“That was so embarrassing. I could have cut him out of it, but that strap alone was three hundred bucks.” She shook her head. “Now, what’s got you so wound up you’re busting in here in the middle of the night?” She smiled. “Did you see my ad, too?”

“No, I didn’t,” I said. “I’m in a bit of a mess, Trixie.”

“Grab a chair.”

It was after that that I asked whether she was really an accountant, and offered my apologies about busting in.

“What is it?” Trixie asked. “Another backpack incident?”

“Worse, although it started out in a similar way. But things have sort of spiraled out of control. There are men, at least one, trying to find me and, I think it’s fair to say, kill me.”

Trixie’s eyebrows shot up a notch. “Why would there be men trying to kill you?”

“Well, for one thing, this.” I slid the ledger book across the table at her.

“What’s this?” she asked.

“Well, you’re the accountant. Maybe you can tell me.”

She opened the book. Her nails were long and bloodred, and I found that I felt just a bit feverish. Where her robe opened I could see the swell of her breasts, pushed up and out, courtesy of the spectacularly engineered corset.

“Let’s have a look. List of payments, money coming in, some names here. Wow, I think I recognize this guy. He’s a building inspector, comes here sometimes, likes to play doctor.”

“Okay.”

“So he’s getting paid five hundred every, it looks like, every week or so. And here’s another name I recognize. Carpington?”

“Roger. He’s a client, too?”

“No, I just recognize the name. From the paper.”

“He’s a town councilman. How much is he getting?”

“Well, right here he’s getting five thou.” She thumbed the pages. “His name pops up a lot, but it’s just one of dozens. Zack, where did you get this?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time,” she said, leaning back in her chair and crossing her booted legs.

“Sarah and I were shopping,” I said, and went through the whole thing. Taking the wrong purse, trying to return it, finding Stefanie Knight’s body, getting tracked down by Rick, the meeting with Carpington, the episode at the construction site. Trixie said barely a word, taking it all in, nodding slowly.

I finished with finding the ledger in Stefanie’s car, and Rick’s destruction of mine out front of McDonald’s.

“You’re in some kind of deep shit,” Trixie said, running her tongue across her top teeth.

“Yes,” I said. “That’s a fairly good assessment of the situation. Thank you.”

“Listen, don’t get snippy with me. Did I tell you to take Sarah’s purse to teach her a lesson?”