Murder by Cheesecake

Dorothy and the others are done with their interview and hoping to go home. Detective Silva interrupts them, telling Dorothy she is still a suspect, as Morty could have impersonated his brother and defrauded her. Sophia shouts angrily that they will get a lawyer, and Dorothy agrees it may be time to consider this. Dorothy, Sophia, and Blanche are surprised to see Nettie, Rose, and Jason, who all have messy hair and ruined makeup. Nettie, excited, explains that Rose and Jason helped save them from being kidnapped. Jason explains that he thinks the man may have been nicknamed the General, and that his brother-in-law knows him. This reminds Dorothy of something Henry shared earlier. She considers sharing this with the police but decides she cannot trust them to believe her and has no more energy to argue.

The group returns home and collapses in the living room. When Nettie brings out cookies, arguing that “butter and sugar helps” (254), Dorothy realizes the General may be connected to the sugar industry. Jason agrees to talk to Chip about it. Chip claims to have no knowledge. Jason and Nettie tell Rose she can take a rest from wedding planning—they no longer want to elope, but they are willing to abandon the inheritance for a more relaxed wedding.