Beth said, “Exactly. Then she meets a producer and he’s going to give her an actress job?”
“She was so so happy,” said Yoli. “I didn’t want to burst her bubble.”
“I told her,” said Beth. “She yelled at me. That’s the last time we spoke.”
“Oh,” said Yoli. “Sorry.”
They looked at each other again.
Tears flowed. Lots of them.
—
We spent a few more minutes, Milo asking the right questions, repeating some of them. Learning only that mention of “the producer” had come up a week before Marissa’s death.
“First time we heard from her in like a week, two, I dunno,” said Yoli.
Beth said, “She is telling us she is right and we are wrong.”
I said, “When’s the last time you saw her?”
Another ocular consultation.
Yoli said, “Two and a half weeks ago?”
Beth said, “About. Before she told us about him. It was an opening.”
“Of?”
“A clothes place,” said Yoli. “Mama Baba on Melrose. She said they needed girls for pictures but when we showed up, they took like one picture.”
“Of her,” said Beth. “Show them.”
Yoli retrieved her purse and scrolled her phone.
One of the images we’d already seen. Marissa at the center, Yoli to the left.
Beth said, “We left fast.”
“Crazy,” said Yoli.
“Stupid,” said Beth. Sharpness in her voice. She realized it and slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry. Not her fault. It’s wanting something too much. But you don’t do that.”
I said, “Go to openings?”
“No, I mean him.” Forming air quotes. “He say he’s a producer so you just go? He killed her?”
Milo said, “We really don’t know much yet. Anyone else you can think of who might want to take advantage of her?”
“Probably a lot of guys,” said Yoli. “It’s that way anytime you go out.”
“Did Marissa complain about anyone?”
“Uh-uh.” She looked at Beth.
Beth said, “Not to me.”
Yoli said, “We always thought she was fearless.”
