“It looks that way,” Regan said. “As you know, this woman Georgina left Kit stranded here tonight. Becky saw her get in a cab with a tall, young guy with blond hair. She also noticed he was left handed. If you could tell us what you saw…”

Kent tapped the table with his fingers. “It was crowded when Kit and Georgina first came in but I noticed them because Kit was on crutches. Then about twenty minutes later, I saw Georgina hurry past the bar and go outside. She had an unlit cigarette in her hand, so I knew the drill. She’d run out for a few puffs and be right back. The bar was pretty empty by then because the show was about to start, but I was busy filling the orders for the drinks. I glanced out once and she was holding her cigarette and just staring into space. I thought, oh boy, she’ll be a tough customer for the comedians tonight. Sometimes you can just tell who’s going to be a laugher, and who isn’t. She didn’t look like one to me.”

“Did you see the guy she left with?” Regan prodded.

“Yes. When I looked again, there he was. He was tall, I’d say about six five or six six, and blond, like Becky said. He seemed pretty clean cut, like a preppy. The two of them were definitely flirting.”

“Have you ever seen him before?” Regan asked.

“I don’t think so. A tall guy like that I would have remembered.”

Regan rubbed her forehead. “He could have been on his way inside, saw Georgina, found her attractive, and asked for a cigarette.”

“Of course,” Kit said, “Georgina might very well have initiated a conversation. Her victims have all been blond.”

Regan turned to Becky. “Did anyone not show up for their reservation tonight?”

“Just one party of three and they didn’t call to cancel. How rude.”

“So he probably wasn’t part of that group. I assume you take walk-ins.”

“If we have the room. But lately the shows are usually sold out or close to it. Larry’s Laughs is getting great buzz. Larry—the owner—is starting a stand-up comedy class. The first session is filled.”

“Kent,” Regan said. “You said they were flirting. Could you be specific?”

Kent raised his eyebrows. “I see the mating dance going on at the bar all the time, and it always interests me. When I glanced out the window, he was picking something like a leaf off the top of her head. I thought to myself, here we go. Oh—I did notice that he had on a big school ring—the kind with a colored stone in the middle. I’ve seen a lot of them, but for some reason this one looked huge.”

“A school ring?” Billy said. “Wait a minute. This might be nothing—”

“Try us,” Regan said.

“I stopped by here on Saturday afternoon to talk to Larry. The club wasn’t open yet. We were sitting up front at the bar, then I went to the back to use the rest room. When I was coming out my cell phone rang. It was my mother calling. If I don’t pick up her calls I feel guilty no matter what I’m doing—” He paused. “You can see what drove me to be a comedian—anyway, I answered, had a quick conversation about the state of my health and hers, then hung up. When I rejoined Larry, there was a piece of paper on the counter in front of him. He said somebody had just dropped by to sign up for the class, but Larry told him it was full. Larry has nicknames for everyone. Called this guy “College Boy” because he had on one of those big school rings. Larry was so happy that his class was full. He told the guy he’d contact him if there were any cancellations and would add his e-mail address to the list of people who were sent the newsletter.”