“So let me get this straight. Garth and Aaron screwed Adrianna, Greg screwed Crystal, but not Adrianna. Did Garth ever screw Crystal?”

“Don’t know.”

“Did Aaron ever screw Crystal?”

“Don’t know.”

“And how does Mandy Kowalski fit into all of this?”

“Mandy worked with Garth,” Oliver said. “She complained he came on to her.”

Decker said, “I’m writing all of this down. Trying to get some kind of flowchart.” He waited a beat. “Also, Kathy Blanc told me that she thought that Mandy was the one who set Adrianna up with Garth. So there’s another connection. We’ve got more arrows than I thought. Okay. I’ll take Aaron, see what he has to say.”

“It would be very convenient for him to admit that he screwed Crystal.”

“Yes, indeed. Not that it’s against the law to have had sex with two girls who wind up dead, but after looking over this flowchart, I can tell you that it doesn’t look too good on paper.”

THE WORLD MIGHT be an artist’s canvas, but Aaron Otis used his own body as one. The guy was inked from the neck down, leaving his face a monotone mask. Tan skin, tan hair, light brown eyes, and lots of wrinkles indicating a life outdoors. His hair was wild and curly. He looked like a multicolored lion.

“This is totally freaky.” He was gripping a coffee cup with trembling hands. “Like a crazy coincidence.”

“A coincidence?” Decker repeated.

“Or like maybe not.”

“Both of the girls were friends of yours?”

“Acquaintances, sure.”

Decker had many acquaintances. He only had sex with his wife. “I’m trying to find Greg Reyburn. He isn’t answering his door and his cell goes straight to voice mail. Would you know where he is?”

Aaron rubbed his face. “We were partying last night. I left the bar at one.”

“Where?” Decker took out his notebook.

“Wild Card…it’s on Cahuenga just past Ventura.”

“Okay. You left the place at one. What about Greg?”

“I don’t know. He was talking up a girl. Maybe he hooked up with her.”

“But his car is in his apartment parking-lot space.”

“I drove last night. When I left, I asked Greg about a ride home; he told me he was cool. So he could be at someone else’s house sleeping it off. It isn’t that late.”

It was ten after ten. Decker had been up for four hours. “Let’s go back a little bit. Why don’t you start at the beginning of your trip.”

“You mean my trip with Greg and Garth?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”

“That’s way back.”

“It’s less than a week ago.”