High Profile

9

Suitcase Simpson was the first to arrive, walking up the alley behind the restaurant.

“I parked behind the market,” he said.

He looked at the body in the Dumpster.

“You tell how she died?”

“Shot in the chest,” Jesse said.

“Why we sneaking around?”

“Stalling the press.”

“Soon as the ME truck shows up, they’ll spot it,” Suit said. “They ain’t going to park and sneak in.”

“Secure the scene,” Jesse said. “I’m going to talk with Daisy.”

“I got no tape with me,” Suit said. “It’s in the car.”

“Suit,” Jesse said. “Just don’t let anyone fuck with the body, okay?”

“Oh,” Suit said. “Secure like that.”

Jesse nodded and went back into the restaurant. The two waitresses were setting the tables for lunch. Daisy stood with her arms folded, glaring out through the front window at the reporters drinking her coffee and eating her scones.

“Fucking vultures,” she said.

“Without them you got no morning paper,” Jesse said.

“They should mind their own business,” Daisy said.

“We are their business,” Jesse said. “You got a murder victim in your Dumpster, Daisy.”

“Well, you know,” Daisy said, “I sort of figured she didn’t jump in there for a nap.”

“We can stall the press for an hour or two maybe. But they’re going to know.”

Daisy nodded, and kept nodding as she stared out her window.

“It’s just a crime scene,” Jesse said. “You might want to close the place today. By tomorrow you’ll be old news.”

Daisy kept nodding, her thick arms folded over her considerable chest, her body rocking slightly.

“You might not want to be too colorful,” Jesse said.

“Like what?”

“Like maybe not introduce yourself as Daisy Dyke, for instance.”

“I like that name. I’m proud of it.”

“No reason not to be. But it makes a nice headline, and reporters got space to fill.”

“Even though I don’t know nothing about the murder.”

“Even though,” Jesse said.

“Fuck them,” Daisy said.

“Good point,” Jesse said.

Daisy went to the front door and opened it and said, “Hey, scumbags, there’s a dead body out back of the restaurant.”

The reporters looked up. Daisy jerked a thumb toward the rear of the building.

“In the Dumpster,” she said.

Then she took a small sign off the inside doorknob and put it on the outside and shut the door. The sign said CLOSED.