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but they hardly had anything left to live on. They had to declare bankruptcy and start over. Charles had worked for a bank or a mortgage company or something like that.“
    “Euuw,“ Shelley put in. “Companies like that aren’t wild about bankrupt employees.“
    “Right. He lost his job and they both had to work like dogs to get back up to speed. They finally got enough saved to open that little cubbyhole dry cleaners next to the grocery store.“
    “I’d never heard this story,“ Shelley said somewhat resentfully. “I knew about the divorce and remarriage, but not the rest of it. I only knew Stonecipher was her lawyer because somebody at the bake sale was asking about divorce attorneys, and she said he’d represented her and she warned everybody to stay away from him.“
    “Was she angry when she said that?“ Mel asked.
    Jane and Shelley realized at the same instant that they’d been making a case against the Dohertys. “No, no!“ Shelley said hastily. “More wry and embarrassed than angry. It was a couple years ago and they’ve got it together now and I’m sure—”
    Jane put her hand over her mouth. “What?“ Mel asked.
    “Nothing.“
    “Janey,“ he said sternly.
    “Well, you’ll find out anyway, I guess. I was reading that little ‘good news’ newspaper/shopper thing we usually let turn to mulch in the driveway last week and saw something about the city council meeting. Apparently Stonecipher was threatening a lawsuit against a dry cleaners. Something about hazardous chemicals. I don’t think the article mentioned which one it was, but it could have been the Dohertys.“
    “I’ll check it out,“ Mel said. “So they were both there at the deli opening?“
    “I’m the one who saw them,“ Shelley said, closing her eyes to picture it. “But I’m not positive I saw both of them. It’s just that they usually do go everywhere together. I know I saw LeAnne because she had on that navy and white sweater I tried to get you to buy, Jane. Remember, I told you if you waited for it to go on sale you’d miss your chance?”
    Mel cleared his throat.
    “Well,“ Shelley huffed, “LeAnne was there, but I’m not sure about Charles.”
    Mel went back to the list. “I understand both Stonecipher and a man named Foster Hanlon were trying to get the deli shut down, and Hanlon was there as well.“
    “They came together,“ Jane said. “Well, at about the same time, anyway. But Hanlon was on Stonecipher’s side of the dispute.“
    “As far as we know,“ Shelley said ominously.
    “What do you mean?“ Mel asked.
    “Just that sometimes generals disagree with each other,“ Shelley said. “They were both almost professional troublemakers. Maybe Stonecipher took the lead and Hanlon didn’t like the way he handled it and blamed Stonecipher for losing the battle.“
    “Shelley, that’s crazy,“ Jane said. “Killing somebody over a zoning ordinance?“
    “Killing somebody over anything is crazy,“ Shelley reminded her. “And it could have been accidental. Suppose they got into a shouting match in the storage room and Hanlon got so furious he wanted to take a shot at Stonecipher and angrily shoved at the rack instead?”
    Jane made a so-so motion with her hand. “Maybe. Except I don’t think there was a shouting match. I was in the bathroom and heard the crash and I hadn’t heard yelling before that.“
    “Well, a hissing match, then,“ Shelley persisted.
    “You’d really like it to be Hanlon, huh?“ Jane said, smiling.
    “I wouldn’t mind. Remember when I was on that planning committee for the well-baby clinic and he made such a nasty flap?“
    “Only vaguely.“
    “He was certain that what he called ‘riffraff’ was going to descend on us like locusts. To hear him tell it, wild-eyed pinko liberals were going to hire buses to gather up mothers and children from the streets of inner-city Chicago and bring them out here for free treatment.“ Shelley paused. “Which sounded like a