cool or rebellious.
“No,” I said, focusing to keep my
voice steady. “It looks like a tattoo parlor, and we—”
“Nobody calls it a parlor,” Carter
snapped. “Are you Warren’s sister, too?”
I shook my head. “I’m a friend of
Sonja’s,” I answered. “And we’re both trying to find out how Warren got
involved in a murder.”
Carter flinched slightly. “What was
that?” He rubbed one hand across the gleaming dome above his dark, hooded eyes.
“I could swear you just said a word I don’t ever like to hear.”
“Someone had Warren deliver a
package to my house on Saturday,” I explained. “It contained dip that had been
poisoned. We want to know who hired Warren and why they killed our friend.”
He shook his head and blinked a few
times. “You know it’s still kinda early in the day,” he grumbled. “I’m not sure
that I’m following you.”
“What’s so complicated about it?”
Sonja asked. “Brent told us that you—”
“Brent’s a lying sack of donkey
crap,” Carter interrupted. “Whatever he said about your brother is something
you should talk to him about. He does a good job sending tattoo referrals, but
the other stuff is nothing I know about.”
“He seemed pretty confident,” said
Sonja. “Like you knew who hired Warren.”
“Most liars do come across as
self-assured.” Carter walked over and pulled a tissue from a box on the
counter. He used it to wipe the film of sweat from his bald head.
“So you don’t know anything about
who might’ve paid my brother to make the delivery?” asked Sonja.
“I don’t know nothing about nothing,”
Carter replied, wadding the tissue and dropping it into a wire mesh trash
basket. “And I’m not really all that excited that you two just wandered in here
asking me questions.”
“I’m worried about my brother,”
Sonja said.
“And we want to find out who’s
responsible for our friend’s murder,” I added. “We won’t even mention your
name, okay?”
“Ah, now that makes me feel all
warm and fuzzy inside,” Carter said with a grin. “Like we’re suddenly best buds
or something.”
“You don’t have to be so rude,” I
said in a firm, steady voice. “We know that you don’t know us. But you we’re
also aware that you know Warren. And he could be in a whole lot of trouble if
the police think he’s responsible for the poison.”
Carter boomed a laugh that echoed
through the narrow room. “That moron?” he scoffed. “That loser is a million miles
from being responsible for anything. He couldn’t find his own butt if you gave
him a map and a tour guide.”
I saw Sonja’s jaw tighten. Before
she fired back an angry reply, I put one hand on her arm.
“We’re not here to debate Warren’s
capabilities,” I said. “We just want to find the person that hired him to
deliver the package.”
“Shouldn’t the cops be asking me
these questions?” Carter said slowly.
“They probably will at some point,”
I said.
“Then what are you two Betty
Crockers doing up in here?” he asked. “Isn’t this kinda far from a PTA meeting
or whatever y’all do on a normal Monday?”
I smiled and stepped closer. “Look,
Carter,” I said. “We’d appreciate your help with this. Warren’s trying to make
ends meet. Anybody can appreciate that. But if he somehow got involved in our
friend’s murder, we’re trying to—”
“It was some blonde chick,” Carter
said.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Can you
repeat that?”
“Some blonde wanted to know if I
knew anybody who could deliver something,” he said. “She’s a rich bitch who
knows one of my best customers. And before you ask, I have no idea how they
know one another, okay? He called me up, said there was a special request and
then he put her on the phone.”
“Who is she?” Sonja asked. “What’s
her name?”
Carter laughed. “Oh, really? You
think I’d actually be curious about her name? I’ve got my hands full here with
this shop,
“No,” I said, focusing to keep my
voice steady. “It looks like a tattoo parlor, and we—”
“Nobody calls it a parlor,” Carter
snapped. “Are you Warren’s sister, too?”
I shook my head. “I’m a friend of
Sonja’s,” I answered. “And we’re both trying to find out how Warren got
involved in a murder.”
Carter flinched slightly. “What was
that?” He rubbed one hand across the gleaming dome above his dark, hooded eyes.
“I could swear you just said a word I don’t ever like to hear.”
“Someone had Warren deliver a
package to my house on Saturday,” I explained. “It contained dip that had been
poisoned. We want to know who hired Warren and why they killed our friend.”
He shook his head and blinked a few
times. “You know it’s still kinda early in the day,” he grumbled. “I’m not sure
that I’m following you.”
“What’s so complicated about it?”
Sonja asked. “Brent told us that you—”
“Brent’s a lying sack of donkey
crap,” Carter interrupted. “Whatever he said about your brother is something
you should talk to him about. He does a good job sending tattoo referrals, but
the other stuff is nothing I know about.”
“He seemed pretty confident,” said
Sonja. “Like you knew who hired Warren.”
“Most liars do come across as
self-assured.” Carter walked over and pulled a tissue from a box on the
counter. He used it to wipe the film of sweat from his bald head.
“So you don’t know anything about
who might’ve paid my brother to make the delivery?” asked Sonja.
“I don’t know nothing about nothing,”
Carter replied, wadding the tissue and dropping it into a wire mesh trash
basket. “And I’m not really all that excited that you two just wandered in here
asking me questions.”
“I’m worried about my brother,”
Sonja said.
“And we want to find out who’s
responsible for our friend’s murder,” I added. “We won’t even mention your
name, okay?”
“Ah, now that makes me feel all
warm and fuzzy inside,” Carter said with a grin. “Like we’re suddenly best buds
or something.”
“You don’t have to be so rude,” I
said in a firm, steady voice. “We know that you don’t know us. But you we’re
also aware that you know Warren. And he could be in a whole lot of trouble if
the police think he’s responsible for the poison.”
Carter boomed a laugh that echoed
through the narrow room. “That moron?” he scoffed. “That loser is a million miles
from being responsible for anything. He couldn’t find his own butt if you gave
him a map and a tour guide.”
I saw Sonja’s jaw tighten. Before
she fired back an angry reply, I put one hand on her arm.
“We’re not here to debate Warren’s
capabilities,” I said. “We just want to find the person that hired him to
deliver the package.”
“Shouldn’t the cops be asking me
these questions?” Carter said slowly.
“They probably will at some point,”
I said.
“Then what are you two Betty
Crockers doing up in here?” he asked. “Isn’t this kinda far from a PTA meeting
or whatever y’all do on a normal Monday?”
I smiled and stepped closer. “Look,
Carter,” I said. “We’d appreciate your help with this. Warren’s trying to make
ends meet. Anybody can appreciate that. But if he somehow got involved in our
friend’s murder, we’re trying to—”
“It was some blonde chick,” Carter
said.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Can you
repeat that?”
“Some blonde wanted to know if I
knew anybody who could deliver something,” he said. “She’s a rich bitch who
knows one of my best customers. And before you ask, I have no idea how they
know one another, okay? He called me up, said there was a special request and
then he put her on the phone.”
“Who is she?” Sonja asked. “What’s
her name?”
Carter laughed. “Oh, really? You
think I’d actually be curious about her name? I’ve got my hands full here with
this shop,
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