violence. But should she take the word of an overly-dramatic young man who wasn’t exactly the best when it came to judging women?
“Why didn’t he say anything before?” she whined.
Death took a seat at the table. “He was terrified. Tamille has that effect on people, you know. You might be just as accomplished as she—maybe more so, seeing how you beat her the other day—but you just don’t have the…you know…” Death waved a hand.
“The tall, Amazonian, I-could-eat-you-as-soon-as-kill-you thing?”
“Exactly.”
“So Dylan didn’t tell Binns he thinks Tamille is a killer because he was afraid—”
“—she’d kill him. You got it.”
Casey lay her head on the table. “Why? Why do I get involved in these things?”
“Bad karma?”
She rolled her head back and forth on the wood, then got up and went to the kitchen, where she stared into her refrigerator. She grabbed a rotisserie chicken she’d bought, cut off some slices, and made a sandwich. “There’s got to be something in Andrea’s room to prove she was engaged to Brandon. If she really was. No woman has a fiancé and doesn’t have at least one thing in her apartment that’s his.
“Unless she was hiding the relationship.”
“Even then.” She drummed her fingers on the counter. “I wonder if Binns knows about it.”
“Call her. You can at least tell her about that.”
Casey wiped off her hands and grabbed her phone.
“This is Binns.”
“It’s Daisy Gray.”
“Oh. Sorry I had to run out before you got there last night. You spoke to the Parkers?”
“Yes, and they told us Andrea was engaged.”
Silence on the line. “Name?”
“Don’t know. Her parents didn’t even know his name. But they’re expecting him to come around now they’re here.”
“They’re going to be disappointed, aren’t they?”
“I think so. You haven’t heard anything about this, I take it?”
“Not a peep. Thanks for passing it on. Anything else?”
Casey hesitated.
“What is it, Ms. Gray?”
“Nothing. Not now, anyway. I need more information.”
“About what?”
“Gotta go.” Casey hung up.
The phone began ringing immediately. Casey could see from the display that it was Binns.
“You can’t give a cop that kind of stuff and hang up,” Death said.
“But I can’t rat out someone who hasn’t had a chance to tell me the truth.”
“So you’re going to ask Tamille.”
“She deserves that much, at least.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s like me.”
“A woman with a fake name and a tragic past, with law enforcement on her tail?”
“No. She’s…you saw her take me on. She’s a fighter.”
“And you’re a fighter, too? The woman who’s always asking me to take her to the other side? Who’s always turning tail and running?”
“I’ve stopped asking you, haven’t I?”
“For five whole days. That’s convincing. You wanna place a bet on how long it is till the next time you come to me crying, saying life’s not worth living?”
But Casey wasn’t listening anymore. She was thinking about Tamille. “Do we know where Tamille works?”
“I don’t.”
“Let’s find out.” Casey took a few last bites of sandwich and ran down to the office, stopping suddenly at the sight of the lobby bar.
Death stopped, too. “What?”
“Now I remember. I was supposed to come down and talk to Jack last night. I completely forgot.”
“Makes sense. The one normal person here is bound to get ignored.”
Casey groaned. “I hope he didn’t wait long.”
“He doesn’t seem the type. When you didn’t show he probably figured something came up, and went to bed.”
“I don’t want him to think I stood him up on purpose. Do you think it hurt his feelings?”
“You’re mean to me, and I don’t take it personally.”
“But I want to get rid of you.”
Death sniffed and turned away.
Maria was at her desk, looking only marginally more rested than she had the night before, but was at least back to her unwrinkled clothes and perfect hair.
“Tamille,” Casey said. “Where does she work?”
Maria regarded her coolly. “I can’t give out that information. It’s personal. We don’t give out personal information.”
“Oh, please. You don’t think I can find out on my own?”
“If you could, would you be in here?”
“Not if I could find it quickly. I have a class in thirty-five minutes. Come on, Maria. Please?”
Maria pinched her lips together, but her forehead relaxed. “Fine. She works down at the marina. The one just down the street. Bayside.”
“I’ve seen it. I turn right out the front door?”
“That’s it.”
“Thank you!” Casey called this last over her shoulder as she trotted toward the street.
“Daisy?” Del sat at one of the tables in the lobby, eating a gourmet sandwich on a paper wrapper. His face was open and happy, and he looked like he was