I think everyone else present appreciated that. I certainly had no desire to know what Leona had been up to on a blackjack table, even if it wasn’t for real.
The former soap opera star glared at Carmen, but then she caught sight of me hovering in the doorway.
“Emersyn, darling,” she trilled. “Do tell us what delicious dirt you’ve dug up on Freddie.”
“Oh.” I continued to hover. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”
Carmen waved off my apology. “You’re hardly intruding. Draw up a chair. I’m sure we’d all like to hear how the investigation is going.”
The other ladies nodded and murmured their agreement.
Wincing, I crossed the threshold into the apartment. I grabbed a spare chair from the kitchen and pulled it up so I could sit between Rosario and Carmen. As I did so, I glanced toward the credenza, but I couldn’t tell if the dart-pierced drawing of Freddie was still behind it.
“Does everyone in the building know I’m looking into the murder?” I asked.
“Probably not everyone.” Leona sighed and drew the cards in the middle of the table toward her while Rosario marked down the scores.
I suspected they were playing Hearts.
Carmen tipped her head to one side and made a sound of disagreement. “I’d say pretty much everyone.”
So much for my hope to fly under the radar.
“I’m afraid I might end up disappointing everyone,” I confessed. “Mrs. Nagy most of all. I don’t think I’m cut out for this detective stuff.”
“You just need to remember what my dear cousin Princess Di used to say.” Bitty sat up straighter before quoting, “ ‘Nothing is impossible. The word itself says, “I’m possible!” ’ ”
“Wasn’t it Audrey Hepburn who said that?” Carmen asked.
Bitty’s lips formed a thin line. “Perhaps Audrey took it from my cousin.”
All the other ladies rolled their eyes as they pushed their cards toward Rosario. Bitty liked to remind everyone at every opportunity that she was related to the late Princess Di. I didn’t know if it was true or not, but Bitty seemed convinced.
Carmen turned her sharp eyes on me. “Do you have any suspects?”
“Um,” I hedged, with a subtle glance at Rosario, who was now shuffling the deck. “I’m not sure I should reveal any details at this stage.”
Leona tossed the end of her gauzy scarf over her shoulder. “Decent delivery, darling, but next time perhaps inject your words with a little more authority.”
Leona didn’t just love telling everyone about her former television roles, she also enjoyed dishing out acting advice. It didn’t seem to matter if the recipients—like me—weren’t actors.
Although maybe I needed to try acting more like a detective. Fake it till you make it and all that.
“Speaking of the murder,” I said as the ladies started another round of the card game. “Were any of you in the building the morning that Freddie was killed?”
“Ooh!” Leona exclaimed with relish. “Are we all suspects? I wouldn’t mind being questioned by that dishy blond detective.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, woman.” Carmen’s tone could have out-scorched the sun. “Take a cold shower and play a card.”
“I was at the pharmacy, picking up my prescriptions,” Bitty broke in. “Before that, I had breakfast with my granddaughter. By the time I arrived home, the police were everywhere. I do wish my granddaughter would carry herself with more poise. I mean,really. Rings in her nose and studs in her eyebrows! It’s not really a look befitting our status as relatives of the Spencer family. I wanted to give her my hummingbird brooch so she could add some sophistication to her appearance, but I haven’t been able to find it.” She looked a little distressed as she fingered one of the buttons on her cardigan.
“You lost that too?” Rosario asked. “Did you ever find the cameo necklace you misplaced?”
“Not yet,” Bitty replied, her gray eyes troubled, “but it must be in my apartment somewhere.”
Carmen steered the conversation back on track. “I was home all morning. I didn’t leave my apartment until I heard the sirens and saw the police cars out on the street.”
“What about you, Rosario?” I asked, hoping the question sounded casual.
