“That shit’ll kill you,” Victor quipped, just before lifting a sifter of cognac to his lips.
Bella shook her head and laughed.
“What’s this about, Bella?” Taylor asked.
Bella walked over to the bar where Victor was standing. “Hook a sistah up,” she said with a nod toward the cognac.
Victor pulled a glass and poured Bella a drink. She could tell that he was surprised since she’d always turned down offerings of alcohol in the past. “I went to question Kara,” Bella told them.
“Oh, and what did that bitch have to say?” Taylor asked with a scowl.
“Well, the first time I questioned her, she said that she only knew Collier from work. She said that she didn’t speak to him the day you were shot or the day he was murdered. I told her that her phone records indicated otherwise. Then blah, blah, blah… She wanted a lawyer. She was supposed to come in this morning, but she didn’t show. So, I went out there.” Bella took a generous sip of cognac.
“And?” Taylor urged.
“Oh, and when I got there, she was dead.”
Taylor’s mouth flew open. Bella could tell that she was stunned, not in the least bit sad, but shocked. Taylor had no sympathy for the woman who had solicited her murder.
“Damn, Kara’s dead,” Victor mused.
“Not just dead butdecapitated,” Bella clarified.
In silence, Taylor walked over to the bar and fixed her own drink “So, you were thinking that we had something to do with cutting off a woman’s head?”
“Naw, but I had to ask.”
Bella walked over to the sofa and sat. She knocked back the rest of her cognac and pointed her glass in Taylor’s direction, indicating that she wanted a refill. Taylor looked at Bella as if she’d grown a third eye. She grabbed the glass from her hand a stood over her.
“What’s gotten into you?” Taylor asked since Bella wasn’t known to drink anything stronger than wine.
Bella blew out a harsh breath and leaned back on the sofa. “It’s this case,” she grumbled. “This fucking case is just getting bigger and bigger. Collier’s dead. Kara’s dead. And, now, I’m chasing some mystery bitch without one clue as to who the hell she is.”
Taylor turned to sit next to Bella on the sofa, but Bella pushed Taylor by the butt, prohibiting her from sitting. Taylor turned to Bella with a questioning glare.
“Heffa, fix my drink,” Bella blurted.
Victor laughed and grabbed the glass from Taylor’s hand. “I got it.”
Taylor narrowed her eyes, daring Bella to stop her, as she made another attempt to sit.
“What’s next?” Victor asked.
“Well, the first thing I gotta do is find this mystery woman. Until I find her, I’m dead in the water. Governor, I need to speak with your wife.”
“Stop calling her that!” Taylor snapped.
“Sorry,” Bella muttered. “But I do need to speak with Rosemary. Is she here?”
“No, she’s hiding out at my brother’s.”
“Which brother?” Bella asked, reciting a silent prayer that the brother that Victor was referring to wasn’tLucas.
“Lucas,” Taylor practically hummed.
Bella shot Taylor aglare that clearly said, “Shut the fuck up.”
Victor, ignoring the exchange between the friends, handed Bella her refilled glass. “I’ll give him a call. When do you wanna stop by?”
