“I hate pink,” Cody said, his cheeks coloring to match the outfit. “What’s going on? What’s this about a fire?”

“Albert’s house is burning. It’s on TV,” Jake said. “They’re looking for family. It isn’t clear who was in the house.”

Cody sat on the couch and buried his head in his hands. “This is a mess.”

“Funny,” I said, “I’ve been using the same word to describe the situation.”

Cody’s mouth twisted in agony. Or was it irony? “Who was in the house when you left?”

Jake said, “As far as we know only Hudson. He made dinner for us. He thought the situation at the house was not good for Opal and asked us to take her back to Oregon.”

“Good old, Hudson,” said Cody. “He never commented on the crazy family doings, the men in and out, the rifles in the basement. When Albert left him the house, we thought we’d be able to fight it.” He gestured toward the TV. “We never reckoned on how clever he is. What a way to get a lump sum cash payment.”

“We are assuming the house is insured,” I said.

“I’m sure it was,” he said.

The report came on again. The three of us watched standing guard around the screen, the house in flames, the same footage from the earlier report.

Opal hurried into the room garbed in my vintage chartreuse green silk robe with white boa feather trim. It was a little item I kept around for fun. She clutched the feathers close to the chin. Her face dropped as she watched the report with us.

“My goodness, it’s true. Albert’s home is on fire. There won’t be any fight over the house. Now it will be over the insurance money.”

How calm they both are, I thought. They didn’t seem overly concerned about Hudson. Unless, and here we needed a drum roll — unless they were in on the house fire for whatever devious reason.

I said, “Shouldn’t you rush out there to see what is going on or at least call the police?”

Cody roused himself from a TV stare. “We should go. We should call the insurance people and talk to the police. Opal, what do you want to do?”

She was quiet. “I can’t think so good. Those pills you give me make me loopy.”

Some understanding seemed to be just out of her grasp. Was she hiding behind the drugs? Maybe she had an inkling of what was going on in the strange mansion, but she didn’t want to face it. If the house burned until nothing was left but ashes, there would be more insurance money.

Cody said, “Stop taking the pills, if they bother you. I wanted you to sleep better.”

I watched the interplay of body language between the two of them. Opal kept her eyes down, staring at the floor. Cody kept his eyes averted. They did not look at one another.

“Want to tell us what’s going on, Cody?” Jake said. “Are you afraid of what the police will find in the house? Was it arson?”

Cody walked to Jake, stood toe to toe with him, and shoved his face in Jake’s. “I didn’t do anything. Albert and I had a legitimate arms business that Albert started. He asked me to help when he got too old, and it got to be too much for him.”

“If it was too much for him, why didn’t he sell the business?”

Cody went up on his toes, beating his chest. “Because I wanted the business. I like guns. Remember I collect guns. It seemed like a fun thing to do. Something different from ranching. It was lucrative. So I helped him out. Then he up and died on me. But there were some things about the arms business he didn’t tell me, like who some of the customers were.”

Jake didn’t back down. “Are things that bad at the ranch?”

Cody’s shoulders slumped. “I stand to lose everything if I don’t cover the bank loans.”

“You might lose your life. If your customers don’t get you, the authorities will.”

Cody looked Jake in the eye. “No they won’t, because you’re going to help me.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because Opal’s in this, too. You wouldn’t want an old woman to end up spending her final years in jail, would you?”

Opal, all five feet of her, came alive and pushed in between the two of them. “Now you boys listen to me. I’m not going to jail and neither are you, Cody. Such talk.”

Cody put his hand on his aunt’s shoulder. “Dearest Aunt Opal, you don’t understand what has been going on under old Uncle Albert’s roof.”

“You better tell me then. I may know more than you think. I may be a little forgetful but I’m not deaf, dumb, and blind.”

Cody put his hand to his forehead and blew out a breath. “My head feels awful. Is there any coffee?”

“Sure,” I said, thinking what a clever stalling tactic that was. At least he wasn’t holding a gun on us. “How about you, Opal?”

She nodded and said, “I’ll get it.”

“Call the police,” I said to her while we were banging around in the kitchen. I could hear Jake and Cody talking but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. “It will look better if you come forward and talk to the police.”

“I don’t trust Cody,” said Opal. “He’s not himself. I don’t know what’s got into him.”

“That’s not the point, Opal.”

“I don’t know where the rest of my nieces and nephews are.”

“Who cares? Call the police.” I almost shouted it. What was it going to take to get through to her?

“Do you think they’ll put me in jail?”

I stopped my frenetic hustle around the kitchen and faced her. “I don’t know. I’m not a lawyer. What do you know about Albert and Cody’s weapons dealing?”

She shook her head, looking as fragile as the boa feathers in her outfit, and chartreuse wasn’t her color. “My brothers have always been trouble.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted a family history.

“Opal, you need help. You aren’t getting it from your relatives, go to the police.”

She shook her head. “Could you put me on a plane to Oregon?”

“I could, if that’s what you want.” That would at least get her away from Cody. “Go get dressed. I’ll take you to the airport with me.”

“Are you leaving?”

I nodded, but not wanting to give her any more information than necessary.

“Is Jake going with you?”

I shook my head. “I’m going to get ready. You have fifteen minutes, Opal.”

I hustled down the hall without a backward glance.

In my room I closed the door and dialed Olympia’s number.

The phone rang and rang. The answering machine didn’t come on, and I was about to hang up when I heard a groggy grump.

“What?” It was Olympia’s husky voice.

“Olympia, sorry to wake you, dear, but I’m leaving for the airport. I found my passport. I’m going to board the next flight to Los Angeles, then on to Sydney. Have you packed? I can pick you up.”

“Fiona, darling, have your senses left you? Of course, I’m not packed. I was up till all hours writing after you failed to show for dinner. The muse was hot last night.”

“You won’t believe what happened. I’ll fill you in over margaritas on the beach in Australia.”

“I love that image. What happened to the rest of your co-padres, especially the hunky guy?”

“Hunky? You never saw him.”

“But I have an imagination.”

“You surely do. I’m through with the case. I’ve resigned my detective job. Did you see the news? The house is on fire.”

“No, I didn’t see the news, you just woke me up. What house?”

“The house where I was doing the library.”

“Good grief. What you don’t get tangled in. I had so hoped for a nice romance for you.”

“I’ll admit Jake was looking better and better, but the house is on fire, and I think it’s arson, and there’s an illegal weapons business, the old lady isn’t in her right mind, and everybody lies.”

“Fiona, they aren’t with you, are they?”

I hesitated. “Well, yes.”

“Have you called the police?”

“No, I don’t want to get tied up in all that.” I was beginning to sound like Jake.

“You may already be. You could get booked on aiding and abetting. Remember, the bad guys always get to the damsel before the story ends.”

I gulped, and I’m sure Olympia heard it over the phone. “Don’t say that. Now I’m worried.”

“You should be worried. What if hunky is one of the bad guys?”

* * * * *

I was shaken by what she had suggested, I guess because I had my own doubts. But Jake a bad guy? Was that why he never leveled with me about what was going on? Maybe he wasn’t a cowboy from Oregon.

There was a tap at the door.

“Who is it?”

Jake stuck his head in. “Fiona,” he said. “We need to talk.”

I turned away. “No more talking. I’m through talking.”

He came up behind me and stood so close I could feel his body heat.

“Fiona.”

I didn’t say anything.

“I’m not good at words. You’re making this difficult. I don’t want you to think that I’m being some kind of jerk.”

He must have heard my doubts. Had he been listening to my phone conversation?

“You have to believe me. I’m not part of this.”

I turned to study his face.

“I have to get away from them, too. I didn’t know about all this before I said I’d help Opal. I thought. .” He didn’t finish. The dejected look on his face almost made me repent. Almost.

I stepped around him, trying to get closer to the door. “I can’t help you, Jake. You’re a big boy. I’m ready to leave. I’ll get a coat.”

I searched in the closet and grabbed a hooded red wool jacket so I wouldn’t freeze to death on the trip. It would be spring in Australia, but you never knew. I was hoping to get the Jesse James gang out of my condo before they did something weird, like tie me up. Or worse.

I started for the door but Jake caught my arm and stopped me. I froze. This was it. He was going to bind me hand and foot and leave me to starve to death in my own bedroom. I wondered if Olympia would figure it out and come to my rescue. She was good at plot.

“Fiona.”

“Jake, please.” I tried to wrestle out of his grip but he held fast.

“I want to go to Australia with you.”

“Sorry, the invitation is off. You have to take care of Opal. You don’t want her ending up in jail.”

“I’ll see that Opal gets to Oregon. Cody can take care of the rest. You’ve got to help me.”

With that I exploded. “What’s with everyone associated with this family needing help? What happened to psychotherapists? I’m through helping anyone. I’m helping Fiona disappear.” I stopped for one instant and looked into his big brown eyes. Big mistake.

He said, “Okay, I don’t need help. But. .”

Our eyes held. I knew I shouldn’t have looked into his. Gigantic mistake. I waited to hear what else he had to say.

He tried to pull me closer, but I pushed away. What a time to get romantic.

“But what?” I said.

“I like you.”

He wasn’t much on words, was he? I hoped he hadn’t in mind to kiss me.

Backing away I said, “Jake, you appear to be a nice guy. I’m sorry you’re caught up in such a bizarre family. Look me up when it’s over. Maybe we can go from there. You have my number.”

I picked up my carry on, slung the coat over my shoulder, and left the room. At least he hadn’t tied me up. Olympia would be disappointed that I had passed on a romantic scene with a hunky bad guy.

In the living room, Opal was still in the boa outfit sitting with Cody on the couch deep in conversation. They looked like they were dressed for a Halloween party.

“Have you called the police?” I said.

They shook their heads in time like synchronized clappers in a bell.

“I’ll call you a cab. You can take it from there.”

“No, wait, Fiona,” said Cody.

“Wait? Wait? For what? For the end of the world? Albert’s mansion is in flames, and you sit there like it’s nothing. I got a life to live. I’m asking you kindly to leave.”

Cody got up, looking absolutely ridiculous in the pink sweat suit. “My friends are coming to pick us up.”

This was going from bad to worse. “I hope they aren’t the ones you owe money.”

Cody did a good imitation of looking like he didn’t understand English.

“It is perfectly clear to me that you must owe money and that the men who keep company at your place are trying to collect.” Well, it wasn’t that clear to me, but it seemed like a respectable hunch given the circumstances.

“I don’t owe money. They’re bringing me decent clothes and a car. Opal and I will go to Albert’s place and see what’s to be done. We’ll be out of your life.”

“Praise all the saints and angels.”

I noticed he hadn’t included Jake in that scenario.