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“We heard,” I say. “Lulu Star?”
Sade grins and shakes her head as I steal her information.
“Yeah, you know her?”
“Not personally.”
Terry leads us past the heavy, maroon booths to the bar. It’s elevated slightly so that it looks down on the stage and the little circular tables surrounding it.
“Let me just grab Jim. He’s in the back.” Terry leaves us at the bar, disappearing through a door behind the bar with a posted sign that reads: STAFF ONLY.
“This place feels like a sex dungeon,” Sade says the moment he’s gone.
“You don’t like it?”
“I didn’t say that.”
I laugh at the look on her face. “It is veryred.”
“Do you know what it makes me think of?”
“Vampires?” I throw out my earlier thought.
“Oh, my God! Exactly!”
“Well aesthetic aside, the music is killer. The drinks are decent too.”
“You come here?”
“Every couple of weeks. It’s close to my apartment, and I like the music. It prevents me from having to make conversation at the bar.”
“Wait!”
Sade sounds so alarmed that I look around hastily, assessing for threat. “What?”
“You havea home? Like an actual apartment with a bed and a television?”
“Very funny.” I relax my posture, but my mouth is threatening with a smile.
Sade grins and, with a small shrug, adds, “I thought you just slept under your desk.”
“Only a few times.”
Her eyes narrow. “I don’t know if you’re joking or not.”
I’m prevented from replying by the back door opening. This time, Terry is accompanied by James Kelly, AKA Jim.
“Detective,” he greets Sade. “What can I do for you?”
“We just have a few follow-up questions.” Sade pulls the photographs out of the folder she’s holding.
As she lays them out on the bar, I begin with, “The night of June tenth, you mentioned that you saw Elizabeth York in here?” I point to her picture on the bar top.
“Lizzie. Yeah.” Jim nods. “She was a regular.”
“What can you tell me about her?”
He picks up the photograph and looks at her face. “She was what we call a Party Prima Donna. I mean, look at her.” He passes me the photo. “She was dressed like that every time she came in—gorgeous. Make-up was always perfectly done up. Megawatt smile.”
