Page 74 (2/2)

“I don’t know,” Eve said mildly “Was it?”

“She wasdown her cheeks and leaving trails in her camera makeup “I cared about her Damn it, shestory”

Struggling to carry her own guilt, Eve nudged the glass toward Nadine “Drink,” she ordered “Take a minute”

Nadine had to use both hands to keep the glass even partially steady She would, she realized, have preferred brandy, but that would have to wait “I see this kind of thing all the time, not so different from you”

“You saw the body,” Eve snapped “You went out on the scene”

“I had to see” With eyes still swi, she looked back at Eve “That was personal, Dallas I had to see I didn’t want to believe it ord came up”

“How did word come up?”

“Souard that soht outside That drew a lot of attention,” she said, rubbing her temples “Word travels I hadn’t finishedup on rim and humorless “I beat the cameras—and the cops”

“And you and your pals risked contah the air “That’s done Did anybody touch her? Did you see anybody touch her?”

“No, nobody was that stupid It was obvious she was dead You could see—you could see the wound, the blood We sent for an ambulance anyway The first police unit was there within minutes, ordered us back inside, sealed the door I talked to soers over her temples Not because they hurt; because they were numb “I told her it was Louise, then I went up to prep for broadcast And the whole ti, It was supposed to bethe camera, and she was dead It was supposed to be me”

“It wasn’t supposed to be anyone”

“We killed her, Dallas” Nadine’s voice was steady again “You and me”

“I guess we’ll have to live with that” Eve drew a breath and leaned forward “Let’s go over the tiain, Nadine Step by step”

chapter thirteen

Soe of routine police work payed off Like a slot machine, fed habitually, mindlessly, monotonously, so that you’re almost shocked when the jackpot falls in your lap