“Hey, I broke that case!” I wanted to shout. But instead, I just asked the waitress for some more strawberry jam.

After breakfast, topped off by a free candy-striped mint from the cashier, I got in the Corolla and headed off to buy a new hair dryer. I was getting tired of looking like I’d just stuck my finger in a light socket.

Having nabbed a good fourteen hours of shut-eye, you would think I’d had enough sleep to last me for a week, but strangely enough, when I got home, I was still tired. Which is why I got back in my robe, and spent the rest of the morning curled up in bed watching an old Marx Brothers movie on TV. If you ask me, Groucho Marx was a comic genius. Although Prozac insists that Harpo was the funny one.

I finally managed to pry myself out of bed and check my e-mail. I deleted the generous offers to add inches to my penis, and read about my parents’ disastrous adventures at Cousin Cindy’s wedding. I think the surgeon general should make Daddy wear a warning label: Living with me can be dangerous to your mental health. Between Daddy’s toupee and all the wigs I’d been encountering lately, it seemed like my life had been taken over by hairpieces.

I was just about to climb back in bed and watch a lady on HGTV make lamp shades out of leftover wallpaper, when I remembered that I’d unplugged the phone last night. No wonder it had been so quiet all morning. No sooner had I plugged it back in than it rang.

It was Lt. Webb.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “I’ve been calling all morning.”

“I’m fine.”

“I just wanted to thank you again for all your help in this case.”

I was glad he was big enough to admit I’d played a part solving the crime. In fact, he went on for quite some time about how grateful he was until finally he said he had to get off the phone and tend to some important police business. Probably making sure they didn’t forget the goat cheese on his goat cheese and cilantro pizza.

The minute I hung up, the phone rang again.

“Are you okay? I’ve been calling all morning.”

This time it was Heidi.

I assured her that I was fine.

“Can you come over? Daddy has something he wants to give you.”

My heart did a somersault. Was it possible that Hal was going to write me another check? After all, Hal Kingsley was a very rich man and I had just saved his daughter from a nasty criminal trial. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of dollars I’d saved him in legal fees. Yes, I bet he was going to write me another check. Oh, wow. This was all too wonderful. At last I could afford that Jaguar I’d always dreamed of.

Now don’t get me wrong. My only reason for getting involved in this case was to help Heidi. I’d never even thought about getting paid for it. But I certainly wasn’t going to turn down a zero-laden check if it was offered to me.