Page 66 of Don't Cross Mo Ellery

End of video.

“Wait,” I say. “I want to see that again.”

Marlowe hits play.

Well, I’ll be damned.Bennywas the model for the sexy Link sculpture in Claudia’s bedroom.

And that’s not all.

He was the person I drunkenly recognized in the photo at Dickie’s and then promptly forgot about. My stomach turns.

This makes him the one, oh, let’s call it a LINK, to ClaudiaandCran, and thus to Tond.

And to a possible break-in to Claudia’s house around the time of the gas leak.

I feel sick.

Chapter 21

We shakily thank Mrs. Warren for her help and then leave through the playground exit, somehow keeping our shit together until we reach the jungle gym, where I have to grab a monkey bar to steady myself.

“Benny killed Claudia,” I say out loud to see how it sounds.

“Butwhy?” an anguished Marlowe demands, kicking a stray dodgeball hard. It bounces off the gate and then rolls to a stop.

She’s right. We need a motive. What do wereallyknow about Benny?

“Benny’s a dog walker,” I say slowly. “He was recently fired—by dead Cran—as the poodles’ handler. So I bet he needs money.”

I just so happen to know that motiveverywell.

Marlowe begins kicking other assorted playground equipment as she mumbles bitterly, “But Claudia trusted him.”

“Yeah, exactly. Shetrustedhim. So he was the best person to convince her to sell her house,” I say, warming up to this idea. “And maybe if he succeeded, Tond would pay him big bucks. But Claudiawas stubborn, and when Benny lost his job, he was desperate, so he had to use more drastic measures.”

I replay the conversation in my head when Claudia made us walk around in a circle. Benny had definitely muttered something about how it wouldn’t be so terrible for Claudia to downsize. And it was clear this wasn’t their first argument about it.

And wait.

Oh my god. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this.

Benny made a case against me going to the funeral.

Why? Not because it would be bad for thepoodles. Not even because I’d quote-unquotemake everything worse.

Because it would be bad forBenny. He wanted me to stay out of his business.

Cran fired Benny.

And thenatthe funeral, Leslie wrinkled her nose when I mentioned him. Not because she knew him biblically. She knew he was bad news.

Because Benny is Funeral Deep Throat.

Except—wouldn’t I have recognized him in the crowd?

Well, hang on. I didn’t recognize his photo at Dickie’s, or his cheekbones (and ass) on the statue. He’s got one of those faces, handsome but forgettable.

Holy cow—did I just crack this case??