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charge of basically everything here. Anything else?”
    “Yes,” Jakes said. “Alex last saw Shana Stern at about ten o’clock, and then found her body close to eleven. What were you doing between ten and eleven?”
    Hef’s eyebrows went up.
    “I’m a suspect?”
    “As I said,” Jakes answered, “we’re questioning everybody.”
    “Well, I was mingling with the guests,” Hef said.
    “Do you remember which guests in particular you spoke to during that time?”
    “No,” Hef said. “There are a lot of people here. The best I can do is let you talk to the girls who were with me. Maybe they’d remember who we spoke to.”
    “How many girls?”
    “Five.”
    “You had five girls with you while you were mingling?” Jakes asked.
    “Yes.”
    “At all times?”
    “Pretty much,” Hef said.
    Jakes looked at me.
    “Pretty good alibi, huh?” I asked.
    “I’d say so.” Jakes looked at Hef. “I’ll need to speak to those, uh, five women, too.”
    “Of course,” Hef said. “Now?”
    “If possible.”
    “I thought you might want to talk to me alone, but I’ll bring them in here.”
    “Thanks.”
    “Be right back.”
    “Okay.”
    Hef walked out of the room, leaving me and Jakes alone.
    “So this is the mansion?”
    “You’ve never been here before, huh?” I asked.
    “As far as I know, nobody’s been murdered here while I’ve been with homicide.”
    “Actually,” I said, “nobody’s been murdered here now. Technically, that is.”
    “Right,” Jakes said. “She was killed in the haunted house, which is, I believe, a temporary structure.”
    “Right. He puts it up every year for the Halloween party.”
    “Someone must have taken her in by a back entrance,” Jakes said. “The killer wouldn’t want to be seen going in the front.”
    “But it’s Halloween. They would have had a costume on. Nobody would have recognized them, anyway.”
    “True. And that’s going to make things even more difficult. Alex, you’ve got to try to remember which girl called Shana away from you.”
    “George! Of course! He might remember! Should I go get him?” I said.
    “Wait on that. Stay here with me and see if you recognize one of Hef’s entourage. If you don’t, then go get George.”
    “Sure. You probably just want protection from these wild Playmates.”
    “Well, that, too.” He looked around to see if anyone was watching and snuck in a quick kiss.

Chapter 8
    The girls were brought in one by one. Hef had left the room, but I was still there. Even so, two of the girls flirted outrageously with Jakes while they answered his questions. I had to restrain myself from having a slap fight with one of them, who kept pushing her boobs in his face.
    But in the end, all the girls alibied Hef and themselves. None of them knew anything about a photographer shooting eighties Playmates.
    “Can I do anything else?” Hef asked.
    “I’d like to know who constructed the haunted house for you,” Jakes said, “and who was around when it was finished.”
    “Sure,” Hef said. “We have it built by the same people each year. I’ll get you a card.”
    When we left the mansion, Jakes had the business card in his pocket. He hadn’t shown it to me, but I figured I’d get a look at it later.
    I told him I couldn’t pick the girl out from any in the mansion.
    “So you’re saying you didn’t recognize her from that group, or you can’t recognize her at all?”
    I hesitated, and then said, “It wasn’t that wood nymph. I’m positive of that. The one that got Shana was taller—and, now that I think of it, she was older.”
    Jakes sighed and looked around.
    “I’ve got to find Len, make sure the body’s been removed from the premises. And I want to take another look around. Why don’t you get George; let’s meet up in a half hour.”
    “Where?” I asked.
    “You tell me. You’ve been here before, right?”
    “The grotto,” I said. “Let’s meet there.”
    “Okay.” He touched my arm, started