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Chase, who sat following the back-and-forth with an indulgent smile, said,“I like the best of the best of the best.”

“Yeah, the best of the best of the best is good enough for me,” Max agreed.

The doorbell sang out a cheerful tune and Gran got up from the bed on which she’d been lounging. Odelia’s bags were on the floor near the door, and as Gran stomped down the stairs, she announced loudly, “That’ll be Angela!”

“Oh, dear,” said Marge, bringing a worried hand to her face. “Are you sure you want to go through with this, honey?”

“I guess so,” said Odelia, though she had her reservations. Especially about the fact that her grandmother was in charge, which usually spelled disaster.

“This Angela seems like a reasonable enough person,” said Max as he placed his head on his paws.

“She does,” said Odelia. “But we have no idea where we’re going to end up over there.”

“I don’t like the fact that this is all so very secretive,” said Marge.

“Me neither. But Angela says it’s the only way to proceed. She says we can’t trust anyone over there.”

“Not even Prince Dante?” asked Marge.

“Not even Prince Dante.”

“Poor Tessa. I can’t imagine how she must be feeling. You remember Tessa, don’t you, honey? You two used to play so well together.”

“Mom. I was two.”

“Of course you were,” said Marge distractedly. “Everything was different back then, of course. Angela and Jack were still very much in love. This was before he ran off with that waitress. I remember Angela being very upset about the whole thing. And then she found this great job in Vegas and that’s the last I ever heard of her. Well, until the engagement, of course.”

They’d all followed the story of Tessa’s engagement to Prince Dante with interest. An American girl falling in love with an English prince was a story that sparked the imagination of the nation, and the fact that Tessa and her mom had once been neighbors added to the excitement. So Odelia, Marge and Gran had watched the royal wedding live, fighting sleep not to miss a thing.

There was movement on the stairs, and moments later Gran reappeared, followed by Angela Torrance. She was a dark-haired, petite woman with a kind face. She smiled when she saw Marge, opening her arms in greeting.

“Angela!” said Marge warmly. “I’m so glad to see you! How have you been?”

“Well, other than the fact that my daughter is being targeted by some crazy killer I can’t complain,” said Angela with a wry little chuckle.

“I’m so sorry,” said Marge as the two women hugged.

“So how come the story hasn’t been in all the papers?” asked Odelia.

“Tessa deliberately kept it out,” said Angela. “She was fortunate none of the tabloids picked it up. Otherwise it would be all over the news by now.”

“But wouldn’t that be a good thing?” asked Marge. “That way the killer will think twice before he tries again.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” said Angela. “The English tabloids have all turned on her, the poor girl, and they’d probably applaud the killer. In fact they just might offer a reward for him to try again and this time do it right.”

“Oh, my God,” said Marge, shocked by these words.

“Lucky for Tessa she and Dante were the only ones who saw what happened. And one little girl, but she won’t talk. Dante went up the roof to check, and he thinks it was an accident: a stone that must have come loose.”

“But Tessa doesn’t believe that.”

“No, she doesn’t. And neither do I. Stones don’t just drop from the sky. Someone must have used a crowbar to pry it loose and then waited for the right moment to drop it.”

Odelia frowned.“But if Dante says—”

“I don’t believe him, okay? In fact at this point I don’t trust anyone. Not my daughter’s husband, not a single person in his family or his entourage. As far as I’m concerned they’re all out to get her until proven otherwise.”

Odelia was starting to have a bad feeling about this. Angela was more and more coming across as a loose cannon. Surely if Dante said the stone falling was an accident, he was right. Why would he lie about a thing like that?

“Look, the tabloids have created such a frenzied atmosphere…” Angela shook her head. “They’ve turned Tess’s life into a living hell. Everything she does, or says, or even wears—they’re ready to crucify her. It’s a nightmare.”

“But surely Tessa can trust her husband to…” Odelia tried again.

“Don’t get me wrong. I like Prince Dante. He’s a great guy, and theirs is obviously a match made in heaven. But they’ve been fighting. Big rows.”

“Oh, no,” said Marge, who was a romantic soul at heart.

“That doesn’t mean he would try to kill her, though,” said Odelia.

“I don’t know. And that’s where you come in. At this point you’re the only one I can trust. Vesta told me you have experience solving crime, so…”

“I have experience solving crime in Hampton Cove. I’ve never even been to England, so I’m not sure what I’ll be able to accomplish over there.”