Buried In Buttercream

pointing.
    “What powers of observation you have, my dear,” Dirk said, nudging her. “Ever thought about being a detective when you grow up?”
    “Yeah. For a minute. Till I heard I’d have to hang out in dives like this one. Then I decided to be the Tooth Fairy, instead.”
    “How’d that work out for you?”
    “It didn’t. Went broke ... you know, negative cash flow and all.”
    They didn’t even have to approach Bambi. She spotted them almost instantly and hightailed her fake tail across the room to them.
    She was a young, petite brunette with a nice figure that didn’t appear to have been heavily augmented, like Francie’s.
    As Savannah gave her a quick once-over, she decided that Bambi—or whatever her real name was—would have been pretty, if she hadn’t looked so darned hard and mad at the world.
    “Hi,” she said to them. “I heard you were here the other day, talking to Francie. I’ve got something to tell you.”
    Savannah glanced around. Big Willy, his vest, and ponytail were behind the bar, drawing mugs of beer. Francie was nowhere to be seen. And the rest of the Rendezvous crowd’s attention was riveted on a particularly buxom redhead on the pole.
    “So you said on the phone,” Dirk replied. “You on a break now?”
    “Better than that. I’m off!”
    He nodded toward the front door. “Then come out to my car, and let’s talk.”
    “Lemme get dressed. I don’t want to be seen in ... you know ... this.” She waved a hand at the almost-clothes she was almost wearing.
    “Yeah, okay,” Dirk replied. “Meet you out there. It’s the blue Buick.”
    As Bambi scurried away to “get decent,” Savannah and Dirk left the bar and returned to the parking lot.
    “People are funny,” Dirk observed. “Inside those walls, she strips off down to buck naked. But heaven forbid somebody might catch a glimpse of her out here in her bikini.”
    Savannah chuckled. “Hey, a gal’s gotta uphold her standards, whatever they may be.”
    They had only been in the car a couple of minutes when Bambi came strutting out, wearing a pair of super-short shorts, an ultra-skimpy halter top, and flip-flops. She was carrying a ragged duffle bag with a pair of plastic antlers sticking out the top.
    “Oh,” Dirk said. “I’m so glad she got dressed up for us. That outfit’s so much better than the other one.”
    Savannah reached around to unlock the back door for her. “Hey, I never said a gal’s particular standards had to make sense to anyone but her.”
    The door opened, and Bambi crawled into Dirk’s backseat, shoving fast-food wrappers aside to make room for herself and her bag.
    “Can we go somewhere else to talk?” she said with a quick glance back at the front door of the club. “I’d feel more comfortable if ...”
    “Sure,” Dirk said. “Anyplace special?”
    “ ’Bout a half a mile down the road there’s a church with a big parking lot. Sometimes I go there to talk to ... I mean we ... I mean, sometimes us girls ... talk to guys there.”
    The skin on the back of Savannah’s neck crawled, and she was glad that Granny Reid hadn’t heard that. For sure, she’d call down hellfire and damnation on anybody who dared to ... talk ... to customers right there on God’s own property.
    “Oookay,” Dirk said. “Let’s go wherever you’re comfortable.”
    He gave Savannah a sideways glance.
    She shrugged and said, “Standards. I’m telling you ... standards.”

    Savannah could see why Willy’s ladies had chosen this spot for their off-campus rendezvous. It was a large parking lot, and the far end of it was at the edge of a dense woods. A long way from the actual church and with a great view of the open space.
    Most importantly, a body who was up to no good could see the law coming a mile off and get their britches hiked back up in time.
    Ah, the subtleties of the world’s oldest profession, she thought.
    “Okay,” Dirk said as he cut the key on the Buick and turned to face his backseat passenger. “Let ’er rip. Whatcha got?”
    “You two are investigating a murder, right?” Bambi said. “That gal that Francie’s old man was doing ... ?”
    “Yes,” Dirk replied. “How do you know that?”
    She shrugged. “Hey, Willy’s is a small place. We know everything about everybody there.”
    “Everything?” Savannah said, hopeful.
    “Everything worth knowing.” Bambi took a deep breath that threatened to cause her to pop out of her teeny halter top, and said, “For