wouldn’t have known she was so close.”
“Who’s Lori’s dealer?”
He shook his head. “You’re gonna have to find that out for yourselves. I know you’re standing here in my house telling me it ain’t gonna come back to bite me in the ass, but you’ll have to excuse me if I’m not buyin’ that. Been burned too many times already by your kind.”
“How about the names of any friends from her partying days?”
Rex shook his head. “Can’t help you there, either. I start sending cops to those guys, and I’ll be in the morgue next to Lori.”
“We could take you downtown until you feel more compelled to cooperate.”
“And I’d be sprung before your tour ends, and you know it. I’m not giving you those names.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Arrest me if you want to. Won’t get you anywhere.”
Sam tried to stare him down, but he never blinked.
“I’d like to help you get whoever did this to her,” Rex said. “She was a nice girl and we had good times together, but I’m not risking my own neck for someone who’s dead. Not happening.”
Sam handed him her card. “If you think of anything that might help and you’re willing to share, my number’s on there.”
He nodded.
She tipped her head to tell Freddie to move toward the door. As they went out, he was busy on his phone.
“Got the address for Sara Angelo.”
Perhaps there was something to be said for owning a smartphone, Sam thought, but as long as he had one at work and Nick had one at home, she didn’t need one of her own.
They got back in the car, and Freddie directed her for several blocks until they arrived at another nondescript row of townhouses.
“Every one of them exactly the same,” Sam said as she took in the community. “How many times do you think I’d try to get into the wrong door if I lived here?”
“Daily?”
“Perhaps even hourly.” Sam glanced at him as she rang the doorbell. “Why don’t you take the lead here?”
“Oh, um, okay.” After a pause, he said, “Is this punishment? For busting your chops?”
“That would make me vindictive and mean, and I’m neither of those things. It’s about training, about bringing you along, about—” Her string of bullshit was interrupted when the door was opened by a flushed-looking woman with dark hair and eyes.
“Sorry,” she said, “I was working out.”
Sam and Freddie showed their badges.
“Detective Cruz and Lieutenant Holland, Metro PD,” Freddie said. “Could we have a few minutes of your time?”
“Oh, um, sure.” She stepped back to allow them to enter her well-kept home. After the last two they’d visited, hers was a refreshing breath of fresh air—literally. “What’s this about?”
“You’re friends with Lori Phillips?” Freddie asked.
“Yes,” she said hesitantly. “What about her?”
“When was the last time you saw or talked to her?”
“We were at a Christmas party together in early December. We text pretty regularly, though. Why? Is she in trouble? She’s worked so hard to turn her life around. So hard.”
“I’m sorry to have to tell you that she was found murdered this morning.”
Sara’s mouth opened and then closed when nothing came out. Her eyes filled with tears. “
Murdered?
” Her voice was barely more than a whisper. “Who would want to hurt her? She was the sweetest person.” And then her expression hardened. “The baby’s father. She was making trouble for him. I bet it was him.”
Freddie maintained his composure when he said, “It wasn’t him.”
“You have to say that! He’s a cop! Of course he didn’t do it. But who else could it be?”
“That’s what we’d like to know too.”
She swiped angrily at the tears on her cheeks. “Have you even
considered
that it might be him?”
“He has an alibi.”
“Right. Whatever. People like Lori, they don’t matter to you as much as another cop does. I get it.”
“That’s not true,” Sam said. “We want
“Who’s Lori’s dealer?”
He shook his head. “You’re gonna have to find that out for yourselves. I know you’re standing here in my house telling me it ain’t gonna come back to bite me in the ass, but you’ll have to excuse me if I’m not buyin’ that. Been burned too many times already by your kind.”
“How about the names of any friends from her partying days?”
Rex shook his head. “Can’t help you there, either. I start sending cops to those guys, and I’ll be in the morgue next to Lori.”
“We could take you downtown until you feel more compelled to cooperate.”
“And I’d be sprung before your tour ends, and you know it. I’m not giving you those names.” He crossed his arms over his broad chest. “Arrest me if you want to. Won’t get you anywhere.”
Sam tried to stare him down, but he never blinked.
“I’d like to help you get whoever did this to her,” Rex said. “She was a nice girl and we had good times together, but I’m not risking my own neck for someone who’s dead. Not happening.”
Sam handed him her card. “If you think of anything that might help and you’re willing to share, my number’s on there.”
He nodded.
She tipped her head to tell Freddie to move toward the door. As they went out, he was busy on his phone.
“Got the address for Sara Angelo.”
Perhaps there was something to be said for owning a smartphone, Sam thought, but as long as he had one at work and Nick had one at home, she didn’t need one of her own.
They got back in the car, and Freddie directed her for several blocks until they arrived at another nondescript row of townhouses.
“Every one of them exactly the same,” Sam said as she took in the community. “How many times do you think I’d try to get into the wrong door if I lived here?”
“Daily?”
“Perhaps even hourly.” Sam glanced at him as she rang the doorbell. “Why don’t you take the lead here?”
“Oh, um, okay.” After a pause, he said, “Is this punishment? For busting your chops?”
“That would make me vindictive and mean, and I’m neither of those things. It’s about training, about bringing you along, about—” Her string of bullshit was interrupted when the door was opened by a flushed-looking woman with dark hair and eyes.
“Sorry,” she said, “I was working out.”
Sam and Freddie showed their badges.
“Detective Cruz and Lieutenant Holland, Metro PD,” Freddie said. “Could we have a few minutes of your time?”
“Oh, um, sure.” She stepped back to allow them to enter her well-kept home. After the last two they’d visited, hers was a refreshing breath of fresh air—literally. “What’s this about?”
“You’re friends with Lori Phillips?” Freddie asked.
“Yes,” she said hesitantly. “What about her?”
“When was the last time you saw or talked to her?”
“We were at a Christmas party together in early December. We text pretty regularly, though. Why? Is she in trouble? She’s worked so hard to turn her life around. So hard.”
“I’m sorry to have to tell you that she was found murdered this morning.”
Sara’s mouth opened and then closed when nothing came out. Her eyes filled with tears. “
Murdered?
” Her voice was barely more than a whisper. “Who would want to hurt her? She was the sweetest person.” And then her expression hardened. “The baby’s father. She was making trouble for him. I bet it was him.”
Freddie maintained his composure when he said, “It wasn’t him.”
“You have to say that! He’s a cop! Of course he didn’t do it. But who else could it be?”
“That’s what we’d like to know too.”
She swiped angrily at the tears on her cheeks. “Have you even
considered
that it might be him?”
“He has an alibi.”
“Right. Whatever. People like Lori, they don’t matter to you as much as another cop does. I get it.”
“That’s not true,” Sam said. “We want
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