Peabody stopped dead, jaw dropping. “What did you say?”
“I’ve got eyes.” Eve kept walking, forcing Peabody to jog to catch up. “They don’t latch themselves onto your ass, but I’ve got eyes.”
“I want to kiss you on the mouth. With tongue.”
“Try it and your marginally smaller ass will have my boot marks imprinted thereon.”
“It could be worth it.”
Eve pressed the buzzer on the narrow door between a store called Center Stage and a tat and piercing parlor.
Lola’s voice came tinny through the speaker. “Yes?”
“Lieutenant Dallas, Detective Peabody.”
“Okay.” The door buzzed, clicked.
Eve took one look at the skinny elevator with its dented door in the tiny lobby and took the stairs.
“Fourth floor.” Peabody sighed. “It’s definitely the fault of the Danish.”
“We play the angles with her. She’s had some time to settle. Did she notice anybody she saw repeatedly at the vids, especially over the last couple of months? Somebody she saw in the neighborhood, somebody Rylan commented on. You talk to her while I take a look at the vic’s bedroom.”
“Got it.”
Lola stood in the doorway, nibbling on a thumbnail. She’d had time to settle, Eve thought, and had spent a lot of it weeping.
“Chanel. Do you know who …”
“Not yet, but finding who is our top priority. Can we come in?”
“Yeah, sure. Ah, this is DeVon.”
The tall, skinny black man with wild, red-tipped dreads appeared to have done some weeping of his own. He offered a hand.
“I live across the hall. I can go. I just didn’t want Lola to be alone.”
“Can he stay? Please? Is that all right?”
“You know Chanel, Mr. …?”
“It’s Monrow, but it’s just DeVon. I knew our Chanel. I’m a costume designer. Chanel and I worked on the same play a couple of times.”
His huge dark eyes teared up, but when Lola let out a broken sob, he put an arm around her shoulders, blinked away threatening tears. “Come on now, my baby girl, you sit down. I’m going to make you some more tea. Can I make some for both of you?”
“I’m good, thanks. I’d like to see Chanel’s room.”
“I’ll show you. No, you sit down, baby.” He nudged her into a chair with a colorful print, tucked a bright blue throw around her legs. “I’ll be right back. It’s just over here, ma’am.”
“Lieutenant,” Eve said, and followed him to the right.
DeVon stepped into the room with Eve, lowered his voice. “She hasn’t slept all night. She came home early this morning after trying to settle herself down with this guy she’s seeing. Just needed to come home, and came over to get me. I didn’t want to leave her alone. I can step out until you’re done, if you’d rather.”
“She’d tell you everything we did or said anyway, and it’s clear she needs someone. You make her the tea. But let me ask you if you noticed anyone in the neighborhood, anyone who looked like they might be watching the building, anyone hanging around the theater, the market Chanel used, the vids—if you ever went with them.”
“I’d go sometimes, but I don’t remember anybody who stood out. We haven’t—hadn’t—worked at the same theater in about seven months. I do the market more than Chanel did. Lola’d do most of that, I guess. I wish I’d noticed somebody. Anybody. She was just a sweetheart. When the man I thought was the love of my life dumped me eight weeks and three days ago? Chanel and Lola were right there, right there for me. I don’t want Lola to be alone.”
“Go ahead and be with her.”