to find out, Mrs. Marland.”
“You shall call me Lakisha and I shall call you…Rayford, isn’t it?”
Tony figured she wasn’t going to call him anything.
“I have to ask you some questions, Lakisha. Some may be hard.”
“Not as hard as losing a friend.” Ray nodded and poised his pen over the pad that had appeared in his lap. Tony got his out too.
“Did Deanna have any enemies that you know of?”
“Enemies? Foes? Someone jealous of her? Of her beauty? Of her spirit? Of her wonderful husband or her beautiful children?” She looked off out the window again. “Not one that I can possibly imagine. Not one.”
“Could she have been having an affair?”
“Not without me knowing about it. No. She has a wonderful husband. I wish he were mine.” She caught herself and allowed, with a slight knowing smile, “Don’t take that the wrong way, Rayford.”
“I won’t. Could her husband have been? Having an affair?”
“Scott? He’s devoted to her, and why not. She was beautiful and funny and sexy and what…tireless. No, Scott wouldn’t stray.”
Ray nodded. “That’s the impression I get too, but I have to ask.”
Lakisha set her teacup aside. “You’re searching for a motive, aren’t you Rayford?”
Ray pretended to dodge the question even though it was coursing beneath everything he was thinking. “What about your group, your friends? The ‘Go Girls’? Was there any friction there? Do you all get along?”
“Have you met the others yet? Karen or Erika or Roxie?”
Ray shook his head. “Not yet.”
“I suppose with any group there’s, what did you call it, friction? We know each other so well and really are quite close. It would be impossible to not have some…friction. I like that word.”
“I understand that you take group trips. Leave the husbands home and travel.”
“Some husbands are rarely home, but yes. Oh Lord, do we have fun.” She paused, again drawn to the bleak vision outside. “I wonder if we ever will again, without Deanna.”
Ray waited a respectful minute. Lakisha’s attention had drifted out toward the sullen lake, remembering. “Tell me about them. Do you gamble?”
Lakisha sat straighter and replied, “Of course we do. We gamble and we eat too much of the wrong things and drink and tease and flirt and shop. We are accomplished shoppers, yes we are.” The memory of the vacations drew her back into the warm room. Ray and Tony stayed quiet, let her go on.
“We went to Las Vegas, let me think, five years ago. Was it the first trip? I think so. I entered a poker game. It was only a thousand dollar buy in and I thought—what the hell. I won it!” She reached over and put a hand on Rays arm. “I couldn’t believe it! We went to Laughlin once. I didn’t like it there and I didn’t win either. There was Mexico. Ixtapa. That was fun. The others simply cooked on the beach. And the trip to LA, the
hunk-hunt
we called it. We were determined to meet Tom Cruise or Harrison Ford or Sean Connery. We wanted to meet movie stars and shop on Rodeo Drive.”
“Did you?”
“Shop? My word, yes. Mr. Marland flinched when the statements came, I’m sure. The only movie star we met was Woody Harrelson. That was a severe disappointment.”
“Did you ever have any trouble on the trips? Those are some ah…risky places you’ve visited.”
“Oh, we were always in a group. Well, almost always. And we have Ally.”
“Ally?”
“Allyson Couts. You’ll meet her.”
“Tell me about her. I’d like to hear about all of them, really.”
“Oh no, Rayford. Meet them yourself. Form your own impressions. I’d hate to be the cause of any…friction.” Tony cracked half a smile. He was enjoying the banter.
Ray didn’t push. He realized it would be better if he met them first, developed his own notions. “There’s one other thing. We’d like to get fingerprints from you if we could.”
“From me?” She was surprised. “Whatever for?”
“There were a lot of
“You shall call me Lakisha and I shall call you…Rayford, isn’t it?”
Tony figured she wasn’t going to call him anything.
“I have to ask you some questions, Lakisha. Some may be hard.”
“Not as hard as losing a friend.” Ray nodded and poised his pen over the pad that had appeared in his lap. Tony got his out too.
“Did Deanna have any enemies that you know of?”
“Enemies? Foes? Someone jealous of her? Of her beauty? Of her spirit? Of her wonderful husband or her beautiful children?” She looked off out the window again. “Not one that I can possibly imagine. Not one.”
“Could she have been having an affair?”
“Not without me knowing about it. No. She has a wonderful husband. I wish he were mine.” She caught herself and allowed, with a slight knowing smile, “Don’t take that the wrong way, Rayford.”
“I won’t. Could her husband have been? Having an affair?”
“Scott? He’s devoted to her, and why not. She was beautiful and funny and sexy and what…tireless. No, Scott wouldn’t stray.”
Ray nodded. “That’s the impression I get too, but I have to ask.”
Lakisha set her teacup aside. “You’re searching for a motive, aren’t you Rayford?”
Ray pretended to dodge the question even though it was coursing beneath everything he was thinking. “What about your group, your friends? The ‘Go Girls’? Was there any friction there? Do you all get along?”
“Have you met the others yet? Karen or Erika or Roxie?”
Ray shook his head. “Not yet.”
“I suppose with any group there’s, what did you call it, friction? We know each other so well and really are quite close. It would be impossible to not have some…friction. I like that word.”
“I understand that you take group trips. Leave the husbands home and travel.”
“Some husbands are rarely home, but yes. Oh Lord, do we have fun.” She paused, again drawn to the bleak vision outside. “I wonder if we ever will again, without Deanna.”
Ray waited a respectful minute. Lakisha’s attention had drifted out toward the sullen lake, remembering. “Tell me about them. Do you gamble?”
Lakisha sat straighter and replied, “Of course we do. We gamble and we eat too much of the wrong things and drink and tease and flirt and shop. We are accomplished shoppers, yes we are.” The memory of the vacations drew her back into the warm room. Ray and Tony stayed quiet, let her go on.
“We went to Las Vegas, let me think, five years ago. Was it the first trip? I think so. I entered a poker game. It was only a thousand dollar buy in and I thought—what the hell. I won it!” She reached over and put a hand on Rays arm. “I couldn’t believe it! We went to Laughlin once. I didn’t like it there and I didn’t win either. There was Mexico. Ixtapa. That was fun. The others simply cooked on the beach. And the trip to LA, the
hunk-hunt
we called it. We were determined to meet Tom Cruise or Harrison Ford or Sean Connery. We wanted to meet movie stars and shop on Rodeo Drive.”
“Did you?”
“Shop? My word, yes. Mr. Marland flinched when the statements came, I’m sure. The only movie star we met was Woody Harrelson. That was a severe disappointment.”
“Did you ever have any trouble on the trips? Those are some ah…risky places you’ve visited.”
“Oh, we were always in a group. Well, almost always. And we have Ally.”
“Ally?”
“Allyson Couts. You’ll meet her.”
“Tell me about her. I’d like to hear about all of them, really.”
“Oh no, Rayford. Meet them yourself. Form your own impressions. I’d hate to be the cause of any…friction.” Tony cracked half a smile. He was enjoying the banter.
Ray didn’t push. He realized it would be better if he met them first, developed his own notions. “There’s one other thing. We’d like to get fingerprints from you if we could.”
“From me?” She was surprised. “Whatever for?”
“There were a lot of
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