She played a card. “I was out all morning. My sweet little Zeus was under the weather, so I took him to the vet. They were already behind, so we had to wait nearly half an hour before we saw the doctor. I came home to find the police crawling all over the building.”
“Zeus being…?” I prompted, wondering if she’d admit to the type of pets she had in her unit.
“A snake, dear,” Carmen answered for her. “Why on God’s green earth anyone would choose a snake as a pet, I really don’t understand.”
“We’ll all be crushed to death in our sleep!” Leona exclaimed, pressing bejeweled fingers to her chest. “Oh, the peril!”
“Scarlet kingsnakes are harmless,” Rosario said sharply.
I wondered if the other ladies thought Rosario had only the one snake or if they knew she had several. Leona must have at least suspected that there was more than one reptile, considering the arguments she’d heard between Rosario and Freddie.
“What time did you leave the building?” I asked Rosario. “Did you see anything suspicious on your way out? Somebody hanging around the lobby maybe?”
Another round of the game had ended, so Rosario pushed her cards over to Carmen, who shuffled the deck.
Then Rosario considered—or at least pretended to consider—the question. “I didn’t see anyone. And I must have left around nine o’clock in the morning because Zeus’s appointment was scheduled for nine-fifteen.”
I made a mental note of that information. I’d have to get Theo to check the video surveillance footage to confirm the time of Rosario’s departure.
If, in fact, Rosario was telling the truth, then she had an alibi for the time of the murder, leaving the spotlight of suspicion shining fully on Hoffman. I wanted her to have a solid alibi because I didn’t want the killer to be someone living in the building with us, but the thought that Hoffman could very possibly be a murderer still set off a squidgy feeling in my stomach.
I thought about the eyelash Theo found in Freddie’s apartment. Keeping my eyes on Leona, I asked, “Do any of you know if Freddie had a woman in his life?”
Leona let out a gusty laugh that was more than a little over-the-top. “Freddie wasn’t much of a head turner, although I suppose some people do have to settle for less than movie-star good looks.”
It was clear from her tone that she didn’t consider herself such a person.
I glanced around at the other ladies. Carmen rolled her eyes,but it was Rosario who caught my interest. She pressed so hard while marking down the latest scores that the end of the pencil snapped. I noticed a hint of pink in her cheeks as she made a sound of frustration and jumped up to fetch a pencil sharpener from across the room.
Interesting.
I really would have to check out that alibi because, at the moment, I wasn’t sure I bought it.
“Rosario,” I said once she’d returned to the table, “I got the impression that maybe Freddie was…special to you.”
Her eyes grew almost comically wide. “Where—what—why would you think that?” she sputtered.
“I don’t know.” I pretended to be confused. “I thought I heard someone say you were seeing him.”
“Pishposh!” Carmen gave a dismissive flick of her hand. “Rosario has more sense than that.”
Rosario nodded as if both agreeing with and thanking Carmen for her support, but her cheeks had turned a brighter shade of pink, and there was a fearful, hunted look in her eyes.
“Did anyone have any conflicts with Freddie in recent weeks?” I asked, wondering if Rosario would admit to her arguments with the victim. “Anyone you haven’t already mentioned,” I added quickly when I saw Leona about to speak, her eyes fixed firmly on Rosario.
Leona snapped her mouth shut and appeared to be giving my qualified question some thought.
“There was that incident with Minnie,” Bitty offered.
Carmen dealt the cards. “But Minnie wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” Rosario picked up her new hand of cards and fanned them out. “Our sweet Minnie definitely has a dark side.”
Chapter
Twenty-Four
Leona gasped. “Not darling Minnie!”
