Read Exposed by Rage for Free Online Page B

of Trix.
    “Dylan’s not like the actors.  He’s a friend, and only a friend.  I don’t want anything else.  I can’t think of him in any other way.  If things were to change--”
    “If things change, maybe you’d find out you can love.  Maybe you’d discover you don’t have to push people away.”
    We’d had this discussion too many times.  I’d met Dylan in the army, he was still there, I was thinking I wasn’t going back.  “This isn’t helping me find a killer.”  I signaled the waiter for our check.  As I put my wallet back in my purse, my cell phone rang.
    “DeMarco,” I mouthed as I touched answer.  “Detective, what can I do for you?”
    “I thought I’d check in, see if you’d come up with anything.  Seems like you got to just about everyone I wanted to talk to before I had a chance.”
    “Nothing.  So what next?”
    “I have the autopsy preliminary report.  It will be a while before we get the results of the drug and other blood tests. Pretty sure she was drugged since we didn’t find signs of a struggle, but it will take some time to run each of the tests needed to ID which drug was used.”
    Poppy followed me to the car as I continued my conversation with DeMarco.  “I know, it’s not like on television, so is there something else?” I asked him.
    “I have some pictures of a, uh . . .”
    “Spit it out, what else did that pervert do to her?”
    “There’s a design that he burned into her shoulder.  It looks like some kind of flower.  It was a mess, so it’s hard to tell what kind.  You ever see anything like that?”
    “I don’t know.  There are all kinds of flowers.”
    “When can we get together, can you look at the photos?”
    “I’ll be at the house later, about six.  Come hungry and Poppy will feed us both.”
     
    * * * *
    After lunch I dropped Poppy off at the club, so she could continue her review of the paperwork.  I told her I’d talk to Randi and Kevin later.  I couldn’t be sure Jillie hadn’t told them to help themselves to whatever they needed.  I’d have to think about how I wanted to approach them before I made a scene.  It was time to brave the viper’s nest again, this time alone.  I expected this visit to be very different from the one I’d made with DeMarco. 
    The toy boys were not in evidence when I arrived.  No one answered the door, so I walked to the back of the house.  Several of the actresses were lying around the pool in various stages of undress.  I wondered what kind of life had brought them to this place.  I didn’t know these women, but I knew a lot of their predecessors.  Jillie said working for Trixie was as good as it could get in the business.  I didn’t buy it.
    “If you’re looking for Trixie, she won’t be back until tomorrow or the next day,” the woman closest to me said. “You look a little old to be looking for work, honey.”
    The others laughed.  “I’m not looking for work.  I’m here to ask you and your friends about Jillie Favor.  Did you know her?”
    “You don’t look like a cop and we already talked to them.  I don’t know if we should answer your questions.  You got identification?” 
    I seemed to have stumbled upon the voice of the poolside pillars of pornographic society.  “I’m...was a good friend of Jillie’s.”
    “Old hag.  Probably got what she deserved.”
    The words were acid poured over the pain of Jillie’s death.  Only my training allowed me to keep from slapping the brainless nitwit.  
    The French door to the pool house opened.  “Mimzi, shut your mouth and go inside,” Eve ordered.  “The rest of you go in the house and get dressed.”
    “Eve.  You?  Playing mother hen to the bimbos these days?”  I was surprised.  Eve was never one to lead, usually stayed well in the background and out of the sunlight at least that’s what I thought.  She had been around the films for the last three or four years.  She was five eleven, jet black