Pat Welch. A Proper Burial (1993) 179 pp. [tpo]
Publisher’s description: Celebrated Berkeley private eye Helen Black returns … for a case that will test her professional mettle—not to mention her personal cool. Cecily Bennett, her newest client, has been brought to Helen by ex-partner Frieda. But to Helen’s consternation, young Cecily has become Frieda’s lover. The case itself is a hornet’s nest. Cecily’s long-absent aunt has been found murdered in an abandoned building near People’s Park. Will Bennett, Cecily’s father and the Governor’s right-hand man, has summoned his considerable influence to muzzle the police investigation and all publicity. Why exactly did Cecily’s aunt return to Berkeley? Roadblocks are thrown up by Cecily’s entire family—especially the fierce, tyrannical matriarch, Lydia. To further complicate matters, a suspicious reporter is investigating Will Bennett and the project he leads, a soon-to-be-unveiled pilot program to aid troubled young people. What does the investigative reporter know? How will Helen get around Will Bennett’s power? And what will Helen do about Cecily’s sudden and disconcerting attraction to her? What about Helen’s unfinished business with Frieda?”
Setting: Berkeley