Lou ran her fingers through her hair, snagging. She winced. “She killed him. She wouldn’t have waited there with him for the police to show up. She’d have tried to get away.”

“So was it vigilante justice for our mark? What happened tonight?”

“No,” she said patiently, like speaking to a slow child. “Nothing happened tonight. Nothing we know about. If we knew Ellen, it was only in passing, some girl we—you—grabbed drinks with once or twice. The only thing that happened tonight was a very young, very stupid girl killed her lover somewhere, in her apartment, on a dirt road, wherever. It doesn’t matter. She was tired of—well, whatever. There will be reasons, but that’s not our job. She killed him, and she put him in the trunk of her car. And then she lost control of the car. A fluke accident.”

An accident, being strangled by your own seat belt. I wasn’t sure anyone would buy that. But there wasn’t anything we could do about it now. “I don’t think anyone saw me,” I said, but I couldn’t be sure. I couldn’t tell if it was only wishful thinking. Those bright lights flicking in my rearview.

Lou stood perfectly still, watching me. No one could stand as still as Lou, even sweating through a silk dress. Looking to see if I was cracking up. If I was a liability. I knew that look, but I’d never been on this end of it before. I pulled the feeling down into my spine, tucked it away in case I needed more nerve in the future.

“No one saw me. I’m sure of it.”

“Good girl,” she said with a brief, tight smile. “The police will have no reason to link the two of you. They won’t be trying very hard, either.”

“I’ve never heard of anyone strangled by their seat belt,” I said, closing my eyes against what I saw as I said it.

“A midmonth bonus should make it more plausible,” Lou said, grabbing her keys and her purse.

I should’ve told her then, that thing I knew and she didn’t. A thing that might make all the difference in the world. But all I could think of was Ellen next to me in the car, teeth chattering, wailing and wild and alive.

“I don’t think either one of us should be alone tonight. I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

“The oldest line in the book,” Lou said, smiling and moving to the door. “It’ll be all right, you’ll see.”

Because I hadn’t been careful, a small line of sand had gathered around the mouth of the juice bottle. I didn’t bother to wipe it clean as I chased more of the gin down my throat.