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that?”
    “That’s what everyone’s been talking about.”
    Kate shook her head. She guessed that she didn’t talk to whomever constituted “everyone” because that was one story she hadn’t heard.
    “I better get that shelf started. Show me again where you want it,” Kate said.
    “Back here in the storage room,” Carly said.
    Kate brought her coffee with her as Carly described what she wanted. Part of Kate’s mind was listening. The other part was puzzling over why Scott’s ex-wife had come to town. That might be the key to her murder.
    ***
    Just as she finished up at Carly’s Florist, Kate’s phone rang. Scott. Again.
    “Hello, Scott. No, I’m not joining you for any meal.”
    He chuckled. “I guess I’m persistent. No, actually I just wondered if you had my house on your list of chores for today.”
    She mentally went through her schedule. She could do it and put one or two things that weren’t dire off until tomorrow. Might be better to get his repair over with. Then she wouldn’t have to spend so much time with him.
    “I can be there in ten minutes.”
    When Kate arrived at Scott’s house, he was standing behind the screen door. As if waiting for her. He pushed it open to let her in.
    “I can unload your truck,” he said.
    He looked worse for wear after being in jail. She wondered if it was the first time. She studied him. “I’ve got everything. All I’m doing is sanding and painting. It’ll be a mess.”
    He nodded. “Mind if I sit and watch?”
    She shrugged. “Whatever.”
    She didn’t want him to watch. She wanted him in another room because he was making her nervous. He shouldn’t. He was just Scott. She was a married woman. Maybe repeating that in her head would remind her. Scott was just Scott except that he looked even better now with his snow white hair than he had in high school.
    Not fair. She was sporting some extra pounds and wasn’t dressed to look nice. She was dressed for work in overalls. Not that she had any real fashion sense.
    She began to sand the spackling she’d done before she found the dead body.
    “Does Ken still think you did it?”
    Scott settled himself on the third step. He leaned his forearms on his thighs. He was tan and must have just come back from vacation. Maybe he’d taken time off before he arrived in Rock Ridge.
    She wasn’t going to ask. Too personal. Too intimate, but his presence had her nerves on edge.
    “I’m getting the impression that Ken doesn’t like me,” Scott said.
    “Probably not. He was up for your job, but didn’t get it.”
    Scott nodded. “That happens.”
    “The mayor wanted Ken also.”
    Might as well give him the lay of the land.
    “Good to know. I probably don’t have an ally in him,” Scott said.
    “No, you don’t. Sorry to say. Will make your job harder,” she said.
    She sat back and admired her handiwork. She ran a hand over the wall. Smooth as she could make it. Her father had told her she had the right touch for spackling. He’d had her help him when he needed to do it in their house.
    “No harder than the Philly PD.”
    “I wouldn’t know.”
    “Corruption. Bad cops. This is a much gentler place to have obstacles.”
    He’d surprised her with that statement. Scott hadn’t been able to get out of Rock Ridge fast enough. He must have gone through a rough time in Philadelphia to want to come back here.
    “I’ll take your word for it. I never made it to the big, bad city.”
    He smiled sardonically. “You could have come with me.”
    She sighed. They’d had that argument more than once. Then he’d left and not looked back. She had no desire to rehash this. “Do we need to do this right now? I’m working.”
    “And I’m going out of my skull. Hopefully tomorrow we’ll have an exact time of death on Jackie, and I can be cleared.”
    “No one reports anyone suspicious here during the time she might have been here. In fact, Carly saw someone that looked like her alive earlier.”
    Kate glanced