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Luckily the coroner’s people had removed Kirk’s body the day before, and had told her she could have the room back. She’d immediately asked her maid Ellen to give the room a deep cleaning, and Ellen had roped in her two cousins and together they’d made the room look spick and span again. Still, it wasn’t enough to remove the stain of the murder that seemed to hang heavy on the house and its atmosphere, Allison felt.

So she was planning to go into town later that day to connect with an interior designer she knew well and give her carte blanche to completely redo the upstairs. New flooring, wallpaper, ceilings, the works. She wanted a complete remodel that would make the house feel like new again, fresh and ready to stand for another couple of decades.

“How are you feeling, honey?” she asked, a little trepidatiously, since she still felt to blame for what had happened. After all, she was the one who’d brought Kirk into their home, and she was the one who’d had an affair with the man. And even though she hadn’t known he was also conducting an affair with her beloved niece, she should have known better than to fall prey to such a deceitful and lustful man.

“I’m all right, I guess,” said Mia, listlessly picking at a bread roll, plucking out the crumb and rolling it into little balls. She looked up. “Have you heard from those detectives?”

“Yes, one of them just called me and asked if they could interview the staff.”

“But didn’t they interview them yesterday?”

“Yes, they did, but they are following a new line of inquiry, or at least that’s what she said.”

“You mean Odelia?”

“No, her grandmother Vesta. And her friend Scarlett.”

“Oh,” said Mia without enthusiasm. She seemed to have taken a liking to Odelia, possibly because she was closer to her in age than Allison, or the two older ladies.

“Listen, there’s something I need to tell you,” said Allison now. She’d thought long and hard, and had lain awake for a long time pondering the dilemma, and that morning had finally reached a decision. She couldn’t keep the truth from her niece any longer. Sooner or later she’d probablyfind out anyway, and it was better if she heard it from her.

“The thing, is, honey, you weren’t the only one Kirk was having an affair with.”

Mia frowned but didn’t look up. “I know that, Auntie Allison. Kirk had a wife.”

“No, I mean, apart from his wife. He was also having an affair with another person.” She cleared her throat. This was a lot harder than she’d imagined.

“Another woman? Who?”

She glanced at her niece, then looked away again.“Um, well, me,” she said quietly. “Only, I didn’t know he was also involved with you, honey. Otherwise I would never—”

But to her surprise Mia was smiling.“I knew that, auntie. Of course I knew that.”

“You… knew about me and Kirk?”

“Of course! We live in the same house. Kirk probably thought he could keep it a secret but I knew. I saw him sneak into your room one night. And then I discovered that he liked to sleep in my room Mondays and Thursdays, and in yours Tuesdays and Fridays. I don’t know where he spent his Wednesdays and his weekends. Not in my room and not in yours, so I think he must have had someone else whose bed he slept in those other nights.”

Allison stared at her niece.“But… you never told me.”

“Of course not, silly. I didn’t want to embarrass you. Besides, I wasn’t as infatuated with Kirk as you thought. And I knew he wasn’t as into me as he made out to be. Kirk was a man who didn’t want to be tied down by a single woman. I knew that going in.”

“Then you’re a lot wiser than I am,” said Allison ruefully. “I had no idea. Not about you, or these others.”

“Did you love him, auntie?” asked Mia earnestly.

“Not really. I liked him. He was very charming, and a lot of fun to be around. But love? No, I don’t think that ever entered into the equation.”

“Good. Then at least he didn’t get the chance to break any hearts.”

“Unless one of the other women he was involved with felt differently,” Allison pointed out.

Mia shrugged.“I don’t know and I don’t care. I’m just glad I’m not in jail right now. And it’s all thanks to Odelia, and her grandmother.”

“It’s a strange state of affairs,” Allison said. “Usually the police aren’t that eager to ignore evidence.”

“I think secretly Odelia and her grandmother are cat whisperers, too, and they talked to Jasmine, who told them I was nowhere near Kirk when it happened.”

Allison laughed at this. It was just like her niece to dream up a story like that.“I’m going into town later this afternoon. I want to redo the entire upstairs. Wanna come? It could be our joint project.”

“Oh, God, yes, please. If I have to stay in this house for a minute longer I’ll go nuts. And can I please change rooms until the remodeling is done? I couldn’t sleep last night, knowing that right next door Kirk…” She swallowed. “… was murdered.”

The doorbell chimed and Allison said,“That will be them, my latest Gabis.”

“Oh, so they’re the new Gabi?” said Mia, interested.