Page 66 of Pied Sniper

I told her I understood before Delgado led them out.

“So what now?” asked Flavia and I jumped. “Obviously, they didn’t do it. So who did? And to whom do I write a check?”

I glanced at my notes. “What do you know about Tiffany’s publicity schemes?” I asked.

“Not much.” Flavia shrugged. “We tried to avoid business talk unless we were with our managers. Mostly, we just did what any good friends do.”

“Did she ever bring up any outlandish schemes in those meetings?”

“Sure. We tossed around all kinds of crazy ideas, but I can tell you for sure, I saw that video and there’s no way Tiffany would hurt herself.”

“Are you unconditionally confident about that?”

“I’m pretty sure. She’s very squeamish. I cut my finger once in the kitchen and she just about passed out.”

“Not even for a lot of money?”

“Tiffany has plenty of money. She doesn’t need to get shot on camera for more.”

“Are you positive about that?”

“Well, yeah. She’s totally rich. Her clothes are all super high-end, she’s only spotted at the best places, and you should have seen her apartment in New York. Tres chic!”

“The apartment she sold?”

“Yeah. I still don’t get why she did that but I guess if a job opportunity comes up that’s totally worth it, I get it.” She glanced around. “Even here, at the crossroads of nowhere and nowhere.”

I didn’t rise to the bait. Instead, I asked, “Tiffany had a job opportunity here?”

“Sure. Producing a movie. She knew it was risky but she promised it would pay off.”

I exchanged looks with Solomon. From the expression on his face, this was the first he’d heard of Tiffany’s involvement in the movie business. “What do you mean, ‘it would pay off’?”

“Well, I helped her with the investment, of course! She had so much tied up in the sale of the apartment and her relocation. Besides, it was hardly anything. I knew she’d pay me back.”

“Did she often borrow money from you?”

“Oh, no! Never. We hardly even split the tabs. Sometimes she’d pay for stuff, sometimes I’d pay for it. Tiffany is pretty forgetful so more often I probably picked up the tab but I know she always felt bad about it.”

“What kind of tabs did you pick up?”

Flavia shrugged. “One for a week we spent in Italy and another for a weekend at Cabo but only because her card was stolen both times. Dinner, a few times. I mean, she often had to leave early and she just forgot. Tickets. That time we went shopping and she forget her… oh.” She stopped, her nostrils flaring, and looked at the floor.

“Flavia?”

“She’d do the same for me,” she sniffed after a moment.

“Has she done the same?”

“Well, no, but she would…” She slid to a stop. “Okay, I know it sounds bad but Tiffany is a sweetheart. She’s fun, and… and…”

“And she never picks up the bill,” I finished for her. “Did you know she was in a lot of debt?”

Flavia twisted strands of her hair and didn’t look at me. “We’ve all got credit cards,” she said.

“But Tiffany doesn’t pay hers.”

“She’s very forgetful.”

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