confusing, but there were so many people around. Could it have been a random murder of opportunity?
âGeorgia!â Sid said, and I realized everybody else in the room was looking at me.
âHmmm?â
âDo you know what time Deborah is planning to come over?â Mom asked.
Fortunately my sister texted me at that very moment. âSheâs on her way to Town House right now,â I said. âWhat kind of pizza do people want?â After we negotiated our order, Madison and I went to set the dining room table and get drinks. We had everything ready by the time Deborah arrived, and we dug right in.
It was, I realized, a special occasion of sorts. Since Madison had only been formally introduced to Sid during Mom and Philâs sabbatical, this was the first time all six of us had sat down to eat together. Not that Sid actually ate, of course, but he was there at the table. I wasnât the only one who noticed, either. Sid was grinning to beat the band. Itâs not easy to have facial expressions when youâre a skeleton and donât technically have a face, but somehow he manages.
After dinner was eaten and cleaned up, my parents went to their room to finish unpacking and Madison got picked up by a friend to hang at another friendâs house. Deborah, Sid, and I ended up in the living room.
âSo letâs talk murder,â Sid said. âDeborah, I know youâdrather Georgia and I not stick our noses in things like this, but this time I thinkââ
âStow it, Bone Boy. I want you to stick your nose in. Or nasal cavity, if thatâs all youâve got to work with.â
âYou do?â he said, eye holes wide with astonishment.
She nodded. âItâs Georgia whoâs balking.â
He turned to me. âYou are?â
âI just donât see why we need to get involved.â
âCome on, we all know youâre going to,â Deborah said. âSid is ready and raring to play Sherlock Bones, and you like being Dr. Watson.â
âWhy isnât he Dr. Watson?â
âBecause Sherlock Thackery sounds lame,â Sid said. âAnd you are a doctor.â
âButââ
Deborah cleared her throat loudly. âGeorgia, you can be Holmes, or Nancy Drew, or Jessica Fletcher. Just find out what happened to that girl. Itâs not like I ask you for much.â
I couldnât argue with that. Over the years, my big sister had helped me with child care, loans, and keeping an eye on our parents while I was living elsewhere. Besides which, the way my mind had started wandering earlier, I knew I was already hooked. âIf you really want me toââ
âWant
us
to!â Sid put in.
âIf you want us to, we will. But knowing why could help.â
âFine! I want you to solve this because the murder was my fault.â
âExcuse me?â
âWhat was the first thing Louis asked about? Security footage! I should have put cameras in there. If I had, that girl would be alive, or at least weâd know who killed her. But the McQuaids said there wasnât enough money in the budget, and I let it go. I should have insisted that they findthe money. Or I should have put in more room monitors. Security is my business, and then I go and let one of my peopleâI let one of my customers get killed.â
âWait, back up. What do you mean one of your people? Kendall Fitzroy wasnât one of yours.â
âI misspoke.â
The patella she had! âDeborah, do you think one of your cast members killed that girl?â
âWell who else could it have been? Who but a cast member would have been able to attack her from behind the scrim, and know how to get out of there without being seen?â
âThe police seem comfortable with the idea that an outsider could have committed the crime or they wouldnât be trying to find Scooby-Doo.â
âMaybe,â she said, âbut they were