“How do you even know if Travis went beyond taking a rap name? A lot of these assholes who call themselves aspiring rappers don’t even rap. They just like the titles and the idea of rapping.”

“Travis posted his music on his MySpace.”

“Him and every other loser.”

“In one of his pieces, there’s a line that refers to ‘the music and the crime—the shit of B and E.’ That could be a reference to the crime of breaking and entering, but it also could be Banks and Ekerling.”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute.” She uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. “What does Rudy Banks have to do with any of this?”

“This is just conjecture, but what if Primo turned Travis down, Travis went to Rudy Banks. Maybe Rudy promised Travis a recording contract if he’d murder Ekerling.”

Marilyn’s eyes got wide. “That’s incredible.”

“It’s possible that Banks had done something like it before—hiring punks to knock off his enemies.” Decker liked his theory, but Marilyn’s expression was highly skeptical.

“You’re telling me that somehow Rudy found out that Travis Martel had been turned down by Primo. So he hired the punk to kill Primo?”

“Maybe he didn’t even need to hire him. Maybe all he needed to do was encourage Travis. Being the punk that he is, he then acted on his own. What intrigues me is now Rudy Banks is missing. I’m wondering why.”

“Missing?” She smiled warmly. “With any luck, he’ll show up dead!”

“Ouch!”

Marilyn dragged on her smoke again. “Okay. Maybe that was harsh. All I’m saying is, it would be a lot easier on the two remaining guys of the Sluts if he was.”

“Liam O’Dell and Ryan Goldberg.”

She nodded.

“I’ve talked to Liam a couple of times. He said he initiated the lawsuit for Ryan’s sake.”

“First of all, it was Primo who initiated the lawsuit.”

“With Liam’s blessing.”

“Of course. Maybe there is some altruism in Mad Irish, but he’s also doing it for himself. The guy’s a washout.”

“He seems at peace with himself.”

“Yeah, and I’m going to be a famous actress!” She puffed mightily on her smoke. “Let me tell you something. Once you’ve been infected by the fame bug, the germ is like herpes, always there lurking in your system, waiting for that chance.”

“After a while I would think that you get realistic.”

“You would think and you’d be wrong, Lieutenant. That’s what happens in the thrilling journey of ninety-nine percent of rock stars: from fame to obscurity before they’re thirty. A few talented souls are able to tread water by doing something else in the industry, but the rest drown. It’s brutal, but in a youth profession, you can’t be onstage for all your life. Primo knew it, so did Rudy.”