exchanged a look and I could tell that Ava had told them quite a lot.
âAva was pretty odd about the whole thing, donât you think?â I asked.
âSheâs very fragile,â Andre said.
âShe has a nervous condition,â Nick said.
Viv poured the tea for everyone and we all fussed with our cups until we had them loaded just right. I tend to go heavy on the milk at night, thinking it helps me sleep.
âYou like Ava,â I said to Nick and Andre.
As one, they nodded in agreement.
âShe was very gracious about showing her art collection to us,â Andre said.
âBut she looked utterly unsurprised when Winâs body rolled out from under the tarp,â I said. âDonât you find that odd?â
I snagged the black currant tart and bit into it. Tarts always make things better. Itâs a fact.
âI thought it was odd,â Fee said. âShe looked as stiff as a mannequin, yeah?â
âItâs her medication,â Nick said. Andre hushed him but Nick shook him off. âWe may as well tell themâif they think she had something to do with it, others will, too, and the police are bound to make it public.â
âFine,â Andre said. He took a long sip of his tea but he was clearly unhappy about sharing what they knew.
âAva has a prescription pill problem,â Nick said.
âAnd you know this how?â I asked.
âShe told us in confidence,â Andre said. âNote that I am stressing
in confidence
.â
âNoted,â Viv said. âDo you think the medication could make her dangerous?â
âNo,â Nick said. âSheâs taking an opioid analgesic. It tends to blank emotions, not cause mood swings or violence.â
âWhy did she confide in you two?â I asked. They gave me a hurt look and I added, âI only meant that she just met you and thatâs pretty personal stuff.â
âWhen she found out I was in the medical professionââ Nick began but Fee interrupted.
âYouâre a dentist,â she said. âDid she know you were a dentist?â
Nick heaved a sigh and shoved chocolate roll in his mouth. Andre patted his arm.
âItâs okay,â he said. âYou are a very good dentist. It was all a misunderstanding. I called him âDocâ and she assumed, well, it was just too embarrassing to correct her especially after she assumed Nick could give her a prescription.â
âOh, that would be awkward,â Viv said.
âWe merely prevaricated so as to avoid any social unpleasantness,â Nick said.
âMeaning you let her think you were a doctor but one who didnât write prescriptions,â I said. âSurgeon?â
âNeuro,â Nick said. âI figured itâs still the head. I told her Iâd refer her to one of my colleagues.â
Nick looked so sheepish, I had to smile. âYou know I love you just the way you are, donât you?â
He actually blushed a deeper shade of pink and looked a little choked up. Viv and Fee added their praise on top of mine and Nick lost it. He blew his nose into a napkin and waved at us to stop. I glanced at Andre, who was grinning at his mate.
âHeâs adorable when heâs flustered, isnât he?â he asked me.
I nodded and then snagged the last black currant tart while no one was looking.
It was clear that Nick and Andre didnât think Ava had anything to do with Winâs death. I could let it go then, although I still found her demeanor at the sight of Winâs body very odd.
âWhat about Tuesday Blount?â I asked.
It was as if Iâd hit them all with a freeze ray. Nickpaused with his cup halfway to his lips, Fee stopped chewing her chocolate roll, Viv wrapped her hands around the cozy on the teapot as if to warm them, and Andre hugged his middle as if trying to self-soothe.
Nick spoke first. âWe have never met her. Right,
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