neckline was too low and the cut too tight. He said I looked like a tramp. Ironic, since he was sleeping with one at the time.” She eyed the sweater wistfully. “I did like it, though.”
Dena paused for a beat before clearing her throat and standing up. “Leah, I’m sorry about Bob. I’m sorry he was killed and I’m sorry he was such a major prick.”
Leah used the back of her hand to wipe away a tear. “I tried so hard to be a good wife. But I was never able to get it right.”
Dena took the sweater back out and draped it over her arm. “You need to pack this and wear it. And you should never allow a man to give you shit about your wardrobe. You shouldn’t allow a man to give you shit, period.”
I smiled as I watched them. It was probably the nicest exchange the two of them had ever had. I glanced at the door to the bedroom. “Now that we know we’re alone, maybe we should comb this place again and make sure there really isn’t anything missing.”
We spent the next fifteen minutes searching Leah’s and Jack’s rooms. We didn’t find anything amiss until we reached the office and Leah started going through the desk where the computer once sat. She stared into the top drawer for a full minute before speaking.
“All the floppy disks are gone.”
I walked over and looked in the drawer. “What was on them?”
Leah gave me a sharp look. “Why is that important?”
“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “That’s why I’m asking.”
Leah pursed her lips and shut the drawer. “I don’t think they knew what they were stealing.”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Dena said, “just tell her what was on the disks so we can get on with things.”
Leah shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Occasionally when Bob was working late and Jack was asleep I would surf the Internet, and when I found something that interested me I would cut and paste it and, you know, save it on a disk.”
Dena perked up. “Leah, were you saving Internet porn?”
“Ew! No! I was saving…short stories.”
Dena nodded knowingly. “Some of the best erotica is on the Internet.”
“It wasn’t erotica! They did include a few sex scenes, though.” She blushed and looked at the ground. “I was saving Fan Fiction from a site dedicated to All My Children ’s Kendall and Ryan.”
Dena blinked. “Is this a joke?”
“Well, it’s better than porn!” Leah snapped. “And in the fan fiction Ryan dumps Greenlee and ends up with Kendall. It’s the way it should have happened. And since these fan Web sites sometimes go under, I always save the stories that I may want to reread on disk.”
“I agree,” I said. “The intruder definitely didn’t know what he was taking.”
Dena laughed. “Won’t he be surprised when he gets home? So assuming that we’re not dealing with a crazed soap fan, what do you suppose our burglar expected to find on the disks?”
Leah planted her hands on her hips. “I bet it was Bob’s little Jezebel who broke in here.”
Dena lifted her eyebrows. “What makes you say that?”
“Because I talked to Erika earlier. She screened all of Bob’s calls at work and she thinks the only way he could have been corresponding with that woman without her knowing would have been through his e-mail account.”
“So what?” I asked. “Why would that make Bianca want to break in and steal poorly written fiction?”
“The stories were beautifully written,” Leah snarled. “Bianca obviously thought that Bob cared enough about her to save their correspondence. So she came in here to steal it and spare herself the embarrassment of someone else stumbling across it.”
Dena cocked her head to the side. “Are you aware that your theory makes no sense, or has ABC daytime TV warped your brain beyond repair?”
“Look, the little witch already slept with my husband, and as far as I’m concerned she’s probably the one who shot him, so what’s a little burglary?” She made an attempt to toss her
Dena paused for a beat before clearing her throat and standing up. “Leah, I’m sorry about Bob. I’m sorry he was killed and I’m sorry he was such a major prick.”
Leah used the back of her hand to wipe away a tear. “I tried so hard to be a good wife. But I was never able to get it right.”
Dena took the sweater back out and draped it over her arm. “You need to pack this and wear it. And you should never allow a man to give you shit about your wardrobe. You shouldn’t allow a man to give you shit, period.”
I smiled as I watched them. It was probably the nicest exchange the two of them had ever had. I glanced at the door to the bedroom. “Now that we know we’re alone, maybe we should comb this place again and make sure there really isn’t anything missing.”
We spent the next fifteen minutes searching Leah’s and Jack’s rooms. We didn’t find anything amiss until we reached the office and Leah started going through the desk where the computer once sat. She stared into the top drawer for a full minute before speaking.
“All the floppy disks are gone.”
I walked over and looked in the drawer. “What was on them?”
Leah gave me a sharp look. “Why is that important?”
“I don’t know,” I said slowly. “That’s why I’m asking.”
Leah pursed her lips and shut the drawer. “I don’t think they knew what they were stealing.”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Dena said, “just tell her what was on the disks so we can get on with things.”
Leah shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Occasionally when Bob was working late and Jack was asleep I would surf the Internet, and when I found something that interested me I would cut and paste it and, you know, save it on a disk.”
Dena perked up. “Leah, were you saving Internet porn?”
“Ew! No! I was saving…short stories.”
Dena nodded knowingly. “Some of the best erotica is on the Internet.”
“It wasn’t erotica! They did include a few sex scenes, though.” She blushed and looked at the ground. “I was saving Fan Fiction from a site dedicated to All My Children ’s Kendall and Ryan.”
Dena blinked. “Is this a joke?”
“Well, it’s better than porn!” Leah snapped. “And in the fan fiction Ryan dumps Greenlee and ends up with Kendall. It’s the way it should have happened. And since these fan Web sites sometimes go under, I always save the stories that I may want to reread on disk.”
“I agree,” I said. “The intruder definitely didn’t know what he was taking.”
Dena laughed. “Won’t he be surprised when he gets home? So assuming that we’re not dealing with a crazed soap fan, what do you suppose our burglar expected to find on the disks?”
Leah planted her hands on her hips. “I bet it was Bob’s little Jezebel who broke in here.”
Dena lifted her eyebrows. “What makes you say that?”
“Because I talked to Erika earlier. She screened all of Bob’s calls at work and she thinks the only way he could have been corresponding with that woman without her knowing would have been through his e-mail account.”
“So what?” I asked. “Why would that make Bianca want to break in and steal poorly written fiction?”
“The stories were beautifully written,” Leah snarled. “Bianca obviously thought that Bob cared enough about her to save their correspondence. So she came in here to steal it and spare herself the embarrassment of someone else stumbling across it.”
Dena cocked her head to the side. “Are you aware that your theory makes no sense, or has ABC daytime TV warped your brain beyond repair?”
“Look, the little witch already slept with my husband, and as far as I’m concerned she’s probably the one who shot him, so what’s a little burglary?” She made an attempt to toss her
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