“Tsk, tsk.” There was a possum grin on Myra’s face. “Such language. I’m beginning to think you’re not a very nice girl, after all.”

“To hell with what you think! Who wouldn’t cuss, having you and that idiot show up at this time of night!”

“You mean you didn’t expect us?” Myra said. “Did you think I’d let you talk that way about me, and not do anything about it?”

“But I didn’t talk about you! Lennie’s lyin! Lennie wasn’t even out here tonight!”

“Wasn’t he? Then what was his handkerchief doing out there on the porch? One of the extra-big, double-thick kind I make for him because the poor dear’s always slobbering.”

Myra went on grinning, watching the fear spread over Rose’s face. Rose stammered that she was lying, that she hadn’t found Lennie’s handkerchief on the porch. But she had, all right. I’d put it there myself.

“Well?” Myra said. “Well, Rose?”

Rose was caught, and she must have known it. The rough talk she’d been using was a dead giveaway in itself. But like a scared person will, she kept on trying.

“W-Well . . .” She bobbed her head jerkily. “All right, Lennie ‘was’ here. I caught him sneaking around the house and it scared me, and I guess I talked pretty rough to him. But—but I certainly didn’t say those dirty things that he says I did!”

“Didn’t you?”

“No, I didn’t! How many times do I have to tell you?”

Myra laughed, a mean scary laugh that even made me shiver. She said that Rose didn’t have to tell her any times, because a lie didn’t gain anything by repetition.

“Lennie’s telling the truth, dear. He doesn’t have the imagination to make up a story like that.”

“B-But—but—”

“And you don’t have the imagination either. You couldn’t have invented the story, any more than he could. Which means—well, I don’t know how you found out, but you obviously did. And that’s the important thing, isn’t it? That and making sure that you don’t do any talking to anyone else.”

Rose stared at her, slowly shaking her head, her voice a harsh sickish whisper. “I—I d-don’t believe you. Y-You and Lennie. I ‘just don’t believe you!’”

The fact was, I was pretty shocked myself. Because I’d guessed the truth; I’d been pretty sure of it. But that wasn’t nowhere near the same as knowin’ it.

“I don’t believe you,” Rose repeated shakily. “Why—why would you—”

“Oh, stop pretending,” Myra said. “You found out about us, and you were foolish enough to tell Lennie. As for the why of things, you’re going to find that out, too, and very shortly. That is, of course, if you’re similarly attracted to him.”

She motioned to Lennie. He fastened the camera around her neck with a strap, and she fiddled with the settings for a minute, getting it like she wanted. Then he poured powder into the flashstick from a can in his pocket, and carefully handed it to her.