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They took a seat in the shade and the woman looked around nervously for a moment. She was dressed in a gray woolen suit that looked absolutely uncomfortable and entirely too hot for the kind of weather they’d been having. Even now the sun was out in full force, and even in her flowery summer cotton dress Odelia was feeling hot.

“My name is Jacqueline Goossens,” said the woman, pushing her glasses up her nose. “And I’m a member of the Gnomeos. Have been since its inception. I’m also a member of the Maria Power Society.”

“Oh, so you’re in both clubs?”

“Yes, which is perhaps a little strange, as the heads of the clubs have been mortal enemies for years. The thing is… I read about the murder of Jack Warner, and that Dan Goory was arrested?”

Odelia nodded encouragingly.“And you have information that can help Dan?”

“Oh, no,” said the woman. “I have information that is probably damning for him.” She looked a little embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I know he’s your boss and all, and you probably don’t want to hear this, but…” She swallowed uncomfortably, then went on, “The thing is, I would reallyprefer not to go to the police. I don’t care for the attention, and this case is going to attract a lot of attention.”

“You want me to promise not to talk to the police?”

“Yes, very much so. It’s just that… I don’t know what to do with this information. I feel I should probably share it with someone, but since I’d prefer not to go to the police…” She gave Odelia a helpless look.

“That’s all right. If you tell me, I’ll make sure to tell them. And I’ll keep your name out of it if you like.”

Jacqueline looked distinctly relieved.“Oh, thank you, Miss Poole. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. Now what did you want to tell me?”

“Well, a couple of days ago we had a meeting of the Gnomeos. One of our monthly meetings. We mainly discussed the upcoming retrospective, of course, and the contents of our next club magazine, but then Dan said something that caught my attention. He told me that very soon he’d be in a situationwhere he’d be able to best the Maria Power Society once and for all. He said he was about to come into the possession of an item that would blow Jack Warner and his Society out of the water, and make people leave his club in droves and join the Gnomeos.

“When I asked him what this object was, he merely gave me a meaningful look and whispered that it had something to do with the name of our club.”

“The Gnomeos.”

Jacqueline nodded.“And then the day before yesterday I saw him on the street as I was walking past his office and he told me the meeting had been arranged for the next morning, and it wouldn’t be long now before he had the object in his possession. He seemed very excited about the prospect. ‘Come what may,’ he told me, ‘I’m making history tomorrow.’”

“He said that?”

“Yes, those exact words. And then of course when I heard about the death of that young woman, I couldn’t help but remember his words, and wonder if something had happened that had made him lose his temper with her.”

“You think he killed her.”

Jacqueline shrugged.“I don’t know Dan as a violent man, but he’s always been extremely passionate about Maria Power and anything to do with the Gnomeos.”

“That’s what my uncle thinks,” Odelia confided. “Heather Gallop used to work for Rupert Finkelstein’s daughter, who died a couple of months ago. He thinks it’s conceivable that Heather got hold of a copy of the Gnomeo movie and offered to sell it to Dan. But they argued over the price, and so Dan murdered her and stole the movie.”

Jacqueline’s eyes had gone wide. “You really think this Heather Gallop had a copy of Gnomeo in her possession?”

“I have no idea. It’s just a theory at this point, and Dan denies everything. He says he never even met the woman.”

“But he does admit that she promised to sell him the movie?”

“No. He claims that when Heather made the appointment she didn’t mention a movie. She only mentioned the word Gnomeo. But it was enough to pique Dan’s interest.”

“It must have been the movie,” said Jacqueline. “It simply must have been.”

“Yes, it certainly looks that way.”

Odelia stared at the statue for a moment, wondering how a movie made several decades ago could possibly cause so much trouble now.

“Look, please don’t tell Dan I told you,” said Jacqueline. “I like him very much. He’s a decent man, and I admire his passion for the Gnomeos.”

“I won’t tell him,” Odelia promised.

“We’re actually thinking about organizing a meeting of both fan clubs,” said Jacqueline. “We think it’s time to bury the hatchet. Now that Jack is gone, and Dan is in prison, the members feel we should all come together, and end this silly feud.”

“Yes, it seems silly to have two clubs dedicated to the same thing,” Odelia agreed.

“Thanks for listening,” said Jacqueline with a smile. She placed her hand on Odelia’s arm. “I really needed that.”