Deception

CHAPTER

34

We’ve been partying like… months,” said Brianna Blevins.

“Where’d you meet them?”

“They came into the Lion, paid for lap dances, bought champagne, got into the VIP room.”

“After that, then you started partying.”

“Yeah.”

“They party with anything besides meth?”

“Single malt,” she said. “They always had bottles of it.”

“Booze and ice,” said Milo. “Then there was a different kind of ice.”

Brianna Blevins grinned.

“Something funny, Bri?”

Her smile died. “Not, it’s just… when they asked us to buy it we’re like a different ice? Selma said it. Being funny.”

“Did Tristram and Quinn laugh?”

“Um… uh-huh, they laughed all the time.”

“Coupla happy guys.”

“Why not? They had everything.”

“What’s everything, Bri?”

“Money, cars, they could do what they want. They’re hot.”

“And on top of all that, they had you and Selma for partying.”

The girl’s eyes drooped as her face turned ancient. “We knew we were like… a game, you know? They were going to Stamford College, said they’d take us but we knew that was bullshit.”

“Stanford University in Palo Alto?”

“I guess.”

“Tristram and Quinn promised to bring you and Selma to college.”

She snorted. “Set us up in our own apartment. To be their mistresses. They liked that word. Mistresses. Like how kings and princes do it.”

“Two fresh princes from Bel Air, huh?”

“Guess so.”

“Did you believe the private-jet promise?”

“Probably not.”

“But maybe a little at first,” said Milo. “You were hoping.”

“We thought it would be cool.” Tears rolled down the girl’s cheeks, tracked through thick foundation. “We were just a game. They showed us pictures. Of the place—Q’s place, it’s his family owns it. Up in the mountains, they walk out of the house, go skiing.”

“Q being Quinn Glover.”

“Uh-huh. Place was fiercely huge, they got a movie theater. We’re like that would be cool. But no way, we knew they were lying.”

“Same for the promise to set you up at Stanford.”

“Stamford they’ll meet girls like them, we’re like stuck in a stupid apartment, can’t dance, they’re like you’re our mistresses. No friggin’ way.”

“You’re a smart girl, Bri.”

“Not so smart. I’m here.”

“Maybe we can clear that up. Let’s talk about the day you paid Gilberto Chavez to buy dry ice.”

“We didn’t know him, we just found him.”

“Where?”

“Walking on Saticoy. They said go there, there’s always Mexicans need money.”

“Selma take offense at that?”

“Huh? Why?”

“Selma’s Mexican.”

“Half, only her dad. She don’t know him.” She wiggled her fingers. “Could I have a smoke?”

“Not yet, Bri, but I can get you something to drink.”

“Um… diet orange?”

“If we’ve got it. Second choice?”

“Diet Sprite.”

He left the room. I smiled at her. She said, “I could really use a smoke. Is it like no smoking all the time?”

“He can be flexible.”

“Oh.”

Milo returned with a can of Diet 7UP, popped the tab. She sipped.

Milo said, “You found Gilberto Chavez walking on Saticoy.”

“They surprised us. Tris and Q. We were gonna go to work then they called. They’re like call in sick, we’ll party all day. We’re like no way, we’ll get in deep shit with Leandro—that’s who owns it. They’re like fuck Leandro, we’ll pay you boo-koo more than Leandro’s gonna pay you, you say you got the flu, Leandro’s gonna be cool ’cause you’re the hottest dancers in the place.”

Shy smile. One part of her brain still gloried in the flattery. “We’re like no way. They’re like we’ll buy you dresses and shoes, four bottles of champagne next time, Leandro’ll be chill.”

“Was he?”

“Nope, he was pissed.”

“So you didn’t go to work. Then what?”

“Selma was already at my house ’cause my dad was gone, Tris and Q picked us up in a car, not the Jag, not the Hummer.”

“What kind of car?”

“GMC Yukon.”

“Color?”

“Black. They’re like the Hummer’s broken, this is a loaner. Except I saw an Avis label on the bumper.”

Milo eyed the one-way glass. “Black Yukon from Avis, sharp eye, Bri. So where’d you guys go?”

“A hotel. They had it set up.”

“Set up for…”

“Partying. Grey Goose, ice bucket, grapefruit juice, orange juice, pomegranate juice—oh, yeah, cookies and cakes… chips and guac, too.”

“Which hotel?”

“Next to Universal Studios.”

“The Sheraton?”

“That’s it.”

“Meth?”

“Mostly weed.” Her eyes darted upward. “Yeah, some of that, too.”

Milo said, “What else?”

“Oh, yeah, pills.”

“What kind of pills?”

“Vitamin R, Trank.”

“Ritalin and some sort of downer,” he said. “Doing the old roller coaster, huh?”

“Head-surfing,” she said. “It’s like exercise, aerobics, you know?”

“R and Trank—aren’t you leaving something out, Bri?”

Whispered answer, too soft to hear.

“What’s that, Bri?”

“Ox.”

“There you go,” said Milo. “Who liked to party with Ox?”

“No one, they never had it before.”

“But Tris and Q brought it that day.”

“For later,” she said. “For… when it’s time to do the bitch.”

“They didn’t use a name, Bri, because you knew who they meant.”

“No,” she said. “They didn’t use a name ’cause we didn’t know a name. It was always ‘the bitch.’”

“But you knew who they were talking about.”

“The teacher,” she said. “They talked about her all the time, we thought they were screwing around.”

“About…”

“You know.”

“I need to hear it from you.”

“Doing her,” she said.

“Killing her.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Why’d they want to kill her?”

“They were… they don’t get mad, they’re always laughing. More like… I dunno, like it was something they had to do.”

“Why’d they have to kill the teacher, Bri?”

“She wanted to do them. Not the same do, do them like get it on.”

“The teacher wanted to have sex with Tris and Q.”

“She was always showing herself.”

“How?”

“Wearing no bra when they came over for lessons. Bending over, you know?”

“Tris and Q decided they had to kill Elise because she flirted with them?”

“They’re like she’s always horny, it’s gross.”

Milo sat back, stretched. Yawned theatrically. “’Scuse me—by the way, Selma told us the real reason Tris and Q wanted to murder Elise. That’s her name, by the way. Elise Freeman.”

“What’d Selma say?”

“Guess.”

“Um, Tris and Q were like we already paid her, now she wants more, the bitch.”

“Keep going, Bri.”

“They’re like we paid her for taking a test—the SAT, that college one, so they could go to Stamford like everyone in their family. She did it for Tris’s brother and Q’s sister and other people, never bugged them but now she wants more, says she knows all the secrets. That pissed them off. It wasn’t fair.”

“I can see their point.”

“Yeah. You pay, you play, except now she wants more, going to Tris and Q, not the parents like before, she’s like you got your own money, take it outta your own money. They’re like that’s for partying. They’re like she thinks we’re vul-rable, we’ll show her who’s fuckin’ vul-rable.”

“How much extra was she asking?”

“They didn’t say.”

“How much did they pay her in the first place?”

“They didn’t say that, either.”

“So they killed her.”

“It was also her being horny,” she said. “Thinking she was hot when she was not. They said maybe we can do her if we close our eyes. Tie her up, DP her.”

“That sounds kinda angry, Bri.”

“No,” she said. “They were laughing.”

Milo rubbed an eye. “So they decided it was time to kill her.”

“Uh-huh.”

“How’d you feel about that?”

“I didn’t know her.”

“Okay… so now it’s time to buy ice. Why?”

“To keep her cold,” said Brianna Blevins, as if explaining to an idiot.

“Why’d they want to keep her cold?”

“They didn’t want her to smell. Like if they had to take her somewhere. Then they said we’ll do her here and use it anyway ’cause she thinks she’s hot, now she’s gonna get real cold. Then they laughed some more.”

“How’d it go down?”

“They followed me back to my house and Selma and me got into Selma’s car. They followed me and Selma to Fashion Square and bought us dresses and shoes and some jewelry from one of those carts. Then we went to Pizza Hut and ate. Then when it was starting to get dark, they followed us to Van Nuys and we cruised around and looked for a Mexican who needed money. We found a guy, he brought the ice to Selma’s car.”

“Then what?”

“That’s it.”

“Bri, if that was it, Elise Freeman would still be alive.”

“Oh, that,” she said. “They drove to her house.”

“You did, too.”

“We had the ice in Selma’s car, they took it out with these gloves they had.”

“Rubber gloves?”

“They said it was from the science class at school.”

“Smart boys,” said Milo.

“Not so smart they could take their own SAT.”

“Good point, Bri.”

“They do it at school, also,” she said. “Cheat off smart kids, get the A’s. Tris says it’s preparing him for what he wants to do.”

“Which is what?”

“Be president.”

“Ah.”

“He could do it, sir. He’s hot, knows how to make good speeches.”

“What about Q?”

“Q just wants to make money. He’s gonna find some way to run like a charity so he looks like he likes poor people. Then he’s gonna take the money.”

“Okay… so now you’re all at Elise’s house—what time is it?”

“Dark,” she said. “Tris calls her on the phone, he’s like we’re bringing all the money, also some Grey Goose—they took the Grey Goose from the hotel—we’ll celebrate you getting the money and us going to Stamford.”

“What’d Elise say?”

“Tris is like she’s totally into it. He’s like her voice is all drunk, already.”

“Then what?”

“Then they go inside her house for… a long time.”

“How long?”

“A long time, I dunno. Selma and me are getting bored. Then they come out laughing, say the bitch is definitely gonna be chill.”

“How’d they actually kill her?”

She licked her lips. “Selma already told you.”

“You need to tell me, Bri. For your sake.”

“Okay… so here’s what I’m gonna say: They’re like we put Ox in the Grey Goose bottle, she got totally blasted, fell asleep, then they’re like we put a towel over her nose and her mouth and she stopped breathing, she didn’t even move, it was like going to sleep. Then they put ice in the bathtub, put her in it.”

“So the ice was kind of a joke,” said Milo. “For laughs.”

“They’re always laughing. Q called it a science project, said when he was little they did tricks in school with dry ice.”

“Where were you and Selma when they were inside the house?”

“In Selma’s car,” she said. “We never went in, just like Selma told you.”

“What were you doing in Selma’s car?”

“Waiting. Getting bored. Okay, we smoked up a little. We were bored.”

“Did it bother you?”

“What?”

“What Tris and Q were doing inside the house?”

“They told us later.”

“You knew they were gonna kill her, Bri.”

“Maybe they were kidding.”

Milo smiled.

“Like I said, sir, I didn’t know her.”

Selma Arredondo sat with her arms folded across her flat chest. Exceptionally pretty girl even in station light, but hard-eyed and tight-mouthed and hostile. The sinew and bone and sharp angles of a carnivore that needs to consume its weight daily.

She said, “I’m not saying anything.”

“Suit yourself, Selma.” He headed for the door. “By the way, I’ve got a message from Bri: ‘Homegirl, you’re on your own.’”

Stab of fear. She covered with a smirk. “That’s not Bri.”

“How’s this for a reality check, Selma: Tris and Q took you and Bri to Fashion Square before they killed Elise, bought you dresses, shoes, and jewelry. Then you got pizza at Pizza Hut, then you looked for a Mexican to buy ice. You knew what the ice was for and while it was happening, you and Bri smoke up in your—”

“Wait!” Black eyes flashed. “What do you want me to say?”

“The truth.”

“Like what part of it?”

“All of it.”

She stared. Smiled girlishly and tossed her hair. “Sure, why not?”

Milo said, “Let’s talk about hats.”

“Don’t wear ’em.”

“A baseball hat, Selma.”

“Oh, that,” she said. “That was Bri’s idea. She said if it got left in the car, they could blame everything on the annoying kid.”

“Because he was annoying.”

“Yeah.”

“You and Bri never met him.”

“Nope.”

“What did Tris and Q find so annoying about him?”

“Better than them at baseball.”

“Both of them.”

“Yup. It pissed them off.”

“So why not frame him for a couple of murders.”

“It sounded,” she said, “like a real good idea.”