Read Online The Bad Always Die Twice by Cheryl Crane - Free Book Online
Authors: Cheryl Crane
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March?”
She rubbed her temples and eyed the window again. She thought she could hear Stanley and Oliver barking . . . in the backyard, maybe. “She wasn’t arrested. Not yet at least. But she was held all night at the Hollywood precinct for questioning.”
“Crazy question, but I went to his memorial service with you. How did Jess kill him if he was already dead?”
“Jess didn’t kill him!” It came out louder than she intended. “It doesn’t make any more sense to me than it does to you,” she said, softening her tone.
“But he was definitely the dead man found in Jessica’s apartment? The police didn’t make a mistake in identifying the body?”
“Oh, it was him, all right.” She began to dig in her bag, hoping to find something to eat. The hot Szechuan chicken hadn’t smelled the least bit appetizing when she’d picked it up for Jessica, but suddenly she was starving. “I saw him with my own eyes. Dead as a doornail—more like a swollen carcass—in Jess’s bed.”
“Aw, Christ, I’m sorry you had to see that, Nik.”
She heard the distinct crackle of a food wrapper and dug deeper in anticipation of what the Prada might give up. “Yeah. Me, too. It was pretty awful. And it was definitely Rex.” She tried not to think about the hole where his eye had been or the ridiculous underwear he’d been wearing; either would make her nauseous.
“Did . . . did the police offer an explanation as to how he could have been dead in Jessica’s apartment when he supposedly died in a plane crash?”
“Well, obviously, he didn’t die in a plane crash,” she said, unable to curtail her sarcasm. “But the cops didn’t really address that issue.” Bingo! She pulled half a pack of peanuts from her bag; they were probably stale, but she was too hungry to care. “They were more into the whole ‘Why did you kill him, Miss Martin?’ ”
“And Jessica says she didn’t do it?”
Nikki rested her BlackBerry between her shoulder and her ear so she could attack the bag of peanuts. “Of course she didn’t do it. She was at a real estate seminar all day. I’m sure she’s got plenty of witnesses who saw her there.”
“That’s good, then,” he agreed. “As long as the coroner can pinpoint when he was murdered, and she’s got an alibi for that window of time.”
“Right.” Nikki groaned. Leave it to Jeremy to always get right to the crux of the matter. “The thing is, that’s going to be an issue. I didn’t exactly understand what Jessica was trying to tell me this morning, but somehow Rex’s liver temperature was an issue. Jess said the cops acted like her alibi wasn’t that strong. Especially since she apparently spent a long lunch hour shopping.” She munched on the peanuts. “I’m going to look into it. Once we know what time he died, I thought I could retrace her ride down Rodeo. Surely some clerk remembers her.”
“Whoa, wait a minute. Go back. You’re going to talk to the sales clerks? Nikki, that’s not up to you. I agree with Victoria.”
As if on cue, the upstairs window opened and Victoria popped her head out. She was never late on a cue.
“I know you’re Jessica’s friend,” Jeremy went on, oblivious of the peanuts or Victoria’s entrance. “But you can’t get involved in a murder investigation.”
“You coming in or do you plan to sit out there all night?” Victoria hollered down. Her voice carried well for a woman her age.
“Jeremy, hold on a sec. Mother’s paging me.” Nikki lowered the phone. “I’ll be up in a minute. It’s Jeremy,” she said, hoping to placate her. Victoria loved Jeremy.
“Sorry,” Nikki said into the phone. “I’m going to have to go. I’m at Mother’s, picking up the boys.”
“Ask him if he’s coming Wednesday night,” Victoria called down. Her turban was lavender terrycloth. She must have just gotten out of the shower.
Nikki sighed as she glanced up, then refocused on the peanut bag again. It was empty. “Jeremy,
She rubbed her temples and eyed the window again. She thought she could hear Stanley and Oliver barking . . . in the backyard, maybe. “She wasn’t arrested. Not yet at least. But she was held all night at the Hollywood precinct for questioning.”
“Crazy question, but I went to his memorial service with you. How did Jess kill him if he was already dead?”
“Jess didn’t kill him!” It came out louder than she intended. “It doesn’t make any more sense to me than it does to you,” she said, softening her tone.
“But he was definitely the dead man found in Jessica’s apartment? The police didn’t make a mistake in identifying the body?”
“Oh, it was him, all right.” She began to dig in her bag, hoping to find something to eat. The hot Szechuan chicken hadn’t smelled the least bit appetizing when she’d picked it up for Jessica, but suddenly she was starving. “I saw him with my own eyes. Dead as a doornail—more like a swollen carcass—in Jess’s bed.”
“Aw, Christ, I’m sorry you had to see that, Nik.”
She heard the distinct crackle of a food wrapper and dug deeper in anticipation of what the Prada might give up. “Yeah. Me, too. It was pretty awful. And it was definitely Rex.” She tried not to think about the hole where his eye had been or the ridiculous underwear he’d been wearing; either would make her nauseous.
“Did . . . did the police offer an explanation as to how he could have been dead in Jessica’s apartment when he supposedly died in a plane crash?”
“Well, obviously, he didn’t die in a plane crash,” she said, unable to curtail her sarcasm. “But the cops didn’t really address that issue.” Bingo! She pulled half a pack of peanuts from her bag; they were probably stale, but she was too hungry to care. “They were more into the whole ‘Why did you kill him, Miss Martin?’ ”
“And Jessica says she didn’t do it?”
Nikki rested her BlackBerry between her shoulder and her ear so she could attack the bag of peanuts. “Of course she didn’t do it. She was at a real estate seminar all day. I’m sure she’s got plenty of witnesses who saw her there.”
“That’s good, then,” he agreed. “As long as the coroner can pinpoint when he was murdered, and she’s got an alibi for that window of time.”
“Right.” Nikki groaned. Leave it to Jeremy to always get right to the crux of the matter. “The thing is, that’s going to be an issue. I didn’t exactly understand what Jessica was trying to tell me this morning, but somehow Rex’s liver temperature was an issue. Jess said the cops acted like her alibi wasn’t that strong. Especially since she apparently spent a long lunch hour shopping.” She munched on the peanuts. “I’m going to look into it. Once we know what time he died, I thought I could retrace her ride down Rodeo. Surely some clerk remembers her.”
“Whoa, wait a minute. Go back. You’re going to talk to the sales clerks? Nikki, that’s not up to you. I agree with Victoria.”
As if on cue, the upstairs window opened and Victoria popped her head out. She was never late on a cue.
“I know you’re Jessica’s friend,” Jeremy went on, oblivious of the peanuts or Victoria’s entrance. “But you can’t get involved in a murder investigation.”
“You coming in or do you plan to sit out there all night?” Victoria hollered down. Her voice carried well for a woman her age.
“Jeremy, hold on a sec. Mother’s paging me.” Nikki lowered the phone. “I’ll be up in a minute. It’s Jeremy,” she said, hoping to placate her. Victoria loved Jeremy.
“Sorry,” Nikki said into the phone. “I’m going to have to go. I’m at Mother’s, picking up the boys.”
“Ask him if he’s coming Wednesday night,” Victoria called down. Her turban was lavender terrycloth. She must have just gotten out of the shower.
Nikki sighed as she glanced up, then refocused on the peanut bag again. It was empty. “Jeremy,
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