“Okay.” I retreated, feeling his dissatisfaction heavy on me. I knew he didn’t like that I had lied to my partner by omission, but all I needed was for him to get me in to see Lee. I hesitated at the top of the hallway. “I’ll go change. I wanted to see what you were wearing.”

David looked up from his paperwork, his brown eyes distant as he tried to do two things at once. “You’ll be wearing Mrs. Aver’s clothes.”

My eyebrows rose. “You’ve done this before.”

“I told you the job was a lot more interesting than you would think,” he said to his papers.

I waited for him to say something more, but he didn’t, so I went to find Ivy, feeling awkward and depressed. He hadn’t said a word about Jenks, but his disapproval was clear.

Ivy was busy with her maps and pens when I entered, saying nothing as I poured a cup of coffee for me, and then her. “What do you think of David?” I asked, setting her cup beside her.

Her head went down and she tapped a colored pen on the table. “I think you’ll be okay. He seems to know what he’s doing. And it’s not like I won’t be there.”

Leaning against the counter, I held my mug with both hands and took a long sip. Coffee slid down, easing my jitters. Something in Ivy’s posture caught my attention. Her cheeks were a shade red. “I think you like him,” I said, and her head jerked up. “I think you like older men,” I added. “Especially older men in suits that bite and can plan better than you.”

At that, she did flush. “And I think you should shut up.”

We both started at the soft knock on the archway to the hall. It was Mrs. Aver, and it was embarrassing that neither of us had heard her come out of the bathroom. She was dressed in my robe, her clothes over one arm. “Here you go, honey,” she said as handed me her gray suit.

“Thanks.” I set my coffee down and took it.

“If you would, drop them off at Weres-’N-Tears dry cleaners. They do a good job getting out blood and stitching up small rips. Do you know where that is?”

I looked at the matronly woman standing before me in my fuzzy blue robe, her long brown hair down about her shoulders. She looked to be about the same size as me, if a bit hippy. My hair was a shade darker, but it was close enough. “Sure,” I said.

She smiled. Ivy was back at her maps, ignoring us, her foot silently moving. “Great,” the Were said. “I’m going to change and say ’bye to David before I leave on four feet.” Flashing me a toothy grin, she sashayed to the hallway, hesitating. “Where’s your back door?”