Rhythm and Bluegrass by Molly Harper Page B

were times when she seemed ready to conquer the administrative world with a quirk of her pinky. And then her mother would call, or her “boyfriend,” Darrell, would make one of his idiotic observations, and she’d retreat into herself.
    Life as the child of a former Miss Lexington who never got over herself was rough. Kelsey never quite lived up to her mom’s standards, and had only recently figured out that trying was pointless. Kelsey was built like one of those old-fashioned Vargas pinup girls—lush curves, long limbs, and a teeny-tiny waist. Despite the fact that she had assets most women, including myself, would pay good money for, her mom had her convinced she had a “weight problem.”
    This self-image paradox, combined with Kelsey’s mother pressuring her to marry any man who would take her in “her condition,” was why Kelsey’s apartment was currently home to her underemployed, overjerkfaced “boyfriend,” Darrell. I was forced to put “boyfriend” in quotation marks because my admittedly weak cursing skills couldn’t come up with a name foul enough to accurately quantify him. Sadie called him an ass-clown, but that seemed unfair to both asses and clowns.
    Still, the Mayfair had a cozy, college-dorm feeling, especially when I caught sight of Cyrus, one of Kelsey’s adopted nerd-herd buddies, on her hall. Cyrus was one of four software programmers who lived two doors down from Kelsey—Aaron, Cyrus, Wally, and Bud. When they first moved in, they hadn’t quite evolved beyond their grad school lifestyle, living two to a bedroom and playing video games until three in the morning. Kelsey was drawn to that sort of carefree, not-quite-grown-up lifestyle. Her passion for sci-fi and fantasy TV knew no bounds, so she fit right in as their den mother. She cooked for them on occasion and made sure they left the house for fresh air. In return, they secured bootleg copies of obscure British TV shows and fixed her computer when Darrell downloaded multiple viruses while surfing for porn.
    Cyrus, a sweet guy with shocking white-blond hair and rimless glasses, was hefting a huge bag from GameStop under his arm and had a smile on his face that was downright frightening.
    “New gaming equipment?” I asked, nodding toward the bag.
    “Ergonomic floor cushion,” he said. “Now my butt won’t fall asleep on game nights. Victory is within my grasp.”
    “Awesome.”
    “Here to see Kelsey?” he asked, raising his pale eyebrows. “Good, Darrell’s at it again.”
    I sighed. “What is it this time?”
    “Kelsey had the ‘gall’ to ask him to contribute some money to their expenses. They’ve had a lot of bills come in, including a Visa card that Kelsey didn’t know she’d applied for. She asked him to get a job. Darrell got all huffy. He said she’s just a nine-to-fiver, and she couldn’t understand how the entrepreneurial mind works. He needs space and freedom to expand his business without silly things like ‘deadlines’ and ‘expectations.’” Cyrus sneered. “He’s being particularly obnoxious about the fact that she bought herself some new clothes. If they can afford new clothes, he says, they can afford his bills. And his new iPhone.”
    “You mean her consignment sale work clothes, which she wears while earning the paycheck that pays for the iPhone?”
    Cyrus nodded, a dark look on his face as he unlocked his apartment door. “The boys and I have taken the liberty of e-mailing you a list of the ways we can make his death look like an accident. I believe Sadie would be willing to provide us all with transportation and an alibi.”
    I gave him a little salute. I knocked on the door to find the aforementioned “boyfriend” standing before me. Darrell was tall and dark-haired, with an athletic build he’d taken for granted in school, so now he was going soft around the middle. He frowned at me, rolled his eyes, and turned away from the door without a word.
    Charmer.
    Kelsey, however, bounded