Ashes to Dust (Las Vegas Mystery)

detectives.”
    Alice introduced herself and Snow, and then they followed Erin into her living room, where they seated themselves, Snow in a recliner, Alice in a flowered easy chair.
    “Are you a runner?” Snow asked.
    Erin hooked her lower leg under her and plopped onto the couch. She rested her hand over the bare toes sticking out from under her thigh. With a devilish grin on her face, she looked Snow up and down. “No, I just like to dress like one. It’s comfortable. I’ll bet you’re a runner though.”
    Snow smiled. “How did you know?”
    “You look like you’re in pretty good shape. Pretty buff, too. You must work out.”
    Snow nodded. “I have a weight machine and a rack of dumbbells in a spare bedroom. You?”
    “I wasn’t born this way. Yeah I work out with weights a little. Do some elliptical, stair climber, stationary bike—whatever’s available.”
    “Well, you look pretty good,” Snow said.
    “So do you,” Erin said. “Tall, handsome brute like you. I’ll bet you’ve got the women fawning all over you.”
    Snow chuckled. “If they are, I haven’t noticed any.”
    “Yeah, I bet you’re watching for them though. Aren’t you?”
    Snow’s smile faded. He raised an eyebrow and stared at her. He tried to think of a clever comeback, but nothing intelligent struck him, so he remained silent.
    Erin sighed and turned her head to Alice. “Have you been making much progress with the case so far, Alice?”
    “It’s still early,” Alice said.
    “I guess that means no,” Erin said.
    “That’s a pretty good guess,” Snow said.
    Erin looked at him without speaking. It was an indifferent look—one she might use while peering into a sink full of dirty dishes. She turned her eyes back to Alice and smiled. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you, Alice. I miss Laura. Her death was horrific news. I hope you find the sick bastard who did that to her.”
    “I hope so too,” Alice said. “But it takes a lot of legwork and interviews with anyone who might have been in contact with her recently. We never know when a lead will pop up out of nowhere. That’s why it’s important that you tell us everything you know about Laura, her friends, family. Where she might have been, what she might have done that might have led to her demise. We have a standard set of questions that we usually ask, but if something pops into your mind that you think we should know—don’t hesitate to tell us. Okay?”
    Erin nodded. “Of course, Alice,” she said. “I’ll do my best.” She smiled warmly.
    Alice crossed her legs and started. “I take it you knew Laura fairly well?”
    “We were best friends,” Erin said. “I’ve known her for over three years. Since I started working at Shillington’s; she was already there. We usually worked the same shift, four to midnight, so we hung out together a lot.
    “I loved Laura right from the start. She had a lot of personality and charisma. A lot of fire. And she wasn’t afraid to do or say whatever she felt like. She had guts. And I have to say, I haven’t met many people like her.”
    “How well do you know Crystal Olson?”
    “Very well. Crystal and I are best friends also. I never saw as much of her as I did Laura because she usually works a different shift. But a lot of times the three of us would hang out together. Crystal is different than Laura. She doesn’t always talk much, keeps things bottled up inside her. But she’s a really sweet girl, and I love her for that.”
    “How is her temperament?”
    “Crystal? She’s got one. But no worse than mine or anyone else’s.” Her eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?”
    “We were told she and Laura fought quite a bit, that it got physical at least once.”
    Erin turned her head slightly, peering at Alice out of the corner of her eye. “I hardly ever saw them arguing. They got along great. We all did. Physical in what way?”
    “We were told Crystal punched Laura in the jaw.”
    Erin’s mouth opened. She glared at Alice. “No way. I never heard about anything like that from Laura—or Crystal. And we never kept anything from each other. Who told you about that?”
    “I’d prefer not to say,” Alice replied. “I’m sure you understand.”
    Erin leaned forward. “Kevin Miller. It was him, right? You can’t believe anything that jerk says. He lies about everything. In fact, he’s the one who hit Laura. Eight months ago. That was the main reason they broke up. She said something he didn’t