one of our coworkers who was there that night, knew she couldn’t go to the police and tell them she was dead, so she reported her missing, hoping Randy wouldn’t find out and that the police would start digging. Well, they did, and that’s when Randy had Crystal call in as Alison to tell them she was fine. The rest of us protected her bestie so he wouldn’t find out who alerted the police.
“So with no makeup artist, Randy tells all of us that we need to find a new one. And if we find one who will also dance, there will be a referral bonus of ten thousand dollars. So Crystal decided to go through Facebook, checking out local makeup artists, sending messages and feeling them out, and then she came across Astrid’s group. She recognized her from the workout classes she does at the gym. And I think you know what happened after that.”
I fill in so Seth understands. “Crystal approached her before class with a card asking if she was looking for a job. And then Astrid told her she was a makeup artist. She and I both thought that was pretty odd, but it turns out, Crystal already knew she was one before she even spoke to her. I wonder why, though. Why not say something like ‘I follow your makeup videos on Facebook and have a job for you if you’re interested’?”
Heather sits forward. “I don’t know if you know this, but Crystal is a conniving, evil bitch. When she realized who Astrid was from her class, she admitted to us girls who were around her while she was searching Facebook that she had been a super-cunt to her because she wanted a piece of her hot boyfriend. So I guess it would’ve been weird for her to suddenly go from bitchy to ‘OMG I follow you on FB!’ so she played dumb. But not very well, apparently.”
I nod. “This is true.”
“So what happened to bring you here now, Heather?” Seth asks.
“Well, I heard Crystal talking yesterday. She’s going to try to convince Astrid to dance tonight,” she explains. “I tried to tell her it would never happen. The way Astrid talks about you, there’s no way you’d be down for her to strip off her clothes for other men.”
My brow lowers and my nostrils flare. “Most definitely not,” I confirm.
“So Crystal said she’s going to ask her just to work in the dance club—no stripping, just dancing—and hope that gets her the bonus from Randy, because he never specified whether the new girl had to be a stripper or not, just that she had to dance.”
“Randy, the club owner who was the last person seen with the victim, Alison, when she was still alive, and then an hour later, her body was being taken out the back door,” Seth confirms.
“That’s him,” Heather replies.
“Who my sister-in-law now works for,” he adds, and she grimaces.
“She’s your sister? I’m sorry; I didn’t know. Yes. But surely she’ll say no to even that, right? You… you must be loaded, being a doctor and all.” She looks at me. “Even the temptation of a thousand bucks an hour won’t faze her… right?” she prompts hopefully, her eyes worried.
The back of my head hits the wall behind me with a thunk as I close my eyes. “A thousand dollars an hour? Just to dance and not take off her clothes? Jesus fuck, how much money is this club fucking making? And yes, she’d be tempted. She’s got it in her head that she wants to earn her own way through college. She refuses to let me pay,” I admit, and when I open my eyes and look at her, she’s nodding, her face considerate.
“I can see that. She’s got a strong head on her shoulders—at least that’s the vibe I get from her when she’s ordering us girls around and keeping us in line to get through our makeup faster. That woman busts ass and hightails it out of there so she can get home to you. But I can’t say I blame her. I mean… look at you.” She gestures up and down my frame, but her tone and expression aren’t flirtatious. If I weren’t dying inside that the love of my life is in the same building as a suspected murderer right now, then I would ponder on the fact that this stranger would most likely be a really good friend to Astrid under normal circumstances. She’s here