sidewalk.”
“What makes you think the cops suspect you?” I asked.
Becky blinked back her tears.
“For one thing, Maxine told them what I said at the store yesterday, about decorating the store with Frenchie’s corpse.”
“But you weren’t the only one who said something nasty to Frenchie yesterday. Everybody heard Tyler threatening to strangle her. How come the cops don’t suspect him?”
“Because they didn’t find Tyler’s earring at the scene of the crime.”
“What do you mean?”
“They found my gold hoop earring clutched in Frenchie’s hand.”
I remembered Becky’s big gold hoop, and how it had fallen off the day I came to the store for my interview.
“I tried to explain to the police that it’s always falling off, but I could tell they didn’t believe me.”
“She obviously dropped it in the store,” Nina said, “and the murderer found it and put it in Frenchie’s hand to make it look like Becky did it.”
“I realized it was missing last night,” Becky said.
“We looked all around the apartment for it,” Nina said, “but we couldn’t find it.”
“So then I knew it must be back at the store. I figured I’d wait and pick it up today. But now I don’t know if I’ll ever get it back. The cops are keeping it as evi—”
But she never got to finish the “dence” in evidence, because just then she broke out into a fresh batch of tears.
“Honey, please don’t cry.” Nina put her arm around her and patted her back, trying to calm her down. Finally, Becky stifled a sob and looked at me with pleading eyes. “So will you help me, Jaine?”
“Of course I’ll help you.” My earlier doubts about Becky had disappeared. I agreed with Nina. I simply couldn’t believe this little pixie was a killer.
“Oh, Jaine. Thank you,” she said, throwing her arms around me. She smelled of chamomile tea and Johnson’s Baby Shampoo.
“I’ll pay you two hundred dollars a week,” she said when she finally managed to pry herself away. “Just like I promised.”
“I can’t let you pay me. You don’t even have a job.”
Wait a minute. Why couldn’t I let her pay me? I didn’t have a job, either.
“Oh, but Grace called earlier. She hired me back again. Tyler, too.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“So I can definitely afford to pay you. I don’t actually have the cash, but Nina said she saw a Web site where I can borrow money for only forty percent interest.”
“Forty percent? I can’t let you do that.”
Why on earth not? I needed the money just as much as she did. More, probably.
“Why don’t we see how things work out?” I said. “And you can pay me later.”
I’d obviously suffered a minor stroke and lost my powers of rational thinking.
“Oh, Jaine. You’re an angel.”
An idiot was more like it.
“What I need from you,” I said, “are some addresses and phone numbers. For Grace, Maxine, and Tyler. I’m going to have to question all of them.”
Becky’s eyes widened with alarm. “Oh, you can’t possibly suspect Tyler. He couldn’t have done it.”
“Still,” I said, “I’ll need to talk to him.”
“I’ve got a staff list somewhere,” Becky said. She went over to a telephone table near the front door and started looking through some papers in one of the drawers.
“Here it is.” She came back and handed me the address list.
“By the way,” she said, “Grace told me there’s going to be a memorial service for Frenchie tomorrow. At St. Joan of Arc in Westwood.”
“Are you going?” I asked.
She shook her head no.
“I keep telling her she should put in an appearance,” Nina said. “If she stays away, the cops will think she didn’t like Frenchie.”
“They already know I hated her. I told them myself.”
“Did you have to be so darn honest?” Nina asked.
“You’re right. I was a fool. I practically signed a confession.” She wrung her hands in despair. “They’re going to arrest me. I just know they are.”
And,
“What makes you think the cops suspect you?” I asked.
Becky blinked back her tears.
“For one thing, Maxine told them what I said at the store yesterday, about decorating the store with Frenchie’s corpse.”
“But you weren’t the only one who said something nasty to Frenchie yesterday. Everybody heard Tyler threatening to strangle her. How come the cops don’t suspect him?”
“Because they didn’t find Tyler’s earring at the scene of the crime.”
“What do you mean?”
“They found my gold hoop earring clutched in Frenchie’s hand.”
I remembered Becky’s big gold hoop, and how it had fallen off the day I came to the store for my interview.
“I tried to explain to the police that it’s always falling off, but I could tell they didn’t believe me.”
“She obviously dropped it in the store,” Nina said, “and the murderer found it and put it in Frenchie’s hand to make it look like Becky did it.”
“I realized it was missing last night,” Becky said.
“We looked all around the apartment for it,” Nina said, “but we couldn’t find it.”
“So then I knew it must be back at the store. I figured I’d wait and pick it up today. But now I don’t know if I’ll ever get it back. The cops are keeping it as evi—”
But she never got to finish the “dence” in evidence, because just then she broke out into a fresh batch of tears.
“Honey, please don’t cry.” Nina put her arm around her and patted her back, trying to calm her down. Finally, Becky stifled a sob and looked at me with pleading eyes. “So will you help me, Jaine?”
“Of course I’ll help you.” My earlier doubts about Becky had disappeared. I agreed with Nina. I simply couldn’t believe this little pixie was a killer.
“Oh, Jaine. Thank you,” she said, throwing her arms around me. She smelled of chamomile tea and Johnson’s Baby Shampoo.
“I’ll pay you two hundred dollars a week,” she said when she finally managed to pry herself away. “Just like I promised.”
“I can’t let you pay me. You don’t even have a job.”
Wait a minute. Why couldn’t I let her pay me? I didn’t have a job, either.
“Oh, but Grace called earlier. She hired me back again. Tyler, too.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“So I can definitely afford to pay you. I don’t actually have the cash, but Nina said she saw a Web site where I can borrow money for only forty percent interest.”
“Forty percent? I can’t let you do that.”
Why on earth not? I needed the money just as much as she did. More, probably.
“Why don’t we see how things work out?” I said. “And you can pay me later.”
I’d obviously suffered a minor stroke and lost my powers of rational thinking.
“Oh, Jaine. You’re an angel.”
An idiot was more like it.
“What I need from you,” I said, “are some addresses and phone numbers. For Grace, Maxine, and Tyler. I’m going to have to question all of them.”
Becky’s eyes widened with alarm. “Oh, you can’t possibly suspect Tyler. He couldn’t have done it.”
“Still,” I said, “I’ll need to talk to him.”
“I’ve got a staff list somewhere,” Becky said. She went over to a telephone table near the front door and started looking through some papers in one of the drawers.
“Here it is.” She came back and handed me the address list.
“By the way,” she said, “Grace told me there’s going to be a memorial service for Frenchie tomorrow. At St. Joan of Arc in Westwood.”
“Are you going?” I asked.
She shook her head no.
“I keep telling her she should put in an appearance,” Nina said. “If she stays away, the cops will think she didn’t like Frenchie.”
“They already know I hated her. I told them myself.”
“Did you have to be so darn honest?” Nina asked.
“You’re right. I was a fool. I practically signed a confession.” She wrung her hands in despair. “They’re going to arrest me. I just know they are.”
And,
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