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mentioned something
about a murder mystery. What was that all about?"
    "One of the convention volunteers told us that people had been asking about the fake
body in this room. They thought we'd cooked up a murder mystery to liven up the convention. It
actually would have been a nice touch, had we thought of doing it. But we didn't. Of course, I had
no idea there was a real dead body in this room. Especially one dressed like that."
    Cameron looked toward the body and observed, "He certainly is dressed strangely."
    "That's why I want the board members to take a look at him. There are things that may
be significant about--"
    Rena entered the room, accompanied by the members of the CFWA Board: Royce
Fontaine; Randy Callahan AKA Theia Rand; Suzanne Gibbons-Powers and Ashley Wade, a
distinguished-looking man in his forties.
    She herded them over to where Upton and Cameron were standing. "I haven't told them
anything yet."
    "Good thinking." Addressing the newcomers, Upton gestured toward the corpse. "We
have a problem, folks."
    Everyone spoke at once.
    "What sort of problem?" Royce wanted to know.
    Suzanne GP blinked her blue eyes. "Is he dead?"
    "What happened to him?" Ashley said.
    "We don't know yet," Upton answered. "Does anybody recognize him?"
    "I do not," Royce Fontaine declared.
    "Me, neither," said Randy Callahan. "I've never seen him before."
    Ashley Wade studied the dead man's face. "Same here."
    Rena said, "I don't know who he is."
    "That makes it unanimous," Upton said. "Now tell me, does anything about the body
strike anyone as being odd?"
    Randy frowned. "You mean other than the obvious fact that he's dead?"
    "I do."
    "He certainly had odd taste in clothing, if that's what you mean," Suzanne GP observed,
wrinkling her nose. "Yuck!"
    "That's part of it," Upton agreed. "Don't ask me to explain how it got there, but that's my
hat sitting on his head. And that's all. There's something familiar about the muffler wrapped
around his neck." He turned to Fontaine. "Royce?"
    Fontaine exclaimed, "Why, that looks like my scarf! Arthur, do you remember my
asking you--?"
    "I do. That's why I'm mentioning it now."
    Before anyone could stop him, Fontaine strode over to the body and reached down to
touch the woolen cloth. "That's unquestionably the Armagh family tartan." He stood upright
again. "My mother was an Armagh. Arthur, this is definitely my scarf. What the devil is it doing
around this fellow's neck?"
    Randy Callahan was scratching his left leg with the heel of his right cowboy boot. "You
know, now that you mention it, that overcoat he's got on looks an awful lot like mine."
    Cameron had apparently been caught off guard by Royce, but when Randy took a step
toward the dead man, the detective sprang into action. "Don't touch that," he barked, reaching out
to restrain Callahan. "Particularly since this death is sounding more and more suspicious."
    Callahan stepped back, away from the body.
    "Does anyone else recognize anything of theirs?" Cameron said.
    GP spoke up. "You know, when I first saw him, I thought that those sunglasses looked
awfully silly. Those are designer frames. And much too frou-frou for a man, even if he were gay.
I can't swear to it, but I think they might be mine." She leaned forward, squinting to get a better
look at the corpse. "In fact, I'm pretty sure of it."
    "Had you noticed that they were missing?" Cameron asked.
    "No," she replied. "As far as I knew, they were tucked away in the pocket of my
coat."
    "Which is where?"
    "It should still be on the rack in the main hallway."
    Cameron turned to Randy Callahan. "What about you? Were you aware that your
overcoat was gone?"
    "No, siree. I thought it was hung up on the rack like everyone else's." He scratched his
ear. "I haven't the faintest notion how that man got hold of it."
    Ashley Wade abruptly reached for his left wrist. "Good Lord!" he exclaimed, raising his
arm to show it was bare. "My wrist watch!" He advanced a step toward the body. "I