A Clean Kill by Leslie Glass Page A

murder investigation. The truth is going to come out, Alison."
    "Well, he didn't sleep with her. I know he didn't."
    "How do you know?"
    "He liked her, but it wasn't like that. She wouldn't give him the money for his place. It was strictly, and I mean strictly, business with those two!"
    "That's not the way I hear it," April murmured.
    "Well, let me put that rumor to bed. It was him and me," she said angrily. "Not her and him. Me." Then she realized what she'd said. "Oh, God.
    Don't get me in trouble. My husband would kill me."
    "Alison, where were you at nine o'clock this morning?"
    "I told you. I was at home waiting for Maddy to call me. Jesus, are you crazy?" She pulled her bag back onto her lap, clutching it tightly. "What are you saying?"
    "Just wondering how angry you would be if you found out Derek was having an affair with Maddy."
    "But he wasn't."
    April didn't say anything for a while.
    "He didn't tell you he was, did he?" she asked in a small voice.
    "What about the coke? Where did she get it?"
    "I don't know anything about any coke."
    "Don't lie to me, Alison. I can see it in your eyes."
    "It's not a big thing. I had a bad day."
    "You had a bad day?" April repeated.
    "Yeah, my best friend was killed."
    "But you didn't hear about it until we came to the gym, right?"
    "So?"
    "Then where did you get the coke? Was it at the gym?"
    "No, I had it with me. . . . Shit." Alison pulled on her ear. "It wasn't about cocaine. Don't make it about that. It's all over the place in the restaurant business. Modeling business. Advertising. Wayne had it around. Believe me, no one would murder anybody over that."
    "Somebody's dealing. Who is it?"
    "Don't make it about that," Alison begged. "If you go there, you could arrest the whole fucking city."
    "So you don't think your boyfriend, the coke dealer, killed her?"
    "Shit, I never said he was a dealer, and he would never hurt anybody."
    "So you think maybe Wayne got angry when Maddy fired his girlfriend?"
    "No! I never said anything about Wayne, either. Maddy's fired girls before, lots of them. It wasn't a big deal. If Wayne liked one of them, he'd give her a waitress job. Nobody lasted long," she said furiously.
    "But Remy probably didn't know that," April murmured.
    Alison started sobbing. "If Remy did it, then I'm really upset. I can't take any more of this. I have to go home now." She looked as if she might be sick again.
    "Well, who else could have done it?"
    "I don't know. But Lynn is Remy's best friend. How can I have her in the house now? I'm afraid," she said.
    "What are you afraid of?"
    "I could be next," Alison cried. "I need protection."
    "Why? Who would want to kill you?" April asked.
    "They hate us. They wear our clothes. They steal our things. If they can get our husbands, they'll steal them, too," she ranted.
    "Are you really at risk? Is Lynn having an affair with your husband?" April asked, wondering at the whole thing. The husbands with the nannies, the wives with the trainer, and cocaine abuse in the mixk. How did it all fit?
    "What? What? Is Andrew having an affair with Lynn?" Alison said, sounding panicked. "Are you sure?"
    "It was just a question."
    "Jesus." Alison broke down sobbing. "Jesus. You got me all mixed-up. I don't know what I'm saying."
    April turned off the tape. "I think you need help, Alison."
    "No, I'm fine. I'm having a bad day. Please, don't drag me and Derek into this. We didn't do anything wrong."
    April didn't make any promises. One thing she did know was Alison's cover was blown on the dope. Derek would flush his stash before they got to his place with a search warrant. But the case had just gotten a little more complicated.

Fifteen
    A pril called Mike late in the afternoon. "What's up, chico?”
    This time he was the one to say, "You first." She could hear his desk chair creak as he sat back to listen.
    "Well, Maddy was sleeping with her trainer, Derek Meke. He didn't tell me. Woody got it out of him."
"Good old Woody. What kind of guy is