Wyatt’s charm put Minnie at ease, and she lowered her hand from her throat. “I was in and out for the first part of the morning, loading a few of my pieces into a van so they could be transported here to the gallery.”
“You work at home?” I asked with surprise. I didn’t think their one-bedroom apartment had room to accommodate an art studio. I certainly hadn’t seen any signs of one while I was at the cocktail party.
“Not usually,” Minnie replied. “Sometimes on small pieces. And I had a couple that were hanging on the wall in the apartment. The gallery sent a van to pick up all my work, both from home and from my studio. It parked in the alley while we moved everything downstairs.”
“Did you see anybody while you were loading the van?” Jemma asked.
“The driver, of course, but either Yolanda or I was with him the entire time,” Minnie said. “I don’t recall seeing anyone else.”
I thought that over. “What about Yolanda? Did she see anyone?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“And once all the pieces were loaded into the van?” I prodded.
“The driver brought them here to the gallery. I went back upstairs to my apartment.”
“What time was that?” Wyatt asked.
“I’m not entirely sure, but it was maybe an hour later that I heard all the sirens and realized that something had happened.”
I put the next question to her. “Was Yolanda with you during that hour?”
Minnie’s gaze skittered about. “Not the entire time.”
“Can anyone else vouch for your whereabouts?” Jemma asked.
Minnie’s hand fluttered back to the base of her throat. “I…No…But…”
Theo jumped back into the interrogation. “You told us that you only ever spoke to Freddie to say hello, but he had a Grub Tubz flyer, and you’re a sales rep.”
Minnie shook her head, her eyes unmistakably lit with fear now. “I don’t sell the Grub Tubz products.”
“Leona said that she got her water bottle from you,” Wyatt said before I had a chance.
“I gave it to her as a sample. I thought if I did that, maybe she’d want to buy some.”
“But you said you’re not a sales rep,” Jemma reminded her.
“I’m not,” Minnie maintained.
“She’s telling the truth.”
Our heads turned in unison toward the new voice.
Yolanda stood just outside the alcove, glaring at us.
She crossed her wiry arms over her chest before adding, “I’m the one who gave Freddie the flyer.”
I fought the urge to shrink away from her. She stood several inches taller than me, and the way she glowered at us suggested that she wouldn’t mind wringing our necks.
She stepped into the alcove and put a protective arm around her petite partner. “Why are you interrogating Minnie?”
Theo seemed unfazed by Yolanda’s annoyance. “She had reason to be angry with Freddie. Plus, there was gold leaf on Freddie’s body, and Minnie uses gold leaf in her artwork.”
“Sometimes I do,” Minnie admitted. “But I didn’t kill Freddie. I got rid of my anger by playing darts with Rosario. After that, I was fine.”
“Then maybe you killed him because of the whiskey,” Jemma said.
