The Dead and the Beautiful Read Online Free PDF

said slowly. “So what’s going on, sweetie? Why does Detective Dombrowski think he needs to question you?”
    Alison glanced toward the doorway, wringing her hands in her lap. She was wearing a pair of worn jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt with a chocolate Lab on the front, and a pair of athletic shoes. The jeans didn’t fit her well; she’d lost weight over the last few months. Something about the weight loss, about her even-more-than-usual reticent behavior hummed in the back of Nikki’s mind, but she couldn’t quite say why.
    She took the younger woman’s hands between hers. Alison was acting strange, even for Alison. “Do you need an attorney, Alison?”
    She shook her head in little, jerky movements. “I can’t afford another attorney. I can’t afford the one I have. The child custody hearing. I had to get an attorney. A good one. It’s the only way I can fight Farid.”
    Nikki knew she was terrified of losing full custody of her fourteen-year-old daughter, Jocelyn. And the teen didn’t want to live with her father any more than Alison did. No one had said anything, but Nikki secretly suspected there had been physical abuse in the marriage. She had no evidence; it was just the way Alison behaved sometimes. The way she flinched when a man spoke too loudly or moved quickly.
    Nikki leaned over, looking into Alison’s face, forcing her to make eye contact. “I know you’re scared, Alison, but you have to give me something here. You didn’t find the body? So who did?”
    â€œThe . . . fish guy.”
    â€œThe fish guy, ” Nikki repeated.
    If someone said, “The fish guy found the dead body,” and there was no one there to hear it . . . was it still a really odd-sounding statement?
    â€œMars.” Alison spoke so softly that Nikki had to listen carefully to hear her above the voices of the police somewhere else in the house. One second they were talking about the deceased, the next, baseball scores. Apparently, the Angels were playing the A’s this week.
    â€œMars?” Nikki asked.
    â€œThe fish guy. I don’t know his last name.” Now Alison wouldn’t break eye contact. She just kept looking at Nikki with those big Jeremy-like eyes of hers. It was the only thing they had in common, physically or otherwise.
    â€œMars cleans the fish tanks. In the bathrooms.”
    â€œThey have fish tanks in the bathrooms?” Nikki was momentarily sidetracked. “Really?”
    She nodded.
    Nikki refocused. “So Mars found Ryan.” She didn’t ask where or in what state; she figured she’d work her way up to that. “And how did you get to be here? You came, what? While Mars was waiting for the police?”
    â€œI brought Muffin home.”
    â€œNot knowing that Mr. Krommer was here?” came a male voice.
    Nikki looked over her shoulder to see Tom Dombrowski standing in the doorway again. He had a little leather notepad, a pen poised. He glanced at Nikki. “I’ve really got to get her statement.”
    â€œThen she can go home?”
    He nodded. Nikki nodded.
    Dombrowski walked into the dining room. He was wearing a well-tailored suit and nice shoes: Italian leather loafers. Too nice for a police lieutenant’s pay grade. Nikki wondered what his story was: wealthy ex-wife who gave him a nice settlement in the divorce? Born a rich kid? Or something more interesting? Married an heiress maybe? She didn’t know whom she could ask. She certainly wouldn’t ask him.
    â€œWere you aware that Mr. Krommer was here at the same time that you were here?” Dombrowski asked.
    Alison’s face showed confusion. “Who?”
    â€œMr. Krommer.” He flipped back a page in his notebook. “Mars Krommer.”
    â€œOh . . . Mars. Um . . . I didn’t know he was here, at first,” Alison said. “I was dropping Muffin off. His Rotty. A Rottweiler,” she