counter across from her, sipping the Coke. “With Jessica. And . . . here.”
“Keep cleanin’.” Chessy waved her hand. “Can’t you talk and devein at the same time, girl?”
Nikki neatly ripped out another vein. “I was wondering if you knew.” She gave a little laugh. “Of course you know. You know everything that goes on here. I guess what I’m asking is if you could tell me what happened here Monday. Who went where, when,” she said quickly, before she lost her nerve or her grip on a slippery shrimp.
“Your floozy girl got herself an alibi?”
“She does.” Nikki nodded. “She was at a real estate conference downtown . . . and she did some shopping. Plenty of people saw her.”
The door that led into the main part of the house opened and Chessy’s daughter, Shondra, entered the kitchen carrying a plastic caddy with cleaning supplies. She threw the caddy up on the counter. “I swear, if that man doesn’t stop cutting his toenails in that bathroom and flippin’ ’em all over the floor, I’m going to kill him.” She glanced up at Nikki as she headed for the refrigerator and lifted an eyebrow. “Real estate business gone sour for you?”
Nikki held up both hands, a shrimp in one, the deveiner in the other. “It’s always good to have a backup plan, right?”
“She was tryin’ to bribe me, get me to give up who was where that day,” Chessy explained.
“I wasn’t trying to bribe you,” Nikki protested, the guilt creeping in again.
Chessy broke into a grin. “ ’Course you wasn’t. I know good people when I see ’em. But I got you to devein them shrimp, didn’t I?” She cackled.
Nikki laughed along with her. Too few people in L.A. could laugh at themselves. “I’m trying to help out my friend Jessica,” Nikki explained to Shondra. “You know, my partner Jessica.”
“Oh, I know her, all right.” The younger woman pulled a Coke from the fridge. “It sure doesn’t look good for her, from what the papers are saying.”
Nikki dropped a clean shrimp into the bowl. “The case is more complicated than the papers are saying. Rex wasn’t killed in Jessica’s apartment.”
“I don’t know why we’re wastin’ good taxpayer money investigating him bein’ dead. I don’t know nobody who liked him. You know he tried to feel me up once!” Chessy covered her monstrous breasts with her hands and readjusted the alignment. “I understand him wantin’ a little taste of Shondra, her bein’ pretty as she is, but me?” Chessy made a clicking sound between her teeth and took another swig of Coke. “That man was garbage. I’m glad he’s dead. I’d have killed him myself, if I’d gotten the chance. What was wrong with that man, claimin’ he was dead, then comin’ back? But I was here all day, still cleanin’ up after that party. Caterers and such come back for their stuff saw me. And Shondra had a job bein’ a perfume girl downtown. And you can tell anyone you want that.” She pointed at Nikki to emphasize her position on the matter.
“Actually . . .” Nikki grimaced. “I was wondering if you could tell me what Edith did Monday . . . and Thompson?”
“You think the missus killed him?” Chessy chewed on that thought for a moment. “I don’t think she’s got it in her, otherwise she’d’a’done it years ago.”
That seemed to be the general consensus.
“So do you know where she was?” Nikki reached for another shrimp. She was getting the hang of it now and moving faster.
“She was here. In bed most of the day. Plain worn out. That, and she rubbed the skin right off her bunions in them too tight shoes she wore to her party Saturday night. But you know rich white folk. Not a lotta sense. Except you, Nikki. You got sense.”
Nikki grinned. Compliments from a woman like Chessy were few and far between and greatly appreciated. “So she was here and you saw her . . . all day.”
“Yup. Now, that man of hers.” Chessy did her pointing thing again. “I
“Keep cleanin’.” Chessy waved her hand. “Can’t you talk and devein at the same time, girl?”
Nikki neatly ripped out another vein. “I was wondering if you knew.” She gave a little laugh. “Of course you know. You know everything that goes on here. I guess what I’m asking is if you could tell me what happened here Monday. Who went where, when,” she said quickly, before she lost her nerve or her grip on a slippery shrimp.
“Your floozy girl got herself an alibi?”
“She does.” Nikki nodded. “She was at a real estate conference downtown . . . and she did some shopping. Plenty of people saw her.”
The door that led into the main part of the house opened and Chessy’s daughter, Shondra, entered the kitchen carrying a plastic caddy with cleaning supplies. She threw the caddy up on the counter. “I swear, if that man doesn’t stop cutting his toenails in that bathroom and flippin’ ’em all over the floor, I’m going to kill him.” She glanced up at Nikki as she headed for the refrigerator and lifted an eyebrow. “Real estate business gone sour for you?”
Nikki held up both hands, a shrimp in one, the deveiner in the other. “It’s always good to have a backup plan, right?”
“She was tryin’ to bribe me, get me to give up who was where that day,” Chessy explained.
“I wasn’t trying to bribe you,” Nikki protested, the guilt creeping in again.
Chessy broke into a grin. “ ’Course you wasn’t. I know good people when I see ’em. But I got you to devein them shrimp, didn’t I?” She cackled.
Nikki laughed along with her. Too few people in L.A. could laugh at themselves. “I’m trying to help out my friend Jessica,” Nikki explained to Shondra. “You know, my partner Jessica.”
“Oh, I know her, all right.” The younger woman pulled a Coke from the fridge. “It sure doesn’t look good for her, from what the papers are saying.”
Nikki dropped a clean shrimp into the bowl. “The case is more complicated than the papers are saying. Rex wasn’t killed in Jessica’s apartment.”
“I don’t know why we’re wastin’ good taxpayer money investigating him bein’ dead. I don’t know nobody who liked him. You know he tried to feel me up once!” Chessy covered her monstrous breasts with her hands and readjusted the alignment. “I understand him wantin’ a little taste of Shondra, her bein’ pretty as she is, but me?” Chessy made a clicking sound between her teeth and took another swig of Coke. “That man was garbage. I’m glad he’s dead. I’d have killed him myself, if I’d gotten the chance. What was wrong with that man, claimin’ he was dead, then comin’ back? But I was here all day, still cleanin’ up after that party. Caterers and such come back for their stuff saw me. And Shondra had a job bein’ a perfume girl downtown. And you can tell anyone you want that.” She pointed at Nikki to emphasize her position on the matter.
“Actually . . .” Nikki grimaced. “I was wondering if you could tell me what Edith did Monday . . . and Thompson?”
“You think the missus killed him?” Chessy chewed on that thought for a moment. “I don’t think she’s got it in her, otherwise she’d’a’done it years ago.”
That seemed to be the general consensus.
“So do you know where she was?” Nikki reached for another shrimp. She was getting the hang of it now and moving faster.
“She was here. In bed most of the day. Plain worn out. That, and she rubbed the skin right off her bunions in them too tight shoes she wore to her party Saturday night. But you know rich white folk. Not a lotta sense. Except you, Nikki. You got sense.”
Nikki grinned. Compliments from a woman like Chessy were few and far between and greatly appreciated. “So she was here and you saw her . . . all day.”
“Yup. Now, that man of hers.” Chessy did her pointing thing again. “I
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