“Didn’t get much to eat at your place,” he said with a wink.

“Neither did I.” She’d been so busy she hadn’t noticed how hungry she was, but now that things had slowed down, her stomach rumbled.

“So what do you suggest?”

“That you wait for me outside and take me somewhere else for lunch.”

“Better yet, we’ll order from the to-go menu and take it back to your place. There’s something I want to show you.”

“Give me fifteen minutes to close out the section,” she said as he scraped back his chair, catching the evil eye from the hostess who had seated him specifically where he’d requested.

Kristi finished up in no time, untied her apron, tossed it into the laundry hamper, and waved good-bye to Ezma, who was pulling a double shift. A few minutes later, getting soaked by the rain, she steered her bike to Jay’s pickup, tossed it into the back, and pushed Bruno out of the way as she climbed inside. The cab was already filled with the spicy scent of tomatoes, garlic, and seafood. “Don’t tell me, the hostess suggested the jambalaya.”

“Sounded good.” Jay backed out of his parking space while Bruno shifted on her lap and they headed to her apartment.

Just like a married couple, she thought idly while the windshield wipers battled the rain. The husband comes and picks up his wife after work.

“I was late for my shift today,” she said as the radio played some country song, “because I stopped by Wagner House.” She gave him a quick, abbreviated version of what had happened and Jay listened quietly as he drove the short distance to Kristi’s place. When she’d finished, ending with Father Mathias’s warning, his expression was sober. “Maybe it’s time we went to the police.”

“With what? Some kind of warning about me not trespassing? I don’t think either Georgia Clovis—oh, excuse me, Georgia Wagner Clovis—and Father Mathias Glanzer are any big threats.”

“I’ve met Georgia,” he said. “I wouldn’t underestimate her.”

“You met her?”

“At one of the faculty/administration meet and greets. She was there, along with her sister and brother.” He glanced at Kristi. “As far as I could tell, there’s no love lost between the Wagner heirs. They avoided each other all night. Georgia seems like the alpha dog of the group.”

“Is that your way of calling her a bitch?”

One side of his mouth twitched. “The rest of the clan wasn’t all that much better. Her brother, Calvin, looked uncomfortable as hell, as if he were at the get-together under duress, and the younger sister, Napoli, kept to herself, but I had the distinct feeling she didn’t miss much. An odd group. All hung up on being ‘Wagners’ like the name held the same weight as Rockefeller or Kennedy.”

“Like them, did you?” she teased.