“Rather strange coincidence, isn’t it?” Antoinette interjected, cutting her eyes to me. “The day you two switch costumes, Lydia is murdered.” Although she was purportedly speaking only to me, her voice carries clearly across the crowd. I flushed, but didn’t answer. I figured it was better to save my words for the police than to waste them trying to defend myself.
“What the hell is going on here,” Eddie asked, huffing and puffing. “What is Trixie doing lying on the ground like that? Get up, girl. It’s bad for business.” Even though I was only a few yards away, Eddie didn’t bother to look my way. He nudged Lydia’s body with his toe, drawing gasps from the crowd. “What are you drunk? I swear to God, Trixie, if you’re playing some kind of trick on me.”
“Eddie, that’s Lydia, and she’s dead,” Antoinette said in hushed tones. It’s unbelievable to me that Eddie didn’t see the bullet wounds, but he’s not the most observant guy in the world. “That’s Bea.” She pointed to me. It took a minute for it to register with Eddie what Antoinette had said. When it did, he turned to me, a look of dismay on his face.
“Didn’t I tell you girls not to switch costumes? Didn’t I, huh? What did Eddie tell you the first day of work? No switching costumes.” Uh oh. When Eddie started talking about himself in the third person, it meant he was losing his temper. Granted, it’s a short way to go, but still, I didn’t need the aggravation. Besides, the man needed to get his priorities straight. Lydia and me switching costumes was the least of his worries.
“Eddie, Lydia’s dead.” My voice was fierce as I tried to stem the litany I knew was forthcoming. “This isn’t the time to worry about costume switches. Did someone call the police?”
“I did,” Tommy said, flashing his cell phone in his hand. “They should be here any minute.”
“Police?” Eddie bellowed, turning white. “What do we need the police for?” No one was this stupid—no one. It seemed as if our Eddie was, though. Disbelieving looks passed between the members of the crowd. “Let’s let our security take care of it. Most of them are cops moonlighting, anyway.”
“It’s not that easy,” I said impatiently, not wanting to deal with this moron. I was distracted by what he had said, however. Where was security? I didn’t see any. In the distance, there was the sound of sirens roaring.