Despite the disturbing feeling that she knew a lot more than she was telling me, I would have eventually blown it off and forgotten about it, except that the police showed up at my door early the next morning asking me if I knew an Isobel Worth. Her body had been recovered a few hours earlier.

She had been murdered.

Chapter 2

In the movies, when the hero is questioned by the police, he always holds something back. Not me. Maybe that's why I never considered myself a hero. Nope, I spilled my guts. I would have given them my mother's secret recipe for carrot cake if they'd asked. Maybe it's because the police are a lot more intimidating in person than they are in the movies. They were polite, but I also knew that until I could prove otherwise, I was their primary suspect.

I buzzed them up to my apartment and offered them the couch. They preferred to stand. After they established that I was, in fact, Delmore Honeycutt, and explained why they were there, they started right in with the questions. I was nervous, but hopefully they were used to that and didn't think it suggested guilt on my part.

"How did you know Isobel Worth?"

"Well, until right now, I never knew her last name. We met on an online dating site initially and met in person for the first time yesterday at Au Bon Pain in Copley Place, but it was for less than an hour."

"Why so short?"

"Frankly, she was kind of weird." So I told them the whole story of her prying me for information about my grandfather, then becoming agitated and leaving. "I figured it would be the last I would ever see of her." I realized what I had just said and flushed. "I … I guess I was right. How was she murdered?"

"She was stabbed in an alley. Whoever did it made no attempt to make it look like a robbery. She still had her wallet. So why do you think she was so interested in your grandfather?"

"I have absolutely no idea. He died soon after my father was born. I can't say I've ever really given him any thought. He was just kind of a footnote in our family history. But she was definitely looking for some information. To be honest, I think she actually knew more about my grandfather than I did and was hoping I could fill in the blanks."

"The blanks for what?"

"Beats me."

"So what did you do after your meeting?"

"I finished my sandwich—that's how little time we were together—picked up a few things at Whole Foods, then went home. I just hung out for the rest of the day."

Then it finally dawned on me to ask the question. "How did you know that I knew her?"

"In her pocket was a paper with your name, address, phone number and email address. It also listed a one o'clock lunch with you."