“Close to the vest,” said Herrera. “Haven’t heardthatin a long time. My dad used to say it. Heworevests. Part of his three-piece suits, he was a banker. We’d bug him about stuff and he’d puff out his vest with his thumbs and say, ‘Nope, need to keep it close to the vest.’ ”
She blushed. “Sorry, that was irrelevant and inane.”
Diffenbach put her arm around Herrera’s shoulder. “No it wasn’t, it was charming and life could use some charming, Lord knows there’s so much freakin’uglyout there.”
She began to cry softly, dabbed her eyes with her sleeve before Milo could produce one of the tissues he carries around.
Herrera studied her friend as if waiting for a cue. Her own eyes glossed but they stayed dry. She frowned, as if displeased by her limited grief.
I said, “Were there any other men in Sophie’s life?”
“Not that we know of,” said Herrera. “After Heck, Sophie decided to concentrate on Sophie.”
“How so?”
“More time in the gym, reading, taking hikes. She talked about learning to sew. About going to France, the Loire Valley. She’d eventhought about switching from her condo to a house with a yard so she could get into gardening.”
Diffenbach said, “Between her marriage and losers like Heck, she decided to refocus.”
Milo said, “There were problems in her marriage?”
“Just the fact that it ended,” said Herrera. “Her husband—Bradley—was a great guy. She told us she really loved him. Then he got killed and it shattered her world.”
“Freakin’ drunk going the wrong way,” said Diffenbach. “You live your life and some bastard ends it. At least the drunk died, too.”
Herrera said, “Sophie said Bradleywasinteresting. Smart. Firefighter and EMT.”
“No way Heck could live up to that,” said Diffenbach. “He was, what, a paralegal?”
Milo said, “He manages a law office.”
“Whatever,” said Herrera. “It’s not rocket science.”
Diffenbach shifted uncomfortably. Thinking of her own job keeping the books?
Herrera said, “She needed more than someone she worked out with at the gym.”
Irony in short supply tonight.
Milo said, “Same gym you guys use?”
Ashley Herrera waved a dismissive hand. “We’re members at Platinum Bodies in Brentwood. Sophie joined after we did, after leaving that dump where she methim.”
“Which dump is that?” said Milo.
“Some place on Pico, couldn’t tell you the name. She left because it was super loud and smelly with all the weight lifting and the grunting. You know. Guys trying to prove something.”
“Sophie didn’t want bulges, she wanted to be toned,” said Maria Diffenbach. “She tookcareof herself. It’s notfair.”
She began crying again.
Ashley Herrera said, “I need to hydrate,” and hurried off to a well-appointed kitchen.
This time Milo was quick enough with one of his tissues and Maria Diffenbach had put it to good use by the time Herrera returned with four bottles of Dasani water. Three full, one half consumed.
She uncapped a bottle for her friend and put the other two in front of us. We watched as both women drank greedily.
Ashley Herrera finished hers and looked over. “You guys really should. A stressful job depletes cells.”
