"Des was really mellow, I can't see anyone hating him. Not even Helga the n.a.z.i."

"Helga the Gestapo Girl," said Sanfelice, giggling, then turning grave. "Sorry, we just... she didn't treat us good. Just getting our paychecks was a ha.s.sle. Sheryl, I mean. I was just an intern so I didn't get paid at all."

"Which totally sucked," said Pa.s.sant. "You did the same job as me, Teen. You should've gotten paid the same as me. Helga sucks."

Milo said, "Wasn't the firm a partnership?"

"Marjie and Mr. Cohen didn't control the money, she did. The building was hers, the idea was hers, everything was hers. She was always talking like she was the one who'd made up Green. Like Al Gore had never existed. You think she killed Des?"

"You think she could've?"

The women looked at each other. Sanfelice stirred her drink. Pa.s.sant said, "I'm not saying she'd have done it. But she's not like a regular person, you know?"

"Different," said Sanfelice. "She's from Europe."

The red-shirted kid reappeared, this time bearing two plates.

Bacon burgers oozing with molten white and orange cheese, salads the size of a baby's head, a hay-bale of onion rings. "Um, do you guys still want this?"

Bettina Sanfelice said, "I was hungry but now I'm also feeling nauseous."

Sheryl Pa.s.sant said, "Yuck. Do we still have to pay?"

Milo said, "Put the food down, son, and give me the check. Here's your tip in advance." Forking over bills.

The kid said, "Sweet."

A few minutes of routine questions produced nothing new about Desmond Backer, whom the women described as "Nice and totally hot." The shock had worn off and they both seemed pleased at the attention.

Bettina Sanfelice studied her burger. "It's probably gross but I'm going to try."

Sheryl Pa.s.sant said, "Not me." Moments later, a grin as she bit in, wiped her chin. "Guess I lied."

Milo let them eat, offered drink refills. They declined. Sanfelice wholeheartedly, Pa.s.sant with some regret.

Milo stared at me.

I raised my eyebrows.

He c.o.c.ked his head to the side and when I didn't respond, said, "My partner's gonna ask you some questions now. They're a little personal, so sorry. But we really need to ask."

Waving the red-shirted kid over, he ordered an extra-large c.o.ke.

Both women had stopped eating.

Sheryl Pa.s.sant's thigh pressed hard against mine.

CHAPTER.

7.

Bettina Sanfelice said, "Personal?"

Milo's eyebrows said Take it from here. Sheryl Pa.s.sant said, "They mean s.e.x, Teen. Because Des was a horner from day one, right? Like he was put on this earth to do it." The corners of her mouth turned up as she bent over her straw. Conspicuous slurp.

I said, "Helga and Marjorie Holman both told us about a meeting where Des was discussed by all of you."

Pa.s.sant grinned. "Where we all admitted doing Des."

Bettina Sanfelice's hand shot to her mouth.

"Stop being dorky, Teen. You did him, we all did him. So what?"

"OmiG.o.d." Sanfelice hung her head.

Pa.s.sant laughed. "I have always been her bad influence, that's why her mom has always hated me. Put a horn like Des with a bunch of girls, what do you think's going to have happened?"

I said, "Helga said it didn't happen with her."

"That's because she's never been human-stop spazzing, Teen, it's biology."

Sanfelice said, "I need to go to the bathroom."

"In a sec, hon," said Milo.

No argument.

Pa.s.sant said, "The moment you met Des it was pretty clear he was after one thing."

I said, "Marjorie said he was pretty direct, just came out and asked."

"At first, I thought it was gross. Like, are you kidding? But the way he did it made it not gross."

"How so?"

"Not pushy, kind of ... friendly. Des made it all real friendly."

Her foot rested on mine. Pressure just short of pain. I slid away. She smiled.

"Was it a onetime thing, or did-"

"Seven times for me. Lucky seven."

Bettina Sanfelice gasped.

"I know I told you three, Teen. Didn't want to freak you out but it was seven. Now you're gonna ask why wasn't it eight? I don't know, it just kind of stopped. Like he'd become my brother or something."

I said, "Too friendly."

"Yup."

"Did Des take you anywhere in particular?"

"Coffee," she said. "Sometimes food." Back to caressing my shoe with her sneaker. "Afterward."

"Was there a particular place for before?"

She faced me. "You really are personal. No, there wasn't any one place. He took me to sites."

"Building sites?"

"He just called them sites. Like unfinished buildings, or sometimes there was just dirt, sometimes parts of buildings. When there was just dirt, he had a blanket in his car. Basically, he got off doing it outdoors. A lot of people do."

I said, "Where were these sites?"

"I don't know the street, it was dark ... they were all in the Valley-is that where he got killed? In the Valley?"

"No," I said.

"Well, with me it was always in the Valley. He'd pick me up at my apartment, say he had a new site."

Bettina Sanfelice mumbled unintelligibly.

Sheryl Pa.s.sant said, "Now you can tell them about Des and you."

I said, "I think we know enough."

"You said it was two, Teen. Remember what I said when you told me that? Two for the road. You said he took you to sites, also."

Sanfelice whimpered.

I said, "We're fine, Tina-"

Pa.s.sant reached across the table for her friend's hand. "Chill, Teen, no one's going to tell your mom. They don't care about us, they care about who killed Des."

"Any ideas about that?"

Both women shook their heads.

I said, "Marjorie Holman told us she and Des had a one-night stand. Do you think that's true?"

Pa.s.sant said, "Could be, she's old and baggy."

"How did you guys come to be discussing Des?"

"We all had been drinking, you drink, you talk."

"It wasn't a business meeting?"

"That's what she called it. The Notz. Guess it was, because there wasn't any business-it wasn't like a real job, you know?"

"No a.s.signments."

"We just came in every day and mostly sat around except when the n.a.z.i wanted to talk about stuff no one understood. One day, she came in and said, 'There's no coherence, we need coherence.'"

Sanfelice said, "Cohesiveness. 'There's no cohesiveness.'"

"Means the same, Teen. Anyway, Helga-notz said we need to have something social to get co-hesiveness, so we went out for drinks."

"Just the women," I said.

"Girls' night out. Gerrrrls' niyett ote. Like it had been something she'd heard in a chick movie or something, like she had been trying to be American, you know? But what the hey, she's paying, why not? She found a place near the airport, you heard planes coming in, they served these humongous margaritas. Remember those gla.s.ses, like for a plant, Teen?" Rubbing my leg for emphasis.

"How'd the topic turn to Des Backer?"

"It had just kinda happened. You remember how, Teen?"

Head shake.

Pa.s.sant said, "I guess we had been talking about stuff and that started it to talking about guys. And that started it to talking about it being a girls' night out. And that started to someone saying I wonder how Des would have liked this, being with all these girls."

"Who said that?"

Bettina Sanfelice said, "Sheryl."

"I did?"

"Yes."

Pa.s.sant grinned. "If she says I said it, then I said it. I was pretty much happy-time happy. I don't worry about what people think, anyway, always just say what's in my head."

I said, "So you brought up Des and-"

"And everyone piled on. Like Truth or Dare without the dare."

"Everyone piled on except Helga."