"Selma's already cooperating, Bri, and that's buying her a lot of goodwill. She may be your homegirl, Bri, but she's smart enough to realize that a life sentence for murder changes everything."

The girl's head shook from side to side. I'd heard moans like hers on the cancer ward.

Milo said, "It doesn't need to be bad, Bri. You've got one chance to tell us your side. After that, it's Selma being smart and you being stupid and ending up in the same situation as Tristram and Quinn. Up to you."

The head shaking rotated in a strange way, morphing to a nod.

"They're bad," she said.

"Tristram and Quinn."

"Yeah. Not the good kind of bad."

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER
34

We've been partying like... months," said Brianna Blevins.

"Where'd you meet them?"

"They came into the Lion, paid for lap dances, bought champagne, got into the VIP room."

"After that, then you started partying."

"Yeah."

"They party with anything besides meth?"

"Single malt," she said. "They always had bottles of it."

"Booze and ice," said Milo. "Then there was a different kind of ice."

Brianna Blevins grinned.

"Something funny, Bri?"

Her smile died. "Not, it's just... when they asked us to buy it we're like a different ice? Selma said it. Being funny."

"Did Tristram and Quinn laugh?"

"Um... uh-huh, they laughed all the time."

"Coupla happy guys."

"Why not? They had everything."

"What's everything, Bri?"

"Money, cars, they could do what they want. They're hot."

"And on top of all that, they had you and Selma for partying."

The girl's eyes drooped as her face turned ancient. "We knew we were like... a game, you know? They were going to Stamford College, said they'd take us but we knew that was bullshit."

"Stanford University in Palo Alto?"

"I guess."

"Tristram and Quinn promised to bring you and Selma to college."

She snorted. "Set us up in our own apartment. To be their mistresses. They liked that word. Mistresses. Like how kings and princes do it."

"Two fresh princes from Bel Air, huh?"

"Guess so."

"Did you believe the private-jet promise?"

"Probably not."

"But maybe a little at first," said Milo. "You were hoping."

"We thought it would be cool." Tears rolled down the girl's cheeks, tracked through thick foundation. "We were just a game. They showed us pictures. Of the place--Q's place, it's his family owns it. Up in the mountains, they walk out of the house, go skiing."

"Q being Quinn Glover."

"Uh-huh. Place was fiercely huge, they got a movie theater. We're like that would be cool. But no way, we knew they were lying."

"Same for the promise to set you up at Stanford."

"Stamford they'll meet girls like them, we're like stuck in a stupid apartment, can't dance, they're like you're our mistresses. No friggin' way."

"You're a smart girl, Bri."

"Not so smart. I'm here."

"Maybe we can clear that up. Let's talk about the day you paid Gilberto Chavez to buy dry ice."