I woke on that thought after a restless sleep troubled by nightmares. Dale had come over after dinner Thursday night looking exhausted. Mary's body was not in the dumpster, nor did the Astoria police find other signs of her there, and there was no evidence of a struggle in the car, which was locked. Dale had spent the day interviewing her family, the interns, and the farm staff, without result. "They're lying!" he burst out when he finished his second cup of coffee. Jay yawned. He'd had only two hours of sleep the night before, but he had finished marking the reports. "Of course they're lying. Crime suspects always have irrelevant secrets to protect, and that farm is bound to be full of secrets. It's an unnatural set-up." "Unnatural!" I scowled at him. Jay said patiently, "People who work together don't usually have to live together, too. If I had to live in the same place as the Dean I'd wind up strangling him." I contemplated living in the same household as Bianca.
