Page 119
“Forever.” Wizard sniffed sarcastically. “You want to make it up to me, talk Tink into putting me at the top of her list.”
“I’d rather she keep Jesus at the top. At least with him, I won’t have to fear for my life.”
Unable to come up with a believable lie, Wizard returned to studying the list. Pointing at the next screenshot he had taken, he tried to place the woman but came up blank again.
“You remember her?”
Doom leaned forward to stare at the computer screen, which showed the date and time matching the one on the list.
“Yeah … barely. I think she’s a relative of Puck’s. You can see everyone behaved that night.” Doom made an irritated sound as he scratched the woman off the list. “This is ridiculous. Why keep looking? We didn’t see anything like what Cornbread said Stella described happening.”
“I agree.” Linking his hands behind his head, Wizard looked up at the ceiling.
“Then why spend all this time watching the surveillance footage?”
“Because I think she’s been in the club.” Wizard contemplated aloud.
Flinging the pen aside, Doom got up and paced around the room. “If she lied about what happened here, then she could’ve prepared ahead of time and changed her appearance. She could be anyone who walked through the club door.”
“True.” Wizard lowered his head to look at the list. Straightening, he reached for his cigarettes. “Or …” he drawled, “we weren’t the ones she changed her appearance for.”
Doom stopped in his tracks. “She changed her appearance for Cornbread, not us.”
“Yes.” Lighting his cigarette, Wizard took a drag before continuing. “That way, she wouldn’t have to change her appearance much. Just enough to throw us off track if we found out she was the one who arranged for the girls to get inside the club.”
“It still doesn’t help us figure out who Stella is.” Frustration filled Doom’s face.
“Doesn’t it?” Wizard flung his lighter onto the desk. “Think back. Cornbread said he and Stella started dating six months ago. Who started hanging around six months ago?”
Doom’s expression turned introspective as he did what Wizard asked. His eyes cleared after a moment.
“Fuck!”
Seeing that Doom was on the same track, Wizard nodded. “That bitch has been playing us and everyone around her.”
Doom frowned worriedly at his expression. “What are you going to do?”
A cruel smile curled Wizard’s lips. “We love having fun, and I don’t have anything else on my agenda. We can take care of it now.”
“What about the dinner you’re supposed to go to with Natalia? Don’t you need to pick up your suit?”
“Cory is taking her.”
“You’re going to let her ex take her?”
“He’s in a long-term relationship. They’re going as friends.”
“That doesn’t mean an old flame can’t be rekindled.”
“His partner is male,” Wizard informed him.
“I thought you didn’t want her to go without you because there would be so many men there.”
“Apparently, the ball highlights women-owned businesses. It’ll mainly be women and their plus-ones.”
Doom rolled his eyes. “How fast did you get your deposit back on the suit you rented?”
Wizard grimaced. “The fuckers wouldn’t return it. I didn’t give them enough notice.”