The Class Menagerie

was saying seemed to have more to do with high school than the present.“
    “What do you mean?“
    “Well, she was hinting about Avalon doing drugs in high school. Did she, by the way?“
    “I have no idea. I wouldn’t be surprised. What about Pooky? Did she have anything on her?“
    “I’m pretty sure she did, but Pooky’s not admitting it.“ Jane recounted her conversation with Pooky about Lila’s and Pooky’s distress.
    “What deep, dark secrets could high school girls really have?“ Shelley said. ‘Today they might, but not back then.“
    “Well, drugs. Abortion, maybe. I don’t know—a drunk driving conviction?“
    “That would have been juicy stuff then, but not now. Most women our age would just say, ‘Yes, isn’t it awful. I made a terrible mistake. Thank God it’s in the past.’ And that would be the end of it. We all did dumb things we’d cringe at being reminded of, but nothing we’d kill somebody for mentioning.“
    “What would somebody kill to protect?“ Jane said.
    They both thought long and hard for a moment, then Shelley said, “A child? Could somebody have a child Lila had some means of taking away? Let’s see. Beth hasn’t any children. Kathy’s got a mob of them, but that’s not what Lila was using on her. Avalon’s got one of her own and the foster children. Crispy has none of her own, but half a dozen stepchildren from all those marriages.“
    “I think Mimi has two,“ Jane added. “She showed me a picture of two little girls. Pooky hasn’t got any, you say. Speaking of children—“ Jane turned her head toward the stairway, where they could hear sounds of an escalating battle upstairs. “I think my darlings, who both believe themselves to be independent adults, are squabbling over the phone.“
    She got up to go sort it out.
    “We’re going about this all wrong,“ Shelley said to her back.
    “That much seems obvious,“ Jane tossed back. “ Michael! Katherine! “

- 18 -

    “I’m starving. Have you got anything to eat here?“ Shelley asked when Jane came back from yelling at the kids. “Preferably something salty arid crunchy with the highest fat content possible?“
    “Crackers and cheese?“
    “Doesn’t sound greasy enough, but it would do.“
    Shelley slumped on a kitchen chair while Jane got out snacks. “How about some hot chocolate, just to run the calorie count up?“ Jane asked.
    “Sounds wonderful.“
    While Jane worked, Shelley said, “I don’t believe in cholesterol. I think within ten years they’ll change their trendy little medical minds and say they were wrong all along and human beings really need as many saturated fats as they can knock back. They’re already changing their minds about eggs.“
    “Interesting theory.“
    “Jane, consider this: human beings are carnivores. The species developed in the jungle eating other creatures, finding eggs to steal, maybe eating the occasional plant, just for variety or out of desperation. I think red meat and eggs are the stuff of which humans are made.“
    Jane set down a tray and two cups of steaming cocoa. She’d even put little marshmallows in the cups. “In that case, I’ll be ready with my cabinets full ofpreviously forbidden foods. Shelley, to get back to the subject at hand—this morning Mel was asking me about the practical jokes and he did something interesting that we ought to try.“
    “What’s that?“
    “He made a list of the jokes and then went through it over and over, looking at them each time in a different way. Like, were they harmful? Who was the .victim? Could they have a meaning? Did they require advance preparation?“
    “Uh-huh. And did it lead him to any. conclusion?“
    “Not that I know of. Not then. But it’s an interesting way of looking at things.“
    “Okay...?“
    “So, let’s do the same thing with the murder. We need to think about this in an organized, logical way.“
    “All right. Where do we start?“ Shelley took an extremely unladylike bite of a cracker she’d slathered with a great deal of cheese.
    “Well, how about this—if we agree that Lila was killed because she was blackmailing someone—“
    “Do we know that?“
    Jane thought for a minute. “No, actually we don’t know it. It just seems extremely likely.“
    “Likely isn’t certain.“
    “No, but why else would somebody kill her?“
    “Oh, any number of reasons, starting with the fact that she was an all-round obnoxious bitch.“
    “Yes, but there are a lot of