figure out why Claudia is dead. And if I can learn something about the other murders, too, all the better.”
His gaze slid away. “Yeah, well, I don’t know anything about that.”
He was shutting down on me, so I turned the conversation back to Claudia, hoping that he’d open up again.
“Do you find it odd that this guy would go for Claudia? I mean, she’s probably the most famous girl in Arizona, right?”
“He probably didn’t recognize her,” Robby said. “I mean, have you seen Claudia recently?”
“I saw her a little while ago,” I said. “I’ve just come from the Medical Examiner’s building.”
He gaped at me, his face going white. “No shit?”
“I swear it.”
Robby swallowed. “Well . . . well, then, you know. She changed. A lot. She lost weight—got really thin, you know? Unhealthy. And she dyed her hair black, used lots of eyeliner—went Goth. Actually it was a pretty cool look for her. It was like she was trying to be someone else, leave the blonde princess behind. That’s what she called herself sometimes, when she was feeling especially anti-family, you know? Anyway, that was the weird thing about Claud. On the one hand she acted like none of the rules applied to her, you know? She thought she could get away with stuff because of who she was. And you just know that she got that from her old man, from being a Deegan. But at the same time, she was always trying to be someone else.” He shook his head again. “Poor Claud.”
I didn’t pretend to be an expert on the subject, but I also didn’t doubt that the guy loved her. Robby wasn’t the brightest bulb on Broadway, but he’d given some thought to what made Claudia Deegan tick. It almost made me feel bad for him. Still, he hadn’t answered my question, and I couldn’t leave him alone until he did.
“What about the others, Robby? Did they buy from you, too?”
His gaze wandered away again. “I told you, I’ve got nothing to say about that.”
“Well, I’ll take that as a ‘yes’, and I’ll be sure to mention it to my buddies at the PPD.”
“You think I remember everyone who’s ever bought from me? You’re crazy! And I don’t know the names of all the people this guy’s killed.”
“You’d remember if you sold to someone and heard a day or two later that she’d turned up dead. In fact, I think you do remember. And I think it’s happened more than once.”
“You’re wrong.” He kept his eyes down as he said it, and I could tell that he was hiding something, and that he was terrified. For a second I thought he might start crying.
“You’re lying.”
“Prove it.”
“I don’t have to,” I said, taking a step toward him. “Like I said, I’m not a cop anymore.”
He raised the knife again. “Stay away!”
“Which ones, Robby? Which victims bought from you before they died?”
“None of them did! And you can’t prove different! Neither can your cop friends!”
I didn’t believe him for a minute. But he was right; I couldn’t prove anything, at least not yet.
“Fine,” I said, relaxing a bit, checking my knee again. What a mess.
He regarded me, wary again. “Fine what?”
“I believe you didn’t sell drugs to any of the other Blind Angel victims. You can go.”
“That’s it? I can go? Just like that?”
“What’d you expect? I told you I’m not a cop anymore. If I could throw you in the pen for a while let you stew on all of this, I would. For Claudia and for Jessie. But I’m just a PI. Even if you are lying to me, I can’t do anything about it.”
The smirk that curved his lips was way too smug for my taste. He let his blade hand fall to his side again. “Yeah, that’s right. You can’t do shit.”
“Stay out of trouble. Watch your back. I might be done with you, but the cops aren’t.”
“Right,” he said. “Whatever.”
I frowned down at my leg once more, making like I was done with him. He started to saunter past me and as he did, I straightened and threw
His gaze slid away. “Yeah, well, I don’t know anything about that.”
He was shutting down on me, so I turned the conversation back to Claudia, hoping that he’d open up again.
“Do you find it odd that this guy would go for Claudia? I mean, she’s probably the most famous girl in Arizona, right?”
“He probably didn’t recognize her,” Robby said. “I mean, have you seen Claudia recently?”
“I saw her a little while ago,” I said. “I’ve just come from the Medical Examiner’s building.”
He gaped at me, his face going white. “No shit?”
“I swear it.”
Robby swallowed. “Well . . . well, then, you know. She changed. A lot. She lost weight—got really thin, you know? Unhealthy. And she dyed her hair black, used lots of eyeliner—went Goth. Actually it was a pretty cool look for her. It was like she was trying to be someone else, leave the blonde princess behind. That’s what she called herself sometimes, when she was feeling especially anti-family, you know? Anyway, that was the weird thing about Claud. On the one hand she acted like none of the rules applied to her, you know? She thought she could get away with stuff because of who she was. And you just know that she got that from her old man, from being a Deegan. But at the same time, she was always trying to be someone else.” He shook his head again. “Poor Claud.”
I didn’t pretend to be an expert on the subject, but I also didn’t doubt that the guy loved her. Robby wasn’t the brightest bulb on Broadway, but he’d given some thought to what made Claudia Deegan tick. It almost made me feel bad for him. Still, he hadn’t answered my question, and I couldn’t leave him alone until he did.
“What about the others, Robby? Did they buy from you, too?”
His gaze wandered away again. “I told you, I’ve got nothing to say about that.”
“Well, I’ll take that as a ‘yes’, and I’ll be sure to mention it to my buddies at the PPD.”
“You think I remember everyone who’s ever bought from me? You’re crazy! And I don’t know the names of all the people this guy’s killed.”
“You’d remember if you sold to someone and heard a day or two later that she’d turned up dead. In fact, I think you do remember. And I think it’s happened more than once.”
“You’re wrong.” He kept his eyes down as he said it, and I could tell that he was hiding something, and that he was terrified. For a second I thought he might start crying.
“You’re lying.”
“Prove it.”
“I don’t have to,” I said, taking a step toward him. “Like I said, I’m not a cop anymore.”
He raised the knife again. “Stay away!”
“Which ones, Robby? Which victims bought from you before they died?”
“None of them did! And you can’t prove different! Neither can your cop friends!”
I didn’t believe him for a minute. But he was right; I couldn’t prove anything, at least not yet.
“Fine,” I said, relaxing a bit, checking my knee again. What a mess.
He regarded me, wary again. “Fine what?”
“I believe you didn’t sell drugs to any of the other Blind Angel victims. You can go.”
“That’s it? I can go? Just like that?”
“What’d you expect? I told you I’m not a cop anymore. If I could throw you in the pen for a while let you stew on all of this, I would. For Claudia and for Jessie. But I’m just a PI. Even if you are lying to me, I can’t do anything about it.”
The smirk that curved his lips was way too smug for my taste. He let his blade hand fall to his side again. “Yeah, that’s right. You can’t do shit.”
“Stay out of trouble. Watch your back. I might be done with you, but the cops aren’t.”
“Right,” he said. “Whatever.”
I frowned down at my leg once more, making like I was done with him. He started to saunter past me and as he did, I straightened and threw
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