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‘follow up’ with me.” She gave a haughty little head-waggle. “These guys are barking up the wrong tree, thinking I had something to do with any of this.” Curling up one side of her mouth, Frances added, “These cops are even bigger idiots than Flynn and Rodriguez back home.”
    â€œI’m relieved that you’re out of interrogation,” Bennett said. “As an added precaution, I’ve contacted one of my attorneys. She’ll meet us here shortly.”
    â€œI don’t need an attorney. Then for sure they’ll think I’m guilty.”
    â€œIt doesn’t hurt to cover our bases, Frances,” I said. “And it makes Bennett feel good to be able to help.”
    She settled both chubby arms on the table. “I suppose.”
    With a nod, Bennett encouraged me to go on.
    â€œI have a couple of questions,” I said.
    Frances squinted at the tabletop. “Go ahead.”
    â€œFirst of all, your husband says—”
    Frances jerked like a folded marionette suddenly brought to life. “Hold up right there, missy.” Flipping her fingers to point gunlike at Percy, she said, “That lowlife across the table is not my husband.”
    â€œOh, come on, Frances,” Percy said in a gently teasing tone. “If you’re not my one and only, then why do we have the same last name?”
    â€œDid he
tell you
we were married?” she asked.
    â€œActually . . .” I was about to explain that Cathy had identified him, when Frances interrupted.
    â€œLet me clarify. It’s true that Mr. Tall Tales over there
was
my husband, but that was a couple of lifetimes ago. Lucky for me, I wised up and divorced him. Probably back when you were still in diapers.”
    â€œGot it.” I wondered why, if she despised the man so much, she continued to visit him every weekend. “Can we get back to why the police believe Gus was murdered?”
    â€œFine.” Frances huffed out a breath and glared at Percy. “I’ll wait ’til later to set the story straight.”
    â€œI can’t believe you think I’d lie to your friends,” he said, feigning hurt.
    She snarled at him. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
    Percy didn’t seem the least bit perturbed. “All I told them was that Gus was alive when we left the apartment this morning and dead by the time we got back. You take it from there, sweetie.”
    â€œHold your tongue.” If Frances could have shot poison darts straight from her eyes to his heart, she wouldn’t have given it a second thought. “What’s wrong with you?”
    â€œThat’s my little pistol.” Percy turned to Bennett. “I knew she was in there somewhere. Come on now, out with the rest of the story. What did the police ask you?”
    Whether it had been a result of Percy’s teasing or the fact that she was finally able to catch her breath after being questioned by the police, Frances’s mood had done a complete turnaround. Instead of leaning heavily on the table, she sat back, arms folded across her chest, regarding us all with mild annoyance. This was the Frances I knew.
    â€œThey thought they were being so clever,” she said. “But Grace and I know how cops operate. They thought they could trap me into admitting something I didn’t do.” She gave a quick, humorless laugh. “They don’t know who they’re up against.”
    Relieved to finally be on track, I asked, “What do you know about how Gus died?”
    She made eye contact with Percy and Kyle. “You know that tube thing Gus had attached to him all the time?” She pointed to the back of her left hand. “Right here?”
    â€œThe heparin lock?” Kyle asked.
    â€œYeah, that’s it.” She turned to me. “It’s for shooting medicine into him without always having to stick him with a needle every single