appeared that
my baby brother and my former girlfriend were out on a date.
Molly let her hand slip from Jeff’s when she
saw that I’d noticed. “Hi, Ben,” she said quietly.
“ Molly,” I
replied.
Jeff looked like the biggest rooster on the
farm. “So what are we celebrating?”
I thought about a lie I could come up with
when Bob said, “I think I’ve finally got that part right.”
Jeff looked at us both like we’d lost our
minds. Trying to keep my voice as casual as I could, I asked, “So
what are you two up to?”
I could see that Molly was searching for the
right words when Jeff said, “We just went to the Fair on the
Square, and now we’re going out to lunch.”
I looked at her and asked, “Is it really a
good idea to be dating a suspect?”
She frowned. ‘That’s not fair, Ben.”
Jeff said, “I’m not on her list. I have an
airtight alibi.”
“ Believe me, there’s no such
thing, little brother.”
Jeff smiled. “Yes there is. I was having a
late lunch with Molly when Earnest was murdered.”
“ Okay, maybe I was wrong,” I
said. “That would be hard to refute.”
Jeff nodded, then said, “Hey, I’ve got a
great idea. Why don’t you call Kelly and we can make it a foursome
for lunch?”
I could see that Molly didn’t think any more
of that idea than I did. Fortunately, I had the perfect answer. It
had the added advantage of being the absolute truth. “She just
broke up with me about an hour ago,” I said.
Jeff’s smile faltered, and Molly looked at me
with a surprised expression. She said, “I’m so sorry, Ben. Are you
all right?”
“ I’d be lying if I said it
didn’t sting a little, but I’ll be fine,” I said.
Jeff’s strut was gone as he said, “You could
still go out with us. We don’t mind.”
The last thing I wanted to do was tag along
with my little brother while he dated my ex-girlfriend, but I was
saved from answering by Bob. “Sorry, but I need his help here. Why
don’t you two run along?”
They both nodded, and as they left, I saw
Molly turn back and look at me a second before leaving.
I picked up a wrench and slammed it on the
worktable after they were gone. “Can you believe that? What is he
thinking?”
Bob picked the wrench up and moved it out of
my reach. “Ben, you were dating Kelly, and you know how long he’s
had a crush on Molly. It’s got nothing to do with you.”
“ So you knew about them?” I
asked. “How long has this been going on behind my back?”
Bob shook his head. “Let me get this
straight. You started going out with somebody else, but you didn’t
want Molly to date anyone, is that about right?”
It sounded pretty petulant when he said it,
but I wasn’t going to just roll over and accept it. Then I realized
how childish I was being. Bob was right. I’d made it clear to Molly
that I was pursuing a relationship with Kelly, so why shouldn’t she
date my brother?
“ Maybe I’m being a bit
unreasonable,” I admitted.
Bob laughed. “You think?”
“ It’s just going to take me
some time to wrap my mind around this,” I admitted. “Now how can I
help you?”
“ You’re kidding, right? No
offense, Ben, but this is pretty delicate work. I need to do this
by myself, okay?”
“ I understand,” I said.
“Thanks for bailing me out.”
He grinned. “That’s what family is for.”
I nodded, and as I walked upstairs to my
office, I said, “And congratulations again.”
“ Thanks,” he said, adding
the biggest smile I’d ever seen on his face in my life.
I walked upstairs to my office and shuffled
papers around on my desktop, not really accomplishing anything at
all. I knew I should be focused on Earnest Joy’s murder, but I
couldn’t keep from thinking about my little brother dating Molly. I
knew he’d had a crush on her for years, but I couldn’t believe
she’d actually start going out with him. Then again, why not? Bob
was right. I had made my feelings clear enough. But while Molly
my baby brother and my former girlfriend were out on a date.
Molly let her hand slip from Jeff’s when she
saw that I’d noticed. “Hi, Ben,” she said quietly.
“ Molly,” I
replied.
Jeff looked like the biggest rooster on the
farm. “So what are we celebrating?”
I thought about a lie I could come up with
when Bob said, “I think I’ve finally got that part right.”
Jeff looked at us both like we’d lost our
minds. Trying to keep my voice as casual as I could, I asked, “So
what are you two up to?”
I could see that Molly was searching for the
right words when Jeff said, “We just went to the Fair on the
Square, and now we’re going out to lunch.”
I looked at her and asked, “Is it really a
good idea to be dating a suspect?”
She frowned. ‘That’s not fair, Ben.”
Jeff said, “I’m not on her list. I have an
airtight alibi.”
“ Believe me, there’s no such
thing, little brother.”
Jeff smiled. “Yes there is. I was having a
late lunch with Molly when Earnest was murdered.”
“ Okay, maybe I was wrong,” I
said. “That would be hard to refute.”
Jeff nodded, then said, “Hey, I’ve got a
great idea. Why don’t you call Kelly and we can make it a foursome
for lunch?”
I could see that Molly didn’t think any more
of that idea than I did. Fortunately, I had the perfect answer. It
had the added advantage of being the absolute truth. “She just
broke up with me about an hour ago,” I said.
Jeff’s smile faltered, and Molly looked at me
with a surprised expression. She said, “I’m so sorry, Ben. Are you
all right?”
“ I’d be lying if I said it
didn’t sting a little, but I’ll be fine,” I said.
Jeff’s strut was gone as he said, “You could
still go out with us. We don’t mind.”
The last thing I wanted to do was tag along
with my little brother while he dated my ex-girlfriend, but I was
saved from answering by Bob. “Sorry, but I need his help here. Why
don’t you two run along?”
They both nodded, and as they left, I saw
Molly turn back and look at me a second before leaving.
I picked up a wrench and slammed it on the
worktable after they were gone. “Can you believe that? What is he
thinking?”
Bob picked the wrench up and moved it out of
my reach. “Ben, you were dating Kelly, and you know how long he’s
had a crush on Molly. It’s got nothing to do with you.”
“ So you knew about them?” I
asked. “How long has this been going on behind my back?”
Bob shook his head. “Let me get this
straight. You started going out with somebody else, but you didn’t
want Molly to date anyone, is that about right?”
It sounded pretty petulant when he said it,
but I wasn’t going to just roll over and accept it. Then I realized
how childish I was being. Bob was right. I’d made it clear to Molly
that I was pursuing a relationship with Kelly, so why shouldn’t she
date my brother?
“ Maybe I’m being a bit
unreasonable,” I admitted.
Bob laughed. “You think?”
“ It’s just going to take me
some time to wrap my mind around this,” I admitted. “Now how can I
help you?”
“ You’re kidding, right? No
offense, Ben, but this is pretty delicate work. I need to do this
by myself, okay?”
“ I understand,” I said.
“Thanks for bailing me out.”
He grinned. “That’s what family is for.”
I nodded, and as I walked upstairs to my
office, I said, “And congratulations again.”
“ Thanks,” he said, adding
the biggest smile I’d ever seen on his face in my life.
I walked upstairs to my office and shuffled
papers around on my desktop, not really accomplishing anything at
all. I knew I should be focused on Earnest Joy’s murder, but I
couldn’t keep from thinking about my little brother dating Molly. I
knew he’d had a crush on her for years, but I couldn’t believe
she’d actually start going out with him. Then again, why not? Bob
was right. I had made my feelings clear enough. But while Molly
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