“I know she’s no Rambo. But she’s very spry. Aunt Millie was an Olympic fencer in her day.”

“And which century would that day be in?”

“She’s sharp,” I repeated.

“She’s talking to a lamp.”

I pursed my lips together. “Okay, she’s a little nearsighted. But she’s got a mind like a steel trap.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

I followed his gaze, watching as Aunt Millie navigated around the lamp and bent down to pet one of Aunt Sue’s fuzzy slippers, murmuring, “Nice kitty.”

“I really don’t have a good feeling about this,” he repeated.

“Hey, you said yourself, it was probably just someone trying to scare me. What are the chances I’ll get scared twice?”

Cal didn’t look entirely convinced. Especially as he watched Aunt Millie greet her sister.

“Sue, darling, when did you get a cat?”

Aunt Sue cocked her head to the side. “What?”

“The cat. When did you get the cat?”

“Speak up.”

“Cat! I like your cat!”

“Oh. Why, yes, I did notice your hat.”

Cal shot me a look. Then shook his head, mumbling, “God help the guy who tries to break in here.”

“So, what’s the plan today?” Cal asked, once we’d left the gruesome twosome happily chatting about Sudoku and blood pressure medication.

“Well, Blain Hall’s next on our list,” I replied.

“Blain Hall,” he rolled the name over his tongue. “Where’s he drying out?”

“Sunset Shores. It’s a chi-chi place in Malibu.”

“You think they’ll let us in to see him?”

I scoffed. “Not a chance. But if he’s our guy, he had to have hired someone else to make that first call. The PW number was a landline and, I already checked, it’s not associated with Sunset Shores.”

“That’s pretty risky. Hiring someone to do your dirty work in a town where everyone squeals to the press eventually.”

“Yeah, well, Blain isn’t exactly known for his brilliant decisions. Hence the rehab.”

“You think he called this accomplice and told him what to say?”

I shook my head. “No, all calls coming in or going out are monitored. It would have had to be someone who visited Blain in person. We need to get a look at his guest log.”

“They’ll let you do that?”

I gave him a wink. “Oh, I have my ways.”

Chapter Eight