V Is for Vengeance

area right about the time Audrey went off the bridge. This is a guy just out of prison with dangerous associates. It’s possible she came across information that would have put him away, so he threw her over the rail.”
    “What information?”
    “Sorry, but I can’t say. This was told to me in confidence, so you’ll have to take my word for it. If you’ll remember, she was in jail for a couple of hours before I arrived with the bail. Speculation has it she saw something she wasn’t supposed to see.”
    “Such as what?”
    “I already told you I can’t get into it. Point is, if she’d blown the whistle on the guy, he’d have gone back in the slammer. Might have been more to it. Cops are not above tampering with evidence. Maybe that’s what she got wind of.”
    “You’re saying she was murdered because of something she found out.”
    “At the station. That’s what I just said.”
    “So she wasn’t affiliated with a retail-theft ring.”
    “Would you quit harping on that? Right from day one, you’ve exaggerated the whole incident. She pilfered a few items. Big deal.”
    “What about the booster gear?”
    “There’s no proof she wore booster gear. That’s all part of the attempt to discredit her. Did you see it yourself? I doubt it.”
    “Of course not. I didn’t know Audrey at that point, so how would I know anything about her underwear?”
    “Just stick to the facts. Did you or did you not see booster gear? The answer is no. The entire time I knew her, did I ever see this alleged gear? No, again. Just because some cop put it in the police report doesn’t make it true.”
    I stood and stared at him, processing what he’d said. I was about to remind him I hadn’t read the police report, but that was beside the point. He’d reverted to whitewashing Audrey’s character, but what had caused the shift? I glanced over at Earldeen, who’d propped her chin on her fist, fascinated by the discussion. I wanted to slap her face but thought better of it.
    He said, “This is refreshing. For once, you’re at a loss for words.”
    “Because what I’m hearing you say is you now believe Audrey was the victim of a conspiracy that originated with the police.”
    “Makes a lot more sense to me than your theory.”
    “What prompted your change of heart?”
    “There’s no change of heart. I said from the get-go she was innocent. So what if she snitched a teddy? For cripes sake, that doesn’t make her a hard-core criminal.”
    I shut my mouth and let him run on.
    “You know what your problem is?” he asked. He pointed with his cigarette, which came perilously close to my face. “You want to believe the worst about people. Doesn’t matter to you if there’s proof or not.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “You were married to a police officer accused of beating a guy to death, right?”
    “I told you about that.”
    “No, you did not. You mentioned you were married to a cop who was a friend of Detective Priddy’s and you said Priddy was a creep. What you didn’t say was your ex-husband was exonerated. Interesting you elected to leave that part out.”
    “I don’t see the relevance.”
    “You don’t? Well, think about it. You were so sure you were right, you abandoned the guy when he needed you most.” He dropped his cigarette on the floor and stepped on it.
    “It didn’t happen that way,” I said.
    “You can quibble all you like, but I’m close enough, am I correct?”
    “Marvin, you’re trying to draw a parallel between my relationship with my ex and my belief in Audrey’s guilt. You’re saying Mickey was eventually cleared and therefore she will be too. Is that it?”
    “Right. And she’s dead, same as the guy you were married to.” He looked skyward and tapped his chin like a cartoon character. “Hmmm. Let’s see. What do these two stories have in common?”
    I said, “Those two situations are so different I can’t even begin to set you straight.”
    “Don’t be so defensive. I’m just telling you what I was told.”
    “By Len Priddy.”
    “I didn’t say it was him.”
    “Of course it was.”
    He shrugged. “You don’t like the guy, that doesn’t mean he’s trying to do you in,” he said. “At any rate, I apologize for being rude. I should have asked why you’re here. Let me guess. You used up the balance of the retainer and you’re hoping to hit me up for more.”
    “That’s true, but the game has changed, hasn’t it?” I said mildly. I was