Libby. “Do you believe me?”
“Yeah, Duncan, I do,” Libby told him. “So bottom line, what you’re telling us is that you have no idea about what happened that night?”
Duncan shook his head. “Not really. No. Everything is a blank. And believe me I’ve tried to remember.”
“And all that stuff you told us?” Libby asked.
Duncan shrugged. “I made it up. I mean I didn’t know what else do to. How bad would the other have looked?”
“Pretty bad,” Libby admitted.
Bernie tapped her fingers against her pants leg while she thought. Finally she said, “So this has never happened to you before.”
“That’s what I just said. I mean one beer. Come on. I can pound five of Cpou to y those down without breaking a sweat,” Duncan said before lapsing into silence again.
“Do you think someone could have slipped something in your beer?” Libby said slowly.
Duncan looked at Libby as if she’d gone crazy. “No. Absolutely not.”
“It’s just a thought,” Libby told him.
“A far-fetched one if you ask me,” Duncan said.
“But it does explain things,” Bernie said.
“I refuse to believe it,” Duncan said. “Anyway, who would do something like that?” he asked.
Libby shook her head. “Someone you were drinking with that night?”
“I was drinking with my friends.”
“Maybe they’re not,” Bernie observed.
“I can’t believe it,” Duncan said.
“Or won’t believe it,” Bernie interjected.
“That’s the same thing,” Duncan told her.
“Not really,” Bernie answered. “Think about it.”
Duncan shook his head violently from side to side. “It’s not possible.”
“Okay, let me ask you a question,” Libby said. “Have you had a drink since that night?”
“Yes,” Duncan said. “More than one.”
“And have you passed out?”
Duncan was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “That doesn’t prove anything. It doesn’t,” he insisted, reading the expressions on Libby’s and Bernie’s faces.
Libby shrugged. “Have it your own way,” she told him. “It’s true we can’t prove what happened, because we can’t do a chemical analysis at this point, but it’s the best explanation for what happened.”
“I think my sister is on to something,” Bernie told Duncan.
He looked from Libby to Bernie and back again. “I don’t know.”
“It doesn’t mean it happened,” Bernie said gently. “But it would be a good avenue to pursue.”
Libby didn’t say anything. She could see Duncan struggling to come to grips with the idea.
Duncan sighed. He studied one of the Georgia O’Keefe prints on the far wall. A moment later, he looked back at Libby and Bernie and asked, “So what are you going to do?”
Bernie smiled. “We’re going to do what we do best. Bake muffins.”
Duncan laughed.
“No. Seriously. We’re going to snoop around and see what we can find out,” Bernie said. “And in the meantime, I’d keep away from my friends in the Corned Beef and Cabbage Club if I were you. At the very least, don’t go drinking with them. And if you do go drinking with them, take your drink to the can with you when you go.”
Duncan made a face. “That’s gross.”
“But effective.”
“I still can’t believe it,” Duncan said as he sat back down.
When Bernie and Libby left he was sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands.
Chapter 5
“T hat would really suck if it’s true,” Bernie said to Libby when they were outside the guest Fpou tT house.
“Yes, it would,” Libby agreed as she fished the car keys out of her backpack. “It would give things a whole new twist.”
“It would, wouldn’t it though?” Bernie observed. “I’m calling Dad and seeing what he thinks.” And she whipped her cell out of her bag and punched his number in.
He answered on the twelfth ring. As she waited for her dad to pick up Bernie pictured him looking for his cell and cursing when he couldn’t find it.
“We need to get our house phone back,”
“Yeah, Duncan, I do,” Libby told him. “So bottom line, what you’re telling us is that you have no idea about what happened that night?”
Duncan shook his head. “Not really. No. Everything is a blank. And believe me I’ve tried to remember.”
“And all that stuff you told us?” Libby asked.
Duncan shrugged. “I made it up. I mean I didn’t know what else do to. How bad would the other have looked?”
“Pretty bad,” Libby admitted.
Bernie tapped her fingers against her pants leg while she thought. Finally she said, “So this has never happened to you before.”
“That’s what I just said. I mean one beer. Come on. I can pound five of Cpou to y those down without breaking a sweat,” Duncan said before lapsing into silence again.
“Do you think someone could have slipped something in your beer?” Libby said slowly.
Duncan looked at Libby as if she’d gone crazy. “No. Absolutely not.”
“It’s just a thought,” Libby told him.
“A far-fetched one if you ask me,” Duncan said.
“But it does explain things,” Bernie said.
“I refuse to believe it,” Duncan said. “Anyway, who would do something like that?” he asked.
Libby shook her head. “Someone you were drinking with that night?”
“I was drinking with my friends.”
“Maybe they’re not,” Bernie observed.
“I can’t believe it,” Duncan said.
“Or won’t believe it,” Bernie interjected.
“That’s the same thing,” Duncan told her.
“Not really,” Bernie answered. “Think about it.”
Duncan shook his head violently from side to side. “It’s not possible.”
“Okay, let me ask you a question,” Libby said. “Have you had a drink since that night?”
“Yes,” Duncan said. “More than one.”
“And have you passed out?”
Duncan was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “That doesn’t prove anything. It doesn’t,” he insisted, reading the expressions on Libby’s and Bernie’s faces.
Libby shrugged. “Have it your own way,” she told him. “It’s true we can’t prove what happened, because we can’t do a chemical analysis at this point, but it’s the best explanation for what happened.”
“I think my sister is on to something,” Bernie told Duncan.
He looked from Libby to Bernie and back again. “I don’t know.”
“It doesn’t mean it happened,” Bernie said gently. “But it would be a good avenue to pursue.”
Libby didn’t say anything. She could see Duncan struggling to come to grips with the idea.
Duncan sighed. He studied one of the Georgia O’Keefe prints on the far wall. A moment later, he looked back at Libby and Bernie and asked, “So what are you going to do?”
Bernie smiled. “We’re going to do what we do best. Bake muffins.”
Duncan laughed.
“No. Seriously. We’re going to snoop around and see what we can find out,” Bernie said. “And in the meantime, I’d keep away from my friends in the Corned Beef and Cabbage Club if I were you. At the very least, don’t go drinking with them. And if you do go drinking with them, take your drink to the can with you when you go.”
Duncan made a face. “That’s gross.”
“But effective.”
“I still can’t believe it,” Duncan said as he sat back down.
When Bernie and Libby left he was sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands.
Chapter 5
“T hat would really suck if it’s true,” Bernie said to Libby when they were outside the guest Fpou tT house.
“Yes, it would,” Libby agreed as she fished the car keys out of her backpack. “It would give things a whole new twist.”
“It would, wouldn’t it though?” Bernie observed. “I’m calling Dad and seeing what he thinks.” And she whipped her cell out of her bag and punched his number in.
He answered on the twelfth ring. As she waited for her dad to pick up Bernie pictured him looking for his cell and cursing when he couldn’t find it.
“We need to get our house phone back,”
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