Celebrity in Death

When we’re nearly there,” shesaid to Mira, “you could get some Sober-Up in him for me. No point in talking to a drunk.”
    S he was a cunt.” Eyes alert, Andrea chugged down coffee. “It’s a term I use for particularly nasty people of either sex, and she was a world-class cunt. I disliked her in the part because I found the character of Peabody so appealing. Water was never wet enough for K.T.”
    She paused a moment, smiled. “And that was a very poor choice of words, considering.” She threw back her head and laughed. “I don’t give a rat’s warty ass she’s dead. It only means she’s a dead cunt.”
    “That’s a strong opinion.”
    “And the only kind worth having. I threatened to shove a stick up her twat and light it on fire just yesterday. Maybe the day before. I lose track as there was rarely a day that went by she didn’t make me want to strangle her with my bare hands after I’d beaten her in the face with a rusty shovel.”
    Andrea drank some coffee, smiled over the rim. “She tended to stay out of my way.”
    “I bet.”
    “I don’t mind being a suspect when the corpse is a shit-for-brains fuckwit, but if I’d killed her it would’ve been bloody and loud. And I’d have enjoyed it too much to keep it to myself.”
    For the moment at least, Eve believed her. And cut her loose.
    The minute Joel Steinburger strode in, he grabbed for the controls.
    “We have to get a few things straight.”
    “Do we?”
    “Nothing can be released to the media until I, Valerie, or one of my people vets it. This feed has to be carefully massaged. I need my ’link.I can’t be out of contact with my people at a time like this. In addition, I need everyone here—that includes the staff, the police, all the guests—to sign a nondisclosure agreement. We can’t have some server running to the tabloids selling some twisted version of tonight, or some underpaid cop trying to line his pockets with a ’link vid of K.T. lying up there dead. I’m told you plan to have her taken to the morgue. We can’t have that.”
    “We can’t?”
    “I can arrange for a private facility, a private examiner. Jesus Christ, do you know how much one of those Internet hounds would pay for a picture of K.T. Harris, naked on some slab in the morgue?”
    “Anything else?”
    “Yes. I need—”
    “What you need has to wait because you have the right to remain silent. And I suggest you fucking do so until I finish Mirandizing you.”
    “What are you talking about?” He looked genuinely shocked. “What is she talking about?” he demanded of Mira.
    “Joel,” Mira began as Eve continued to recite. “Take a breath. Take a moment. Lieutenant Dallas has to do her job.”
    “I have to do mine! Everybody involved in this production requires I give this incident all my attention, and make certain it’s handled properly.”
    “Do you understand your rights and obligations?” Eve asked him.
    “You’re not going to treat me like a criminal.” He folded his arms. “I want my lawyers.”
    “Fine. Contact them. We’ll go down to Central and wait for them to get there. No problem.”
    “You can’t—”
    “Yes, I can.” Eve slapped her badge on the table. “I’m in charge here. This and the dead woman on the roof put me in charge. You can giveme a statement here or we can go to Central and wait for your lawyers. That part’s up to you.”
    “You’re going to watch your tone or I’ll be speaking with your superiors.”
    “Whitney, Commander Jack. Have at it.”
    Steinburger let out a long breath. The color that had flooded his face cooled a little. “I want you to understand, this is my project, these are my people. I’m just trying to protect my project, my people.”
    “And I’m trying to find out how a woman we all had dinner with a few hours ago ended up facedown in the lap pool. I win. Here or there, Joel. Your choice.”
    “Fine. Fine. What do you
want?
None of us did anything to K.T. It’s obvious she had an accident. I don’t want the media snickering about her being drunk. I don’t want Roundtree and Connie suffering because she got drunk and careless in their home.”
    “Were you on the roof tonight?”
    “No.”
    “Did you have any problems with the deceased?”
    “No.”
    “Now that’s got to be a lie. Are you the only person in this house who didn’t have one?”
    He held up his hands, let out a long sigh. “I’m not saying she wasn’t difficult. She was an artist. Actors are