The spiel was so out of character, Kelly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her mouth fell open. “You didn’t?”

“Nah, I didn’t tell her about your warts. They’re safe with me.”

Even though Nicole meant well, her comment wiped the smile off Kelly’s face. What if Kelly had caught an STD? The woman she went down on could’ve been a player. It would explain why she hadn’t resisted Kelly’s advances.

“That’s not funny, girlfriend. What if I caught something nasty?”

“You mean like the flu?”

“No, I mean Chlamydia, genital warts, or worse.”

Compassion flashed in Nicole’s eyes. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry.” She squeezed Kelly’s hand, her touch warm and comforting. “Come on, let’s figure this out.”

After changing out of her jeans and into a lilac mini-dress, Kelly met Nicole in the living room.

The small fan in the corner did little to lower the temperature. Not that it mattered. Kelly loved the warmer months, and even if she didn’t, right then, the heat was the least of her worries.

Kelly lit a lavender scented incense stick and inhaled deeply before dropping into the chair with her name on it. Not literally, of course, but the one she took from her childhood home, with her mother’s blessing.

With the click of a button the room fell silent. Nicole tossed the stereo remote on the coffee table and levelled her gaze on Kelly. “Okay, let’s start with who we can cross off the list.”

Without thought, Kelly replied, “Murray, he was outside the bathroom.”

Amusement danced in Nicole’s eyes. “Right, and unless you’ve changed teams, I think we can safely rule out all men who attended the party. Agreed?”

“Agreed.” Kelly returned Nicole’s smirk. “The only penis I saw last night belonged to your boyfriend.”

Nicole’s eyes went wide, then she shook her head and laughed. “I told him to put some pants on.” She pointed to her eyes. “Focus. Next person.”

“Grace, one of Paula’s boarders. She was out photographing a wedding.”

“How late are photographers supposed to stay at a wedding reception?” Nicole asked. “Isn’t it possible she arrived home and you didn’t see her? Perhaps she slipped inside and went straight to bed.”

“It’s possible,” Kelly replied, unsure why she hadn’t thought of that.

“You’d been drinking, right?’ Nicole asked.

“Correct.”

“Is there any chance you snuck into the wrong room?”

Needing a minute to think, Kelly took a swig of her juice. The cool liquid sat in the pit of her stomach like a block of ice. A slither of doubt crept up her spine.

Glancing at the ceiling as if a movie was playing across it, she pictured the three doors opposite the bathroom. Paula’s in the middle, Grace’s closest to the living room, Lucy’s on the other side.