Page 15 of To Die For

“We just wanna talk. We ain’t here to hurt nobody, mister. I mean, damn.”

“So talk,” said Devine, keeping the gun right where it was.

“You watchin’ Betsy Odom,” said Big Hair.

“Am I?” Devine felt déjà vu all over again after his conversation with buck-fifty Fred.

“You and the federal chick,” chimed in Baldy.

“What interest do you have?”

“We knew Betsy’s parents. Know her, too,” said Big Hair.

“How?”

Baldy said, “Went to high school with Dwayne. Then he moved away somewheres, got married, and he come back here with Alice and Betsy. That’s when we hooked up again. Had some good times. Real good. Nice family.”

“And now they’re dead,” said Devine. “Any ideas on that?”

Baldy said, “What do they say killed ’em?”

“Wasn’t it in the papers?”

“We don’t read no papers, dude. I mean, shit,” said Big Hair, grinning. “Do we look like we get theWall Street Journalor sumthin’?”

Devine hesitated but then decided it was worth it to maybe get some useful info in return. “Drug overdose.”

“That’s bullshit,” said Baldy.

“Why?”

“They ain’t use no drugs.”

Just like Betsy had said.

“How do you know?”

Baldy said, “They been back here years now. Seen a lot of ’em. Ain’t seen no drugs or shit like that. And if you’re usin’, it sure ashell gonna be at your place and on your skin, and in your eyes, and in your piss, in everythin’ you got.”

“And how would you know that?” said Devine.

Baldy held up one arm. “Zipper tracks down both arms.” He pointed to his nose. “And I blew this middle part here right out snortin’ coke. Can’t smell much no more, ’cept when my chef bro’ here uses too much bok choy or stinky-ass French cheese.”

Big Hair nodded and said, “Meth was my devil. Popped my colon a while back. Don’t recommend ever doin’ that, man. Serious as shit, no pun intended.”

Baldy said, “Point is we know when someone’s usin’ or ain’t usin’. And they ain’t usin’.”

“Police report says otherwise. And it also says Betsy used Narcan to try to bring them back. Apparently, they’d OD’d on fentanyl.”

Big Hair shook his head. “Did Betsy say she done that? Narcan, I mean?”

Once more Devine hesitated but then said, “No, she didn’t. She said the opposite.”

Big Hair looked triumphantly at Devine. “See? Told you.”

“So what doyouthink happened to them?”

Baldy eyed Devine warily. “Don’t know. But if the cops makin’ shit up? Then you got your own kind doin’ crap they shouldn’t be doin’.”

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