“And here is her pen, her lipstick, her suntan lotion, three notecards with ‘Cleo’ engraved on them, three matching envelopes included, a comb, a brush, and a beach towel from Malibu. Any fan of Cleo’s would love to have these items, which might become more and more valuable as the years go on. Who knows? Cleo Paradise could be her generation’s Meryl Streep.” She turned to the reporter. “Mark, would you like to have a quick tour of the house to see the things of mine that are for sale? I have more beautiful furniture. I mean, I won’t kid you. None of them are antiques, but they look good, and they’re priced to sell.”

“No thank you, ma’am,” Mark said quickly. “I’ll go out and talk to people in line.”

“Be my guest.”

The reporter waved as he panned the living room with his camera, then disappeared into the vestibule and out the front door.

“He was sweet,” Edna said. “But enough’s enough. I doubt anyone is watching that report. I don’t want to waste my time and I’d rather catch up with you, Nora. It’s so good to see you again. I heard you finally bought a house down here. I hope we’ll see more of one another.” Once again she squeezed Nora’s arms. “And, Regan, it’s lovely to meet you.” Edna laughed. “You’re a private investigator. Did Karen send you over to see if I had lost my marbles? She’s jetting her way East as we speak.”

“No,” Nora laughed. “Though she does feel badly about the house being sold.”

Edna shrugged. “She’ll get over it.”

“Who did you sell the house to?” Regan asked.

“A young man who works on Wall Street and wanted a house in Bay Head. His wife is pregnant and he wants to buy it for her as a surprise. She’s due in the next week. I asked if he wanted to buy any of the furniture but he said no. His wife likes modern. So I’ll get rid of whatever I can. I’m downsizing.”

“Where are you going to live?” Regan asked.

“Golden Peaks. It’s a retirement village nearby. There’s a sweet little unit that I will furnish simply.” Edna clapped her hands. “Would you like a cool drink? We could sit in the kitchen until someone comes and hopefully buys the chairs we’re sitting in.”

“Well,” Nora said. “If it doesn’t inconvenience you …”

“Not at all,” Edna said. “Is there anything you’d like to buy first?”

“Oh, I’d rather visit with you,” Nora answered tactfully. “We’ll look around later. Are you sure you don’t want to see what’s going on outside?”

Edna waved her hand. “No. That’s why I hired a company to run the sale. They know what they’re doing.”