"What?"

"What Tris and Q were doing inside the house?"

"They told us later."

"You knew they were gonna kill her, Bri."

"Maybe they were kidding."

Milo smiled.

"Like I said, sir, I didn't know her."

Selma Arredondo sat with her arms folded across her flat chest. Exceptionally pretty girl even in station light, but hard-eyed and tight-mouthed and hostile. The sinew and bone and sharp angles of a carnivore that needs to consume its weight daily.

She said, "I'm not saying anything."

"Suit yourself, Selma." He headed for the door. "By the way, I've got a message from Bri: 'Homegirl, you're on your own.'"

Stab of fear. She covered with a smirk. "That's not Bri."

"How's this for a reality check, Selma: Tris and Q took you and Bri to Fashion Square before they killed Elise, bought you dresses, shoes, and jewelry. Then you got pizza at Pizza Hut, then you looked for a Mexican to buy ice. You knew what the ice was for and while it was happening, you and Bri smoke up in your--"

"Wait!" Black eyes flashed. "What do you want me to say?"

"The truth."

"Like what part of it?"

"All of it."

She stared. Smiled girlishly and tossed her hair. "Sure, why not?"

Milo said, "Let's talk about hats."

"Don't wear 'em."

"A baseball hat, Selma."

"Oh, that," she said. "That was Bri's idea. She said if it got left in the car, they could blame everything on the annoying kid."

"Because he was annoying."

"Yeah."

"You and Bri never met him."

"Nope."

"What did Tris and Q find so annoying about him?"

"Better than them at baseball."

"Both of them."

"Yup. It pissed them off."

"So why not frame him for a couple of murders."

"It sounded," she said, "like a real good idea."

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER
35

Deputy D.A. John Nguyen left the observation room smiling. "Why can't you do this all the time?"

"Do what?"

"Make my life easy. Okay, Xerox the murder book for me and I'll have phone subpoenas on everyone activated within two hours, same for broad-based warrants for both families' houses in Bel Air as well the little monsters' desks and lockers at Prep. I'll also suggest to the Feds that Wydette Senior's plane was used to transport dope across state borders to Arizona, they can smooth it with the Aspen police for search of the mountain home. Anything else on your wish list?"

"Sounds good, John." Milo phoned Moe Reed and told him to copy the file.

Nguyen said, "You should be able to execute those warrants by tomorrow a.m."

"There may be a time lag between authorization and execution."

"What? This from Mr. I-Want-It-Yesterday."

"It's complicated, John."

"Seemed to me those bimbos just made it simple."

"On the contrary, John."

Milo carried the taped confessions back to his office. Moe Reed was just leaving with the murder book. His free hand waved a message slip.