A Hint of Magic by Alaine Allister Page B

into a jealous rage,” Parker theorized.  “Maybe he’d had one drink too many and what started as a fistfight got out of hand.  Or maybe Sam is just a possessive jerk who likes to solve problems with his fists.”
    “Speaking of hotheads who like to solve problems with their fists, we can’t forget about Zack and Mikey,” Clarissa said.  “They’ve always been big dumb jerks with superiority complexes.  They acted that way in high school and I think it’s safe to say they haven’t matured since then.”
    “But we saw them.  They wouldn’t had have time to kill Greg.”
    “We saw two of the three imbeciles, yes.  Russ is still unaccounted for – he’s a big tall guy too.  I didn’t see him at the party but back in high school, those three were inseparable.  Maybe he was there in costume.”
    “Like what, a grim reaper costume?”
    “Possibly…who knows, maybe the three of them were in on it together.”
    “What would their motive be though?” Parker wondered.
    “Jealousy,” she said immediately. 
    “Oh?”
    “They used to be hotshot football stars back in high school.  Now they’re pathetic has-beens with sad little lives.  Greg showed up at the party looking all toned and fit.  I expect that got him a lot of attention.  It probably made the has-beens jealous.”
    “Hmm, I suppose that’s a possibility,” Parker conceded.  “Maybe they even tried to pick on Greg and he stood up for himself.”
    “I can totally see that happening.”
    “So we need to find out if Russ was actually there.”
    “We should follow up with that guy from the gym too,” Clarissa suggested.  “I know the gym employee you spoke with had nothing but good things to say about him, but we shouldn’t just take her word for it.”
    “That’s a good point.  But to be honest, Sam is the one I’m the most curious about,” Parker admitted.  “Something isn’t sitting right with me.  If Sam wasn’t involved, then why was Amy acting so weird?  I think she knows something.”
    Clarissa grimaced.  “Amy’s an old friend.  I hate to even consider that she could be involved with the murder.  But as for Sam…I don’t know the guy, so I can’t say.”
    “I didn’t see him anywhere during the fight, did you?” Parker asked.
    “No.”
    “Does that strike you as a little odd?  He’s new in town and went to a party where presumably, the only person he knew was his girlfriend.  And yet when we went into the backyard, he was nowhere to be seen.”
    “It’s not as though he has to be glued to his girlfriend’s side the entire night,” Clarissa pointed out.  “For all we know, he might have been talking to someone else or in the bathroom.”
    “That’s true,” Parker agreed.  “But Greg’s hands were tied with a lasso.  Sam was dressed as a cowboy.  That’s awfully incriminating, isn’t it?”
    “It is,” Clarissa agreed.  “But it wasn’t a cowboy that was fighting with Greg,” she reminded him.  “It was a grim reaper.”
    “It wouldn’t have been too hard for Sam to change into a grim reaper costume.”
    “That would require some planning though.  It doesn’t really fit with your theory that Sam killed Greg in a fit of jealousy.  If Sam had the foresight to change his costume, it suggests there was an element of premeditation.”
    “I don’t know what to tell you.  I just know we have a lot more investigating to do.”
    “Yeah,” Clarissa agreed.  “We need to look into Sam, Russ and the guy from the gym.”
    “I’ll stop by the gym tomorrow and see if I can talk to the guy who got into the fight with Greg.  Maybe you can use your connections to look into Sam?  See if you can get Amy to talk,” Parker suggested.  “She seems like she might crack under pressure.”
    “Okay,” Clarissa agreed reluctantly.  “But I really can’t see Amy being involved.”
    “People do crazy things for love,” Parker reminded her.  “If she’s head over heels for this