“What's wrong?"
“Nothing's wrong, but I think I've got the solution. I've been thinking about it for hours and it all fits. There was a clipping — well, I won't explain it now, but can you come over?"
“Now?"
“Not right now. I guess there's not that much of a rush, but there are things you're going to need to check on."
“I'll be there by eight.”
Despite her lack of sleep, Jane was wide awake. She ran down to the basement to throw the laundry into the dryer, thinking that by the time she'd showered, her jeans would be dry. As she came back up this time, she noticed a spot of color on the floor at the top of the steps. She picked up the little blue lozenge of paper that must have fallen out of her jeans pocket.
Nodding, she picked it up and said aloud,"Yes! Yes, it was a green one that I saw. And that fits, too.”
Mel arrived at eight, just as Shelley had gone out to pick up her newspaper. She flung the paper in her kitchen door and followed him to Jane's.
“What's going on?" Shelley demanded when Jane ushered them in.
“I've got it," Jane said. "It was in that trash sack in Mike's car. Look!" She showed them the clipping on the kitchen counter. "I'm sorry. I touched it, but when I realized what it was I didn't touch it again. There might be fingerprints.”
Mel and Shelley leaned over together and read. Then Mel said, "Jane, is Mike up yet?"
“He'll be down in a minute. I woke him when I saw you drive up.”
Shelley was still studying the clipping. "But Jane, this must mean—"
“I'm afraid it does.”
Mike staggered into the kitchen, rumpled and grouchy. "Mom, what in the world — oh, Mel. Mrs. Nowack."
“Mike, I need to ask you about the trash sack that was in your car," Mel said.
“Trash? Oh, yeah. What about it?"
“Where did you pick it up and when?"
“At the deli," he said, rubbing his eyes. "Saturday morning, I think. Yeah, Saturday when I went in to work. There was junk peo‑ ple had dropped along the sidewalk and I had the paper bag in my car from buying some batteries, so I just picked up some of the junk."
“The front sidewalk?" Mel asked. "Did anyone see you doing that?"
“I don't know. It was no big deal."
“Mike, look at this newspaper clipping, but don't touch it," Mel said. "Is this part of what you picked up?”
Mike glanced at it. "I guess so. I'm sorry, but it was just trash. I didn't really look at it, I just picked it up and put it in the bag."
“Thanks, Mike. Go back to bed," Mel said as he picked the clipping up with tweezers and carefully put it in a plastic bag.
“What now?" Jane asked.
“Now you two keep very quiet and let me get to work. I'll call you later," Mel said. "For God's sake, don't talk to anybody about this. No more snooping! Understand?”
When he'd gone, Jane suddenly felt exhausted. Her frenzied, largely sleepless night suddenly caught up with her.
“What's wrong?" Shelley asked as Jane sat down at the kitchen table.
“I was up half the night. I fried my brain thinking about this."
“Then go back to bed. There's nothing more we can — or should — do."
“Don't you want to know—"
“Sure, but I think I see the general outline.I'll come back and blast you out at noon if I haven't heard from you sooner.”
Jane dragged herself upstairs and fell, still dressed, into bed. She woke up again in what seemed like a couple minutes, but was actually nearly four hours. She was sitting on the patio drinking a cola and smoking a cigarette when Shelley found her. "I take it you haven't heard from Mel yet?" Shelley asked.
“Not a peep."
“I have a dental appointment in a few minutes, then I have to go to the library. Say about two-thirty? Want to go along?”
Neither of them mentioned what was uppermost in her mind.
“That sounds fine," Jane said.
Shelley tooted her horn on the dot of half past two. In the meantime, Jane had cleaned her basement office and found two more overdue library books.
“They'll send the library police for you if you keep doing that," Shelley said with a strained smile. "Mike's not working today, is he?"
“No. Let me turn these in and pay my fines, then we'll talk.”
As they entered the library, a familiar figure was standing at the pay phone by the door. "Oh, Jane! Shelley!" Grace Axton said, hanging up. "I was trying to call you two. Conrad's got another artichoke thing he wants you to test." She indicated the books she was holding under one arm. "Then he's moving into raspberries since they're the currently trendy fruit. What's wrong?"
“Nothing," Jane and Shelley said in unison, then laughed nervously.
“Are you just returning those books?" Grace asked.
“And picking up a couple I had on reserve," Shelley said.
“Okay, I'll wait with you," Grace said. "The raspberries were Sarah's idea," she said happily as Shelley and Jane conducted their business. "She's starting to take more of an interest in the food. I'm starting to wonder if maybe Conrad was right that she was overly tired. Since she's been back from the hospital, I really think there's been a change. Not much. Very subtle. But I don't think I'm imagining it.”
Grace continued to chat as they went back out to their cars. Once under way, Jane said to Shelley, "I don't like this. If Mel sees my car at the deli, he'll think we're snooping or gossiping."
“We'll be in and out so fast there won't be a chance," Shelley said. "I've just remembered an appointment that will make us have to run through."
“I'm parking in back, just in case," Jane said. They followed Grace's car through thealley behind the deli and as they were pulling in to the small parking area, another car came right behind them. Patsy Mallett got out, already talking. "I've been trailing you and honking for three blocks!" she said. "You two must really be preoccupied. I've got some of those food order records I promised to copy for you, Shelley. I was going to drop them in your mailbox, but I saw you pull out of the library and thought — hi, Grace. Were you in front of them? What a parade!"
“We're testing another recipe," Grace said. "Come join us."