few minutes later, she was standing at the pay phone near the rest rooms downstairs, her calling card in her hand. After punching in the required 7,053 numbers she heard a soft voice on the other end.
    “Hi, Gran,” she said. “Have you got a minute for me?”
    “For you, my darlin’, I have two. And from the tone of your voice, I’d say you might need three or four.”
    Savannah glanced around, making sure she was alone, and then she leaned back against the wall, sighed, and began, “It’s ‘Lanta, Gran. I’m worried about her. I noticed that she’s lost a lot of weight since I saw her last, and then I found these...”

Chapter

20

    S avannah had been told that Angela Herriot, one of the counselors from Mental Health Services, was in the courtyard. So she was there, looking for her, when her purse buzzed. It was Dr. Liu, calling with her latest lab results.
    “The fibers are from an automobile carpet, ”Jennifer said, ‘just as I thought. Sorry, I can’t tell you the year and model of the car, but the carpet is black... and new. This type of nylon blend has only been in commercial use for the past two years.”
    “Okay, black and new. That should help.”
    “And the shampoo did have drain cleaner in it. A standard brand available in any grocery store. There were several prints on the bottle that were the victim’s and two that matched the sample Dirk sent over.”
    “Dirk sent you a print?”
    “Yes, a thumbprint from a driver’s license...just a minute and I’ll tell you the