I waved it away. I was unnerved by Cordelia standing so close.

You don’t have the right to know everything, Danny, I wanted to say. Some questions I don’t have to answer. Some I don’t have an answer to.

“Emma keeps a harem, don’t you know? I’m number forty-two, available on alternate moonless Sundays, and as the lunch special on Lundi Gras,” I replied.

“I’d always wondered how those rumors were started,” Emma laughed over my shoulder as she joined us. “Mardi Gras, perhaps, but Lundi Gras? Now,” Emma continued. “Why don’t you introduce me to your friends? Some of you I know, though Alexandra Sayers, your presence here is a pleasant surprise.”

“I guess I’m getting a little too good at straight camouflage. The long, dangling earrings will have to go,” Alex answered.

“Does your father know? Or is that a rude question?” Emma inquired.

“He knows, if he wants to know,” Alex replied carefully. “Does that make sense?”

“Perfectly,” Emma responded.

“Joanne Ranson, Detective Sergeant in the NOPD,” I introduced. “Danny Clayton, Assistant District Attorney, Elly Harrison, R.N., and…” I faltered on coming to Cordelia.

“Cordelia I know,” Emma supplied. “I’m very glad to see you here. I had so hoped you would come, though surely your grandfather is spinning in his grave.”

“Perhaps,” Cordelia replied, “but I don’t live my life to please him, or his memory.” She continued, “This is my friend Nina Douglas.”

The short blonde. As Emma shook her hand, I turned around and got my first good look at her. Definitely too short, probably had to stand on a stool to kiss Cordelia. Boring all-American face, dimples and a nose that could only be described as pert. Pale blond hair and big brown eyes. Disgustingly cute. I turned back around.

“Can I ask pairings? Or is that passé?” Emma inquired.

“Danny and Elly are buying a house,” I supplied. “A hard-core married couple.”

“Joanne and I,” Alex explained, taking Joanne’s hand, “but no house yet. Separate apartments still, in fact.”

“Micky’s our resident tomcat,” Danny added.

“Meow,” I opined.

“Micky,” Alex said, with a grin that should have warned me. “Tell us about your sex life.”

“Not tonight, we haven’t time,” Danny cut in.

Thank you, Danielle Clayton. In front of both Emma and Cordelia.

“Not much to tell,” I answered dryly, hoping to forestall any speculation.

“Oh, yeah?” Danny returned. “What about that time junior year when you and three…”

“No! That was college and it doesn’t count,” I overrode her. “Danny,” I added in an undertone.

“I think I’m too old for this conversation,” Emma said, standing up. “Have a delightful evening, girls, women, that is.” She breezed off the porch.

“Did I embarrass you?” Danny asked, all innocence.

“How would you like me to recount some of your college escapades to your parents?” I hissed at her.

“She’s not your parent.”

“Well, still…how about your favorite high school teacher?”

“I guess not,” Danny said, suddenly contrite.

“So are you going to tell us?” Alex bantered. “Or do we have to guess what three referred to? Women? Dogs? Cucumbers?”

“Is she always this bad?” I asked Joanne.

“Worse, usually,” Joanne replied laconically.

“Pigeons? Fingers? Elephants?”

“I don’t remember,” I burst out.

“But I do,” Danny chimed in. “I had the room next door.”

“Three of everything,” I said. “Women, men, dogs, cats, aardvarks, three-toed sloths. Every animal, mineral, and vegetable this planet possesses. And a few threes that were quite possibly alien, but it was late in the evening and I don’t really remember. And now, you’ll have to excuse me,” I hurried on, standing up. “I’ve gotten very thirsty.”

“Have some champagne,” Alex offered.

“No thanks,” I replied. “Water.”

“But Micky,” Alex said, her hand on my arm. “You haven’t answered the burning question of the night.”

“I don’t think I want to.”

“Now, now. Where,” she continued, “did you learn to dance like that?”

Finally a safe question. “My cousin Torbin taught me.”

“The famous cousin Torbin that I’ve never met?” Alex inquired.

“The very one.”

“You’ve never met Torbin?” Danny asked. “He’s here. You’ve got to meet him.” Which started a Torbin hunt. Everybody wanted to meet Torbin. I was hoping Cordelia and her runt blonde would disappear, but they followed.

Where was Torbin? I still hadn’t seen him since he breezed into my room this afternoon. Finally I spotted Andy.

“Just a second,” I said to my followers. “Hi, Andy. So how come you didn’t dress up?”

He looked chagrined. Then I burst out laughing. Andy, a computer nerd, had dressed as a computer nerd. He had on black horn-rim glasses, held together with fishing wire and tape. And a horribly tasteless yellow, brown, and green checked jacket complete with overly full pen protector in his pocket. Floppy discs poked out of his back pocket.

“Have you seen Torbin? I have an admiring horde panting to meet him.”

“He’s around somewhere,” Andy replied, looking around the room.

Suddenly, the tall curvy blonde approached me.

“Now,” she demanded. “I must have you now,” she said. “Here, on the floor.”

The blonde, moving quicker than anyone with curves like that had a right to, threw her arms around me and spun me off balance until I was bent precariously backward, my feet doing little to hold my weight.

“What the…?” I started.

She cut me off with a boisterous kiss. Her hand made a quite blatant and visible assault on my breasts. But now I knew who I was dealing with. Only one person would dare such an outrage.

“Torbin, let go of me,” I yelled, elbowing him in his falsies.

“Well, I never,” he huffed. Then took me at my word and let go, unceremoniously dumping me on the floor.

“Mussed my lipstick, I declare,” he said, hovering over me.

“You’ll pay for this,” I hissed. Andy was doubled over with laughter. I didn’t dare look at anyone else. “Itching powder in your jock strap, pepper in your rouge. I will get you someday, Torbin Robedeaux. Be assured of it,” I cursed from my prone position. I had been set up. If I were playing any role but my own, I might even find it funny. But in my present position, I could not.

“Oh, girls, you’ve left some trash on the floor,” Torbin called as he made his grand exit.

“Do you intend to lie there all evening?” Joanne asked, standing very close to my head.