“Next door. The adjoining property. I mean it’s one property, I bought it years ago, but it’s three separate parcels. I was going to develop it as one big estate but then … things changed. The tribe and I use the big lot. Seven acres, a main house, some outbuildings, tennis court, pool, stuff.”

“And Donny?”

“He took the middle one, around three acres. The smallest one is a little less than an acre. No buildings on it, no one goes there.”

She thrust the JayMar form at me. “Take this back, it’s freaking me out.”

I pocketed the paper. “When you heard about Adriana, did you talk about it to anyone?”

“No.”

“Not Mel?”

“Why would I discuss it with him?”

“People work together, they talk to each other.”

“Mel and I weren’t like that,” she said.

“No socializing.”

“We talked when there was something to talk about. Don’t get the wrong picture, I didn’t snob him out but it’s not like—wasn’t like we were friends, a friend is someone who likes you for yourself. Mel wouldn’t have stuck around for a second if I didn’t pay him.”

Her smile was grim. “I don’t have friends, Dr. Delaware. I have people I pay.”

Thinking of all the women Robert Sommers had spotted parading in and out of Wedd’s apartment, I said, “How was Mel’s love life?”

“He had none that I knew about.”

“No girlfriend?”

She smiled. “Mel was gay.”

“You know that because—”

“He told me. Like I said, when there was something to talk about, we talked. One time Mel was looking upset and I asked him what was wrong and he told me. I have to admit, I had no idea, he never gave off any gay vibe. What was bothering him was he has—had a brother, some macho cowboy-type, and they hadn’t seen each other in a long time because Mel had run from who he was. Now Mel wanted to … what’s the word he used—resurrect, he wanted to resurrect the relationship, was worried once the brother found out it would screw things up permanently. Why is his love life important?”

“Someone gets murdered, it’s good to know about their relationships.”

“Mel may have had some but I’m unaware of them. Why did you show me that beetle thing?”

“The night Adriana was killed, something else was found in the park. The skeleton of a two-month-old. The bones had been cleaned by dermestid beetles.”

She gasped, made a retching sound, bent low. “I’m supposed to be connected to that? That’s insane.” She clawed her hair. “This can’t be happening!”

“Who’d want to set you up, Prema?”

“No one.”

I said, “One more thing. After the bones were cleaned they were coated with beeswax.”

She clutched my arms. Looked me full in the face. Shrieked.