Lisa Scottoline - Lady Killer

“Okay, whatever. Don’t get all worked up.”

“I don’t like you sayin’ I’m not loyal, when you’re the one who’s not loyal.”

“How am I not loyal?” Mary couldn’t help but take the bait. “I just dropped a week of my life for you.”

“You didn’t tell me about you and Bobby.”

Ouch. Mary felt stung.

“Yeah, right.” Trish puckered her lip. “You didn’t know I knew, did you? Ritchie told me yesterday, after the cemetery. He said you dated Bobby. Did you?”

Mary’s mouth went dry. “Not for long, okay?”

“Yeah, right.”

“It’s the truth.”

“When was this?”

“Senior year.”

“Was he goin’ out with me at the time?”

“No, you two had broken up.”

“I dumped him, he didn’t dump me.”

Mary thought of what Judy had said. You got a chance to reinvent yourself. The Mean Girls never did.

“So how come you didn’t tell me?” Trish’s eyes narrowed.

“What difference did it make?”

“I don’t know, it musta made some difference, because you didn’t tell me. If you’da tol’ me, I woulda thought it didn’t matter. Now I think it does.”

Hmm. “Trish, this is old news, from high school.”

“Yeah, well, I was livin’ with him till last week, so it ain’t old news to me. Why didn’t you tell me? You said we were friends. I’d never keep a secret like that from a friend.”

“Ha.” Mary’s mouth dropped open.

“What?”

“You’d never keep a secret from a friend? How about Miss Tuesday Thursday? How about your boyfriend?” Mary couldn’t stop herself. “Why didn’t you tell the girls about him?”

“I thought they might slip and tell Bobby.”

“Bull! They never hung with Bobby, and you know it.”

Trish’s eyes flared. “You callin’ me a liar?”

“I know you’re a liar. You lied to me about who your boyfriend is.”

“I did not.” Trish flushed, and the words came out of Mary’s mouth before she could stop them.

“You’re such a good, loyal girlfriend that you’re sleeping with Giulia’s husband.”

Trish gasped, momentarily dumbfounded.

“Yeah, right.”

“That’s not true.”

“Oh, please.” Mary waved her off, disgusted. “Stop it, just stop it. I don’t know how you live with yourself. Giulia’s so sweet, and she’s your best friend. She went crazy trying to find you. She cried over you in my office. She was so worried, she didn’t sleep nights. You’re a terrible, disloyal friend to her.”

“I’m a great friend to her.”

“You’re the worst.”

“No, the best. Because I saved her life.”

Mary scoffed. “What? When? In gym class? You lend her socks?”

“No, you jerk.” Trish shot back. “You think you’re so smart? I have news for you. That opal ring they found in the alley? My ring?”

“Yes, so what?”

“I lent it to Giulia two years ago, when she got married again. For something borrowed, something blue, you know that rhyme? And she never gave it back.”

Mary sat stunned, not knowing whether to believe her.

“So if the cops found it in the alley, it’s because Giulia had it on.” Trish met her eye, evenly. “It wasn’t Cadillac who shot Bobby, or any other wiseguy. It had to be Giulia.”

Mary couldn’t deal. It was impossible.

“She musta thought he killed me. Plus she always hated his guts. She knew he worked the corner at Kennick, so she musta went over and shot him dead. And she has a gun.”

Mary was shaking her head. Giulia was such a sweetheart. It couldn’t be true.

“When that detective pulled the ring out, in the Baggie, I knew right then what Giulia musta done. But did I tell them? No.” Trish leaned over, lowering her voice. “I took the rap for Giulia. I took the risk they’d think I did it, so they wouldn’t go after her.”

Mary felt stunned. Trish was right, if she was telling the truth.

“So now who’s the loyal friend?” Trish lifted an eyebrow. “Yeah, I’m hookin’ up with Joe, but so what? It didn’t mean anything. I saved her life, and I’m so nice, I didn’t even tell her. I didn’t even want the credit. Would you do that for a friend? Would you be that loyal?”

Suddenly there came a noise from the first floor, and Mrs. Gambone called up the stairs. “Trish? Trish!”

“What, Ma?” Trish called back, annoyed.

“G’s here to see you! Okay if she comes up?”

Mary’s gut clenched. She had to figure out what to do. She had no idea what would happen. She met Trish’s eye.

“Send ’er up, Ma!” Trish yelled, and neither woman said anything, listening to the clack-clack of little boots on the stairs.

“W hat’sa matter?” Giulia asked, her face falling the moment she entered the bedroom.

For a minute, Mary didn’t know what to say. It was so hard to believe that Giulia had pulled a gun and shot somebody, much less Bobby. The girl looked like a cherub who’d gotten into her mother’s makeup kit, her chubby cheeks flushed from being outside, coloring even under her thick blusher, her lips a vivid red, and glittery blue shadow on her eyelids.

“Nothin’s the matter,” Trish said, evidently playing dumb. “Everything’s fine.”

“You look upset.” Giulia came inside and closed the door behind her. “You still stressin’ about the funeral?”

“Yeah, that’s it.” Trish frowned with fake grief, and Mary marveled at what a good liar she was, proof that practice makes perfect.

“So what’sa matter with you, Mare?” Giulia asked, cocking her head.

“Nothing.”

Giulia shrugged her padded leather shoulders. “S’all right, you guys don’t wanna tell me, you don’t have to. I know I gained weight, if that’s what you were talkin’ about.”

“Nah.” Trish waved her off. “It’s the feds called, and that freaks me out.”

“For reals.” Giulia bucked up and clapped her hands together. “Well, good, because I’m here to take you out drinkin’, T. I figured you’d be upset and all, after the funeral and what you been through, and so I thought we’d go out. I mean, you couldn’t do it before, when that animal was alive. Now that he’s gone, I mean, let’s have some fun.”

Did you really say that? Did you shoot that man dead, out of loyalty? Or was Trish lying one more time?

“I don’t know, G,” Trish answered.

Mary couldn’t take it any longer. Trish had said she hadn’t told Giulia that the cops had the ring, so she could be tested easily. “Giulia, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, what?” Giulia smiled expectantly.

“Did Trish ever lend you an opal ring?”

“Huh?” Giulia blinked, then froze, her back against the door. For a second Mary thought she might open it and try to run, but her gaze traveled slowly and almost fearfully to Trish. “I’m really…sorry, T. I never shoulda done it. I didn’t have the right.”

No. “So Trish did lend it to you?”

“Yeah, she did. For my wedding. I wanted it to be the borrowed thing. But I never gave it back.” Giulia turned to Trish again, her voice quiet. “I’m sorry, T. Really.”

“That’s okay, G,” Trish said, then looked at Mary, her chin raised. “See?”

I can’t believe this. Giulia did it?

Giulia continued, “I shouldn’t a kep’ it so long, I guess. I forgot I had it. I’ll get it back to you, T, I swear.”

Mary felt a chill. “You won’t able to do that so easily, Giulia.”

“Sure I will. I’ll just ask Yo for it. I lent it to her.” Giulia turned to Trish again. “It wasn’t my ring to lend anybody. I didn’t have the right, I know. I shoulda asked you, T, but I didn’t.”