we were all a little preoccupied." Ava frowned, and I could see her veering into guilt riddled waters again.
"Did you see Gia after the show?" I asked.
"After?" I might have imagined it, but I thought his voice rose just the slightest on that word. "No." He shook his head vigorously. "I did not see her."
"Did you go to the lounge?" I asked. I didn't recall having seen him there, but it had been crowded.
"Wh-what?" He blinked at me as if not understanding the question.
"After the show. Did you go straight to the lounge for the reception or did you come backstage?"
His eyes narrowed, and I noticed for the first time that they were rimmed in soft, nude eyeshadow. "The police asked me that too. Though, I can't imagine why everyone wants to know. Surely no one thinks I stole that necklace and did poor Gia in."
Actually, the thought had crossed my mind.
"Of course not," Ava said, quickly jumping in. "We're just wondering if you saw anyone heading backstage. Or noticed anything out of place."
"No." The word was laced with finality. "I was with Fabio, my boyfriend. We were celebrating a successful show. Together," he emphasized.
"That's so important," Ava said, putting a hand on his arm. "You know, to have someone you can lean on at a difficult time like this."
Her sympathy softened his expression some. "Yes, well, Fabio is a doll. Love of my life."
I noticed that he hadn't actually answered my question about where he and the love of his life had been, exactly. "So you and Fabio went straight to the lounge to celebrate?" I asked.
"We were actually celebrating privately, if you must know. In one of the cabanas by the pool." He gave me a pointed look, like if I had to ask exactly what sort of celebrating they were doing together, I was terribly naïve.
"So I guess you didn't see Gia at all after the show, then," Ava surmised.
"No," Costello confirmed. "Like I said, I did not." He fiddled with the button on the sleeve of the jacket hanging on the rack in front of him.
"Were you avoiding her because of your argument?" I asked, watching for a reaction.
His fingers froze, and his gaze slowly rose to meet mine. "I'm sorry. Argument?"
I licked my lips, feeling distinctly intrusive. "I, uh, couldn't help but overhear the raised voices. You and Gia just before the show yesterday."
He blinked at me, and for a moment I thought he was going to deny it. But then he spread his arms wide in a theatrical motion. "Oh that. It was nothing."
I'd overheard him accuse her of threatening him, which had not felt like nothing at the time. "What was it about?" I pressed.
"This is a high stress business, and people argue all the time."
I wasn't sure, but he seemed to be avoiding my questions.
But before I could say anything in response, he continued. "Listen, Gia was a very opinionated person. She argued with people all the time. In fact, I heard her arguing with Hughie over the phone just before I went into her dressing room."
"Hughie?" Ava asked.
Costello brushed stray lint off his sweater. "Hughie Smart. Gia's agent. From Smart Models?"
Being that I was a few inches too short and more than a few pounds too heavy to qualify as a model, I'd never heard the name.
"Anyway, confrontation was just Gia's way," he said, still trying to make light of it all.
"What was Gia arguing with her agent over?" Ava asked.
Costello let out a humorless laugh. "Well, she only threatened to fire him."
"Fire him?" Ava echoed. "Why?"
He shrugged. "Search me, dahlings. Gia's business was Gia's business." His eyes went to a spot behind us. "Uh, Joey, let's get the rest of these bags into the van quickly, huh?" He turned his attention back to us. "Sorry, ladies, if you'll excuse me."
He didn't wait for an answer before brushing past us to grab an armload of garment bags and shove them at his young assistant.
CHAPTER THREE
Since we were at the Links anyway and we'd both skipped breakfast, Ava and I found an empty table on the terrace and ordered a couple plates of the brunch special, a Roasted Tomato Frittata. In deference to the mild headache still pounding out a memory of last night's overindulgence, I ordered more coffee in lieu of a mimosa. Ava went for an herbal tea, and as soon as the server arrived with them both, Ava turned to me.
"So what do you think of Costello's story?"
"Story?" I