to make people happy by screwing them and stealing their money? Tell me where the ‘happy’ is in that equation.”
“Why would anyone blame you?” Casey said. “Why would you hurt Andrea?” Casey took a deep breath, and took a chance. “Look, Laurie. I know you were involved with Brandon, okay?”
Laurie inhaled sharply.
“And I know it ended badly. All of his relationships seemed to have ended badly. If he was involved with Andrea, that ended, too. Probably badly.”
“He wasn’t with her. He wasn’t! I would have known it!”
Casey was confused. “So if you were that sure, why would anyone think you’d hurt Andrea?”
Death laughed. “You think she’s going to confess out here in this mini jungle?”
“I wouldn’t hurt her,” Laurie said. “That’s what I’m telling you. People just think I did.” She sniffled. “But I never would have hurt her! Never!” This last was said in a wail, so loud that Death recoiled, and Casey grimaced, thinking of how peaceful it had been back a week ago in that smelly boxcar, with the drunk singing about bottles of beer. No one was dead. No one wanted anything from her. She’d just been uncomfortable and tired and hungry and injured and annoyed. Other than that, it had been heaven.
“Look,” Laurie said, lowering her voice. “I was jealous of her, okay? She was young, and pretty, and I was convinced she was with Brandon. She seemed so content. So unworried about all of the men and problems and frustrations the rest of us had. Just the fact that she could be friends with Krystal—well, that tells you something, doesn’t it? That she thought she didn’t have to compete? I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I confronted her. I asked her why she had to pick Brandon, out of all the men in the building, and she assured me I didn’t need to worry about her taking him away from me.” Laurie rubbed her eyes. “And then…then she said she was sorry. That she knew it must be hard being in love with him when so many women wanted the same thing.”
She looked at her hands. “I hated her for that. That she would be sorry for me. That she obviously thought I didn’t have a chance. I was too old, or too ugly, or too something.” She sniffed loudly. “I was so hurt. I’m sure someone knew. Someone heard. And now they think I killed her.”
Casey took a deep breath and let it out. “Laurie, no one has said anything to me about you killing Andrea.” That was, by all accounts, true. Binns had talked about Laurie, but hadn’t actually said she suspected her.
“Really?” Laurie peeked up at her.
“Really. I don’t think anyone is after you for it. Look, can I help get you inside? Maybe walk you to your apartment?”
“What? No, I’m fine. You…you go on. They’re waiting.”
“But—”
“I’m fine.” Laurie got up, dusted herself off, and held out her arms. “See? Good as new.” And she skittered off, out the front of the trees and away on the sidewalk.
Casey stared after her. “Wow, that is one messed up woman.”
“She’s sad.”
“But about what, exactly? On the one hand she’s sad Andrea’s dead, on the other, she’s still angry with her.”
“She’s sad about everything.” Death walked out of the trees and waited for Casey to retrieve her purse and follow. “She feels guilty about Andrea’s death, she’s devastated that Brandon is gone, and she’s absolutely crushed because she knows he never would have chosen her out of all the women here.”
Casey shook her head. “I guess I can see all those things. But maybe it’s really just that she has a screw loose.”
“Well, granted, there are probably several clanking around in there, but they’re probably because of all the guy trouble.”
Casey took a deep breath, held it, and let it out. “Well, I really don’t know what to think. Is she a crazy killer or just a pathetic, dumped woman?”
Death held out an arm toward the front door of the Flamingo, indicating that Casey should go first. “I think we both know the answer to that.”
“Pathetic and dumped?”
“I really think so.”
“Yeah,” Casey said sadly, walking away from the trees. “I think so, too.”
Chapter Twenty-two
The security guard was the same one as when Casey had returned from the hospital with Gomez two nights before. The young, good-looking one. He recognized her this time, and waved her in. Gomez was there, too, waiting in the lobby under one of the palm trees.