Last Resort of Murder (A Lacy Steele Mystery Book 9) by Vanessa Gray Bartal

Author:Vanessa Gray Bartal [Bartal, Vanessa Gray]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Vanessa Gray Bartal
Published: 2016-05-05T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Lacy took a long warm bath that did little to alleviate her muscle pain and spasms.

“I need you to do something for me,” she said after finally levering herself out of the tub and struggling into some clothes.

“Order you a Percocet, full body cast, and a helper monkey?” Kimber guessed.

“I need you to come with me to talk to Uma. I want to ask her some questions about Jill.”

“You want me to talk to a murder suspect who has already taken out her anger on your body? What could possibly go wrong?”

“It’s not like Jill was bludgeoned. She was poisoned—double poisoned. That’s not a crime of passion; that’s a crime of forethought. Poison is the coward’s weapon of choice.”

“Maybe, but it still gets the job done,” Kimber said. “Fine. I’ll talk to the woman, if for no other reason than that I know you’ll do it anyway without me. How do you know she’s still here? It’s after eight.”

“She’s working the night shift. I checked.” The resort offered round-the-clock massages, just one of many pampering services they provided on demand. It occurred to Lacy that for all the resort’s comforts, she had experienced none. She hadn’t partaken any of the delicious food and her massage had been masochistic in nature. If she tried to have a pedicure, would she come away with one of those flesh-eating diseases?

They walked, or rather Lacy hobbled, to the salon where they were told Uma was on her break.

“Let’s see if she’s outside. I heard there’s an employee break area near the ski rental,” Lacy said.

They exited the building and rounded the corner, bracing themselves against the chill. The employee break area was secreted away behind some bushes, just a picnic table on concrete.

“I think prisoners have better break areas,” Kimber observed.

Uma sat on the lone table, smoking. Lacy recalled Uma’s deodorant lecture and idly wondered if the cigarette was organic.

“I was wondering if I might ask you some questions,” Lacy said.

“Did you bring a black ambassador so I’d talk?” Uma asked, rounding on them with angry, suspicious eyes.

Lacy looked at Kimber. “She’s black?”

The joke was lost on Uma.

“She’s not like that,” Kimber defended. “Plus she’ll keep hounding you until you talk to her, so you’d better get it over with.”

Uma sighed, stubbed her cigarette on the table, and pulled out another. “What do you want to know?”

Did you kill Jill? Better not open with that. “Did you and Jill get along?”

“No one got along with Jill. She was a stone cold demon.”

“How so?”

“Mean, rude, pushy, arrogant, self-involved, conniving, you name it.”

“Someone saw you arguing with her last night.”

“So?”

“So it doesn’t look good that you argued with her a few hours before she was killed.”

She laughed mirthlessly. “If everyone who argued with Jill yesterday is a suspect, that list must be endless.”

“What did you argue about?”

Uma shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably what we always argued about. She cheated and pushed me to help her.”

“How did she cheat? What does that mean?”

“There’s a big board in the back room that keeps track of client pounds lost, an incentive for the trainers.

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