At a loss as to what I should say next, I sat down. Diesel walked around me and over to where Azalea stood. He sat by her feet, looked up at her, and chirped several times.

Startled, she glanced down at him. “He be trying to tell me something.” Uncertainly she faced me again. “He upset with me?”

Smiling, I shook my head. “No, in his way, he’s trying to tell you he knows you’re upset and he wants you to feel better.”

“Well, don’t that just beat all?” Bemused, she watched the cat for a moment, then reached with a trembling hand to touch his head. Diesel, smart boy that he was, simply sat there and let her stroke him tentatively.

“You maybe ain’t so bad after all, cat.” Azalea went to the sink and washed her hands, and Diesel moved to sit beside me.

I never thought I’d see the day. My mouth probably hung open in astonishment. Diesel appeared to be smirking. He could be quite a self-satisfied puss on occasion, but he more than deserved to be this time.

“I was about to forget your coffee, Mr. Charlie.” Azalea muttered to herself as she brought the coffeepot and filled my cup.

“Thank you.”

“Breakfast is almost ready. Let me just check on the biscuits.” She bent to peer in the oven door.

“Morning, Dad, Azalea. Isn’t it a gorgeous day?” Laura breezed into the kitchen. “The semester is done, I’ve turned in all my grades, and now I’m a free woman. I could eat a horse.”

Talk about strange. Laura and Sean and their dates had left the party before Vera’s body was discovered, and obviously she hadn’t heard the story from anyone yet this morning. Stewart must still be in bed. Otherwise the whole house would be buzzing with the news.

What could I say? I didn’t want to bring the subject up in front of Azalea, but my housekeeper solved my dilemma for me as she set my plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and biscuits on the table.

“Something bad happened last night, Miss Laura. I reckon you was gone by the time it happened.” She set down Laura’s plate and then disappeared into the laundry room.

Wide-eyed, Laura left off stroking Diesel and gazed at me. “What on earth happened, Dad?”

“Happened where?” Sean startled me. He wandered over to the stove and filled a plate. “Want coffee, bug breath?”

“No, thanks, snot brain.” Laura glared at her brother. “Go on, what went on after we left last night?” She sneaked Diesel a bite of bacon when she thought I wasn’t looking.

Maybe one of these days my darling children would stop referring to each other by those silly nicknames. “Vera Cassity died, and it looks like she might have been murdered.”

Sean paused, fork halfway to his mouth, and the eggs plopped back onto the plate.

Laura groaned. “Don’t tell me. You found the body, didn’t you?” She and her brother shared a glance—of commiseration, I assumed.