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Kate hid her face. She knew her aunt was baiting them.

Byon said, “Shall I tell you how we met her?”

“I’d love to hear.”

He looked at Nadine. “You had only recently joined Nicky and me.”

“I was there,” Clive said pointedly.

“Yes, of course,” Byon said. “But then you were a part of Nicky.”

“Like his valet?” There was anger in Clive’s voice.

“More like his second-best pair of shoes,” Byon snapped. “Shall I continue or would you like more time to suffer?”

Clive gave Kate a look of See what I have to put up with?

“As I was saying,” Byon continued, “we were together and at a grocery. We’d been up all night and we were tired and hungry and broke.”

“I remember that we were trying to piece together five pounds,” Nadine said. “My allowance wouldn’t come in for another three days.”

“Willa was ahead of us in the queue,” Clive said. “But only Nicky noticed her.”

“He was like that.” Byon’s tone was reverent. “He saw what others didn’t.”

“Describe her,” Kate said.

“Plain,” Clive said, and Nadine and Byon nodded. “In all the years I knew her I never saw anything to distinguish her. Not in looks or talent of any kind.”

Byon looked at him in wonder. “I had no idea you were so perceptive.”

Before Clive could retaliate, Sara said to Byon in annoyance, “Do try to subdue your venom. Clive appears to have been successful in spite of your belittlement of him. Get on with the story.”

Clive looked like he was going to kiss Sara, and Nadine was wide-eyed.

Byon laughed. “Oh how Nicky would have loved you! Anyway, Willa secretly paid for the groceries of a woman with three children. Nicky saw what she’d done, but the woman didn’t.”

“She thanked some man,” Clive said.

“And he told her she was welcome,” Nadine added.

“What did Willa say?” Jack asked.

“Nothing,” Byon answered. “She just stood there, unnoticed by anyone, and let the woman thank the wrong person.”

“What did Nicky do?” Kate asked.

The three smiled and Byon leaned forward. “You never wanted to get on Nicky’s bad side. That day, he tore them apart. Woman, man, cashier. All of them. Then he pulled Willa into our group.”

“And that was it,” Nadine said.

“And the lot of you got an adoring audience and an open checkbook.” Sara got up and began taking photos of them.

“We did!” Byon said in delight.

Nadine didn’t laugh. “We took care of her. Protected her. Her family was horrible.”

“Or great,” Clive said. “Depends on how you look at it. Her sister, Beatrice, certainly was beautiful.”


Tags: Jude Deveraux Medlar Mystery Mystery