"The last time I spoke with the owner," Shelley answered, "she was getting ready to fire Sandra."

"And who's the owner of this wreck, if you don't mind telling me?" Mel asked, still deeply in sarcastic mode.

"Bitsy Burnside," Jane said, pretending she didn't realize he was making a nasty remark. "If you can wait a sec, I think I have her telephone number in my purse." She rummaged while Mel fumed and found the crumpled deposit slip she'd written it on. She handed it over and asked, "May we go home now?"

"Please do. I remember where to find you," he said with a sigh.

"If you can get away, dinner's in the oven," Jane offered.

"Do you really think? Never mind." He turned away and disappeared.

Jane and Shelley fled. "Do you think she just tripped and fell, maybe?" Jane asked on the way home.

"I didn't see a purse. The police must not have found one either if Mel had to ask us her name. I never saw her without one. No, I don't think she tripped all by herself. Someone pushed her."

Bitsy called Jane later in the evening. "Jane, this is so awful! I'm afraid that detective thinks I killed Sandy. He said he'd spoken to you and Shelley, and I got the impression you knew him before."

"I'm dating him," Jane admitted.

"You're kidding! No, I guess you're not. Sandy

and I did have a big blowup when I told her I'd I hired the contractor I'd originally gotten a bid

from. But I had no reason to harm her. Can't you explain that to your detective?"

"He's an intelligent man, Bitsy. This is what he successfully does for a living. He doesn't jump to conclusions. And he really wouldn't welcome my input."

There was a long silence on the line. Finally, sounding tearful, Bitsy croaked, "You don't think I could have done such a thing, do you?"

"No, of course not," Jane lied. If Bitsy had shoved Sandra down the steps, she certainly didn't want to act as if she suspected her for fear that she herself might become the next victim. "I'm just telling you he's an expert at what he does and he'll find out by himself what happened to Sandra." This wasn't precisely the truth. Jane and Shelley had contributed domestic insights to Mel on a couple of other cases. He called this dangerous snooping. They regarded it as helping.