Lucy took it, finding it surprisingly moist and limp. “I’ll be waiting to hear from you,” she said, stepping into the hall.

The narrow space felt claustrophobic, with the coach following her, and she found herself hurrying for the open space of the great room. Bonnie wasn’t there and Lucy assumed she was with the twins. She could hear their voices coming from another part of the house. They’d probably converted the basement into a playroom, she decided, stopping at the kitchen door.

“Thanks for everything,” she said.

“No problem,” said Buck, opening the door for her. “Coaching isn’t a nine-to-five job.”

“I appreciate that,” she said, stepping outside. “I feel much better now that we have a plan.”

“Me, too,” he said, closing the screen door behind her.

Outside, in the fresh air, Lucy did feel better, and she was optimistic that she could round up a group of parents who would be interested in working on a committee to develop a more positive sports program. Renee would help, and she was pretty sure Willie would, too. She would call the JV players’ moms, too. She was sure some of them would be willing to help. Raindrops began to plop down, dotting the ground with spots of damp and Lucy hurried along the cul-de-sac to the little path through the lilacs, hoping to get home before the rain started in earnest. Like everything else in the garden, the lilacs were definitely looking droopy and needed the rain. They were also a bit hoary with mildew and she reminded herself to put some lime on their roots as she raised her arm to push aside a leafy bough.

That’s when she saw Bonnie, still wearing those yellow rubber gloves, holding her carving knife.

Chapter 21

“I tried to warn you,” hissed Bonnie, her eyes glittering. Her jaw was clenched, revealing the cords in her neck, and she was gripping the knife handle so tightly that the yellow vinyl of the glove was stretched taut across her knuckles. “But you had to keep sticking your nose in.”

Lucy felt suddenly cold as the rain pattered down, plastering her hair to her head and soaking her shirt. She began to shiver and wrapped her arms protectively across her chest. She couldn’t believe it. Bonnie, the perfect housekeeper and mother of those adorable twins, was the last person she would suspect of murder.

Bonnie stepped closer, waving the knife dangerously. “Who do you think you are, threatening my husband?” she hissed.