Milo returned with a giant cup and a straw. She sat up and said, “Take off the cuffs I need to hold it.” He leaned into the car and held the straw to her mouth. She said “Oh c’mon,” but drank greedily, cheeks deflating. When she stopped for a breath, a speck of froth remained on her lower lip. Milo wiped it off.

She looked up at him with fear. “Please let me hold it.”

“No more problems?”

“I promise really.”

“Gonna avoid issues with the neighbors?”

She smiled. “What do you care about that you’re a big-issue guy it’s Daney you’re after obviously he’s done something serious but I don’t even care what.”

“No curiosity?”

“I don’t live in the past the past is like a dead body just keeps rotting and stinking may I have another sip please and can you please take off the damned cuffs?”

“You and Drew don’t talk anymore?”

Hoarse laugh. “Haven’t talked to that loser in seven years what do you think I’m going to call him tell him you were here that’ll be the day if he ever tried to get near me I’d cut off his you-know-what.”

“Bet you would,” said Milo. He freed her hands and handed her the cup. She sipped, remained docile and silent during the ride back to her house.

When we got there, Milo helped her out of the car. She stood looking at her front door as if she’d never seen it before. Milo took her by the elbow and walked her up the drive. Halfway there, he hung back. She stopped, flipped hair, flashed teeth, said something that made him smile. Stood on her tiptoes and pecked his cheek.

He watched as she walked to her door, stood there as she crossed the threshold. Returned shaking his head.

I said, “What was the joke?”

“The— Oh, that. She said ‘You’re sending me off like a little birdie out of the nest chirp chirp chirp.’ ” He jammed the key in the ignition. “It caught me off guard. For a second, she seemed kinda cute.” He frowned. “That kiss. I need to wash my face.”

* * *

A block later, he said, “She’s completely nuts but everything she told us fits. What do you think of Daney’s sperm-obsession?”

“All part of his me-obsession. What interests me is that right from the beginning Daney wanted to focus blame on Malley. Why would that be unless he knew Malley before Kristal’s murder and had some reason to resent him? I brought up the rodeo to Weider and she looked at me as if I was crazy. So Daney lied about hearing it from her. He knew Barnett eight years ago or did research.”

“Maybe the swinger’s scene, like you suggested.”

“Or a tamer possibility,” I said. “Now that we know we’ve got two couples with infertility problems.”