Page 88 of Passions in Death
“Did she ever bite Shauna?” Peabody wondered.
“A few nips. Shauna let it go. I mean, she told me, and Shauna can bite back when she needs to. To tell the truth, I think ChiChi was a little jealous, and doesn’t like Shauna very much. Or me, either.”
She shrugged at that.
“I guess I don’t know if she likes anybody much except Erin. Like Donna told me ChiChi said to her if she was going to transition, she should’ve paid for better boobs. That’s just mean and—and ignorant. Donna said she said it like a joke, but it stung.”
“But Erin trusted her.”
“Sure. I don’t think they were as tight as they were before, but I can’t say for sure, since I didn’t know them when they were, you know, buds with bennies. But friends were important to Erin—that’s something else she and Shauna had in common. They kept their friends, they valued their friends.”
“Becca, it’s probable someone they considered a friend did this.”
“I can’t believe that. I guess I don’t want to.”
“When you were onstage with Shauna, when it was close to midnight and you were up there, did you notice anyone who wasn’t in the club? See anyone slip out, like to use the bathroom?”
“I think about it and think about it. Every time I close my eyes I go right back there. I’d had a lot to drink, and believe me, I’d never pictured myself dancing half-naked in a sex club. It’s just a blur.”
“Did ChiChi get onstage?”
“No.” Becca rolled her eyes. “A few people said she should. You know, like ‘Show us how it’s done!’ But she just said how she got paid for that. I don’t know if she even danced much on the floor. Dressed and everything, but I didn’t really pay attention or hang out with her.”
“Who did? Hang out with her?”
“Erin, I guess. Angie some. Oh wait, she did dance some. With that guy—the one who came in. Tall, blond, built. Sexy dance, but that was earlier. I didn’t see Erin leave. I just didn’t see.”
She glanced at her wrist unit. “I’m really sorry, but I need to go. I still have some things to get done.”
“We appreciate you coming in, talking to us.”
“I don’t know how it helps, but I hope it does. I don’t want to believe it was one of us, but if it was, I want you to take them down.”
Peabody rose as she did. “I’ll walk you out.”
“Interview end,” Eve said, and opened the file to make notes.
Moments later, Peabody came back, sat. “We’re not thinking she had any part of this.”
“No. I played with the idea she held some resentment from high school, it sparked up when Shauna’s getting married, getting everything she wants. But it doesn’t hold. Add physically, she couldn’t have pulled it off, and I don’t see her conspiring with her cohab on it. Or with Lopez. She clearly doesn’t like Lopez. Tried to, but doesn’t.”
“That was my take. But we got a couple things we didn’t have.”
“Yeah, Barney’s WTF reaction. A different tone from Stillwater’s, whether she saw it that way or not. The way she said it, Barney got a little pissy, Stillwater was surprised. And she put it down to: Guys.”
“Some people try to see the best in people.”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with them?” At Peabody’s laugh, Eve shook her head. “She’s one of them. But she doesn’t like Lopez.”
“Didn’t want to dis her,” Peabody observed. “But we’re cops, it’s murder, and she felt like she had to say what she knew or felt. Mean streak, doesn’t like Shauna, jealous. Lopez took some shots there.”
“Yeah. Also took at least that one at Donna, which shows pattern rather than focus. We’ll run Decker through it, see what meshes, what doesn’t.”
“We’ve got some time before she gets here. I’m going to grab something from Vending.”
“Fine.”
“Or.” Peabody stretched the word out. “We could both get something from your AutoChef and not risk ptomaine.”
