The Merchant of Menace

distribute among his people.
    The temperature continued to fall. Jane remembered the pipes and left a slow stream of water running in the guest bathroom. Shelley had called almost immediately when the police tape went up to see what was going on and came over about two to do a little gawking of her own from Jane’s bedroom window. They lamented over the fact that Jane hadn’t had an opportunity to tell Mel what they’d found out. Not that he didn’t already know more than they did.
    “Have you seen anything of the Johnson?“ Shelley asked.
    “Not hide nor hair... nor costume,“ Jane said. “I presume they’re in the house, but they haven’t stepped foot outside that I’ve noticed since the police surrounded their house again.”
    As she spoke, she caught a glimpse of Billy Joe cutting across between their house and Jane’s. “I think he’s coming here, Shelley. Oops, you missed him.“
    “You’re not going to let him in your house, are you?”
    Jane thought for a second. “He’s not simpleminded. I can’t imagine he’d think he could walk through a whole flock of police, come in here and kill both of us, and walk back through the flock without raising suspicion.“
    “Okay, but I’ll watch from up here,“ Shelley said. “If it looks like trouble, I’ll open a window and scream the place down.”
    Jane let Billy Joe wait in the cold for a while and opened the door after he’d rung twice. “Yes?“ she asked coolly.
    He’d abandoned the Billy Joe persona and looked very “Ivy League on a Sunday Off.“ He was wearing a Harvard sweatshirt, jeans, expensive-looking hiking boots, and a parka like the one Jane had considered getting Mike for Christmas that had cost nearly as much as her first car. He really did look like a different person.
    “May I come in for one minute? Just one minute.“
    “I suppose so.”
    Jane opened the door a little wider and stood aside, but didn’t move from the hallway.
    “Mrs. Jeffry, I want you to know that we’re leaving as soon as we can make arrangements.“
    “Oh?“ She tried, quite unsuccessfully, she was sure, to feign indifference.
    “We didn’t count on someone so clever being right next door. And we know you’ll tell your neighbors.“
    “Naturally I will. Why should I keep your secret?“ Then, thinking quickly, she added, “I already have, in fact. Quite a few of them.“
    “It was a bad idea from the beginning,“ he said. “And I don’t blame you for feeling you’ve been tricked. You’re a good person. You were kind and thoughtful to the people you thought we were. And the more outrageous we got, the kinder you became.”
    Jane softened a little. But only a little. “So you’re going to go try this somewhere else, I guess. Play your nasty little academic deception on others.“
    “I really am sorry.”
    Jane’s manners fought with her feelings and lost. “You should be. Good-bye, Dr. Johnson.”
    He left without another word. Jane closed the door and looked up the stairs. “You heard all that?“ she asked Shelley, who was already on her way down.
    “I did. Do you believe him?“
    “It didn’t occur to me not to. You think that was just another act?“
    “It seemed sincere,“ Shelley said. “But he seemed sincere when he was good of boy Billy Joe, too.“
    “I guess you’re right.“
    “That was brilliant of you to say you’d told the neighbors about him.“
    “I thought it was pretty good, too,“ Jane said. “Kind of spreads the danger out, if they are dangerous. They might have done in Lance King if he was going to wreck their finances by ruining their next book deal. It’s a real stretch to imagine they could bump both of us off, and they’re too smart to think they could kill off the whole neighborhood.”
    Shelley grinned. “Counterproductive anyway. It would leave them no one to study.”
    The phone rang and Jane was still chuckling as she picked it up.
    “Mrs. Jeffry? This is Sam Dwyer. Do you have a minute? I wanted to thank you for inviting me to your party yesterday and wondered if I could return the favor?“
    “How nice, but there’s no need. I was glad you could come. Your fudge was terrific, too.“
    “Pet and I would like to invite your family to dinner tonight. She told me you’d mentioned making chili and I make a terrific pot of chili. Bring all your kids, if you like.“
    “How nice of you. My older son has a date tonight, but I’ll see about the others and get back to you.“
    “No