“Jeez, think it’s a rape? Should we call the cops, get a kit?”

“Triage put in a call, but the cops are on skeleton, with vacations and all. Playtime for everybody but us, eh?”

“Everybody’s gone to the moon. You know that song? My dad loved that song. Wow, she has nice veins. She must work out.”

“I don’t think we need the rape kit. It’s so intrusive, and her skirt’s not ripped or anything. Undies intact, no other signs.”

“Good. Did she tell the farmer she’d been assaulted?”

“Not that he told us, so no. No ID, wallet, handbag, phone. She didn’t give him any other information except that she was from Philly.”

Bennie felt her right hand being manipulated, and miraculously, it didn’t hurt at all. She opened her eyes. “I’m feeling no pain.”

“Understatement of the year,” the nurse in pink said, setting her hand down. “What’s your name? Do you remember how you hurt your hand?”

“Uh huh.” Bennie wanted to tell them about Alice, but it was hard to form coherent thoughts. “I drank too much and… Alice put me in a hole.”

“What? Can you repeat that? Are you on any medication? Miss? Miss?”

Bennie felt herself doze off.

“Miss, did you take any street drugs? Miss?”

“Wicker.” She’d been trying to say whiskey and liquor, but it came out wrong.

“Did you take street drugs of any kind?”

“No, no, no.”

“Are you on any medication?”

Bennie wanted them to call the cops but couldn’t make the words. “I want to get… Alice. I have to tell you about Alice. We have to-”

“Miss, what is your name?”

“Bennie.”

“Bonnie?”

“Bennnneeee!”

“Stay calm, don’t shout, I hear you. Penny, what’s your last name?” Bennie let it go. “Rosato.”

“Risotto?”

“Rosato.”

“Arzado? Okay, Penny Arzado.”

Bennie nodded. Close enough. It didn’t matter. She had to get Alice. Throw her in prison.

“Penny, do you have health insurance? Do you know what kind of insurance you have?”

Bennie couldn’t answer any more questions, or listen. She had to go to sleep.

“Penny, talk to me. Penny?”

Alice went downstairs to the kitchen, where Grady was cleaning up. It smelled like something good was baking, but she couldn’t tell what, because there was nothing on the stovetop and no ingredients on the counter.

“Hey sweetheart.” Grady turned from the sink, drying a bowl. He set it down with the dishtowel and gave her a hug. “You didn’t have to come down. I told you, I was bringing it up.”

“I thought I’d keep you company, maybe have a drink.”

“Okay, good.” Grady released her and brushed a stray hair from her forehead. A look of pain crossed his eyes, deepening his crow’s feet. “I’m sorry all this happened, especially tonight. We’re in the kitchen when we should be upstairs.”

You, man, you.

“I’m sorry about last night, too. You know I have a better track record than that.”

“I know.” Alice reached up and gave him a Bennie-like peck. “I want a rain check.”

“You got it.” Grady grinned, his relief so obvious that she doubted he suspected her. Still, she wasn’t about to change her mind. He had officially became a loose end.

“I forget if I have any wine.” Alice opened the cabinet above the refrigerator, but it held a stack of reusable shopping bags. She moved to the next cabinet, but it contained plastic bags of brown rice, a few cans, and boxes of spaghetti. “God, my head is killing me. I can’t even think where I put the wine.”

“You don’t want wine with this anyway, do you?”

Oops. “Tonight, I want wine with everything.”

“I got milk, if you change your mind.” Grady opened the oven door, releasing the delicious smell of baking brownies.

“I’ll get it.” Alice went to the refrigerator, turned her back to him, and seized her opportunity. Quickly she picked up the milk carton, popped off the cap, then grabbed a glass from the overhead cabinet. She poured the milk into the glass, then dropped the roofie into the drink. She took another glass from the cabinet and filled that one, too, taking her time so the roofie would have a chance to dissolve.

“Looks like we’re good to go.”

“I’ll get napkins.” Alice opened a drawer, retrieved two napkins, and set them next to the plates. She felt as if they were playing house, except that mommy was about to kill daddy.

“Would you get the ice cream, too?”

“Sure.” Alice went to the freezer, got a new tub of Cherry Garcia, and closed the freezer door. She took a scooper from the silverware drawer and set it all on the table, figuring that the roofie should be dissolved by now.

“These look great, if I don’t say so myself.” Grady cut the brownies. “Of course, we won’t wait until it’s cool, because otherwise we won’t be able to burn the roofs of our mouths.”

“Hear, hear,” Alice said, because it sounded like Bennie. She picked up both glasses and carried them to the table, making sure to give herself the one without the drug.

“Am I good or am I good?” Grady wedged two brownies out of the dish, put them on the plates, and brought them over, then they sat down.

“You are good.” Alice took a big bite of hot brownie, which was delicious. “Amazing.”

“Thank you.” Grady popped a brownie into his mouth. “Not bad. Did you burn the roof of your mouth?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

“Agree.” Alice set down the brownie and took a drink of milk. Got Rohypnol?

“So, brownies for dinner. Unorthodox, yet terrific.” Grady kept chewing, showing no sign of reaching for his milk.

“Very terrific.” Alice could barely stand more stupid banter. She was afraid to speak for fear of saying the wrong thing and she was fresh out of brownie conversation.

“Starting to feel better?” Grady asked. He kept not drinking his milk, and she wondered if he’d seen her slip the pill into his drink.

“Absolutely, thanks.”

“Brownies are nature’s cure-all. Your words.”

“I’m right, as usual.”

“You having ice cream?”

“Not yet.” Alice couldn’t wait any longer. “How can you eat a brownie without milk?”

“Ugh. When have you ever seen me drink a glass of milk? You know I hate it.”

Damn! “How quickly they forget, huh? What’s your name again?” Alice laughed, hiding her flub.

“Out of sight, out of mind.” Grady grinned crookedly, and Alice smiled, again. So he didn’t drink milk. Now she would have to figure out another way to drug him. She sipped her milk.

Trying to remember which drawer had the butcher knives.

Mary signed the last copy of the sales agreement, exhilarated and nervous, both at once. She was finally buying her own house, and it was a dream come true. On the downside, she didn’t know how Anthony would react and she’d never spent so much money in her life. When she saw how much of her mortgage payment went toward interest, she decided that the line between federal banking and organized crime was way too fine.

“Well done.” Janine gathered the papers into a stack. “And your check? Can’t forget that.”

“No, we can’t, can we?” Mary opened her checkbook, made out a check for the earnest money, and handed it over. “Ta-da!”

“Happy?”

“Yes. Very.” Mary couldn’t help but clap. “I bought a house! All by myself!”

“Good for you!” Janine laughed, her lipstick fresh after all these hours, though the same couldn’t be said for her linen suit. “But I have to warn you, your offer hasn’t been accepted yet and there’s still lots to do.”

“Like what?”

“We have to schedule the inspection within ten days, and there’s plenty of other details I’ll go through with you, if they accept.”

Janine stuck the check and the thick packet of agreements in a manila envelope. “I’ll be back to you as soon as I can.”