AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“There’s that word again.”
“Sorry?”
“Go on.”
“We discussed a memorial, here at the studio, and holding another on the Coast.” He sat back, swiveling in the chair. “We covered a lot of ground, how to respond, which specific interviews to accept or assign. It was a very full day as I’d worked with Roundtree and some associates earlier on what editing and amendments needed to be done on the script and the vid already shot. I think Valerie and I stayed at it until about one in the morning. Right now, I’m living on coffee and boosters.”
“Valerie stayed in the guest quarters in your New York residence.”
“We worked late, and wanted to get back at it early this morning.”
“While you were working late did you decide how to handle the media regarding Marlo and Matthew’s relationship?”
“You mean Marlo and Julian.”
“No, I don’t.” She stood up. “Thanks for your time.” She paused on her way to the door. “I meant to ask. Do you keep a car, a vehicle of some kind in the city?”
“I have a car, yes, but most often use our car service and driver so I can work more easily coming and going. Why?”
“Just curious.”
She stepped out.
Roundtree and Connie both had a vehicle, as did Steinburger. Easy enough to check rentals on the others.
She reconnected with Peabody. “We’ll take Asner’s apartment next. What did you get?”
“No alibi for Andi or Julian. Both of them claimed they stayed in, keeping a low profile due to the media hunt. Andi spoke with her husband, but that was about nine in the evening. He’s heading in to New York today so she won’t be alone. Julian admitted—or claimed—he had a bottle of wine, took a tranq with it. He remembered he contacted several friends back home during the evening, but doesn’t remember who or when, due to wine and tranq. And that he dropped his ’link, broke it, and threw it in the recycler.”
“Convenient.”
“Yeah. And you?”
“A lot of calm and compassion from Connie, which seems genuine, but again. A lot of pissed off from Roundtree, and surprise that again seemed genuine re the two Ms. Connie knew. Marlo confessed all to her yesterday. The Roundtrees have two vehicles in New York, and were in separate areas of the house during the time in question.”
“No alibi.”
“No.Valerie and Steinburger state they worked together until one. Their stories match. And real neatly, too.”
“Oh-oh.”
“She bunked in his guest quarters, for efficiency.”
“And another oh-oh.”
“He also keeps a vehicle in New York. But most interesting to me was learning they both should stick with their jobs and not try acting. They suck at it. Valerie’s plugged in like a valve in a heart, and yet she pretended she didn’t know anything about the two lovebirds and kissy-face. I might’ve bought that if she hadn’t been so crappy at lying to me. And if she knew, Steinburger knew—and vice versa. But he also opted to lie, then didn’t even bother to demand what the fuck. He just let it slide away.”
“The third oh-oh might be the charm.”
“Just might. Let’s see if Asner’s apartment has anything to tell us.”
15
UNLIKE THE EARLY-MORNING PULSE AND MUMble, Asner’s building held quiet midday. Everyone off to school, Eve thought, or to work, or to the shops, running errands.
The minute she unsealed and unlocked the door, she thought someone else had run errands.
“Well, either Asner was a really messy guy, or somebody beat us to it.” Peabody stood, lips pursed, as they surveyed the jumble of the small living area.
