Private investigator Ian visits his friend unannounced, only to discover the man lying in bed, not asleep but dead. Ian resolves to find out how his friend died and, if he was murdered, to bring the killer to justice. But the details of the case are bizarre: the door of the condo unit is locked and the only other occupant is a bodybuilder, Horst, found sitting on the living room couch, half asleep or drugged. Ian calls 911 and the cops, when video footage showing no one entered or left the condo around the time of death, fixate on Horst as the most likely suspect. Ian is convinced Horst is innocent and offers his services to help the police solve the mystery of his friend’s death. But the situation is complicated, not only by the self-contradictory nature of the physical evidence, but by the fact that Ian increasingly finds himself drawn to Horst. Worse, the lead police detective shows increasing signs of interest in Ian himself. Love and death become strangely intertwined, their resolution not easily discovered. Is Horst as innocent as Ian believes? Can Ian help solve the locked-room mystery?

Bliss

“You know, we haven’t been intimate since that trouble with her brother started. And I never went elsewhere—except for, you know, that business with you, which I kind of thought didn’t count. It was just, like you said, relief. Well, I figured I would wait her out, be faithful in my own way—you know, the old traditional thing.


“Anyway,” he paused and gave a bark of bitter laughter, “Tonight I found out that she hasn’tbeen waiting me out, not at all.” He paused, then added, “His name is Frank. He’s kind of a low-life, mixes with vaguely illegal activities, but he’s smart. And he’s never been caught—except by me, with her, tonight—in our bed.”


Ouch!I thought. I looked over at Sam, and saw that virile male again. Talking about his problem seemed to have dissolved his air of defeat. Now he looked angry.


I put a hand on his thigh and gave it a comforting squeeze. The contact, however, produced a sexual thrill. I didn’t remove my hand, and he gave me a startled look.


Chapter 31