him. âThatâs exactly who weâre talking about, Detective Patrick. The woman you all despise because she beat you at your own games. Tell me you havenât done a fist bump over her cooling body. Reporters are already prepping sound bites wondering if Marieâs own handiwork came back to haunt her in the form of some psycho she kept on the streets. Some sensible-looking lady in the bar asked me if the bitch was really dead. Why should I believe youâre going to properly investigate this murder?â
âLet me get this straight,â he said. â Youâre worried about someone getting off ?â
Sonia threw up her hands. âSee what I mean? Weâre below some Quincy Avenue gangbangers in your estimation. Youâre waiting to pin a medal on whoever killed her.â
âYeah, a big shiny one. But Iâll still have to catch him first. Are you going to help or not?â
âSonia,â Theresa said, probably figuring sheâd better get a lid on her friend before the attorney could work up a really good fury of righteous indignation, âwhen did you last see Marie?â
The woman sighed. âAt the luncheon yesterday.â
Frank stopped her to ask if she would sign a statement, and she agreed, but then he let Theresa ask the questions.
Sonia told them, âI grabbed a spot at her table, for the same reason she hadâbecause the âRecent Supreme Court Decisionsâ speaker was sitting there, and I wanted to ask him about Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts .â
âAnd what did Marie want?â
âTo sit with a speaker and not just a bunch of schlubs. Marie had the art of career networking down pat.â Sonia shook her head, but with a small, admiring smile. âAnyway, before you ask, we just talked about the seminar and what to do in Cleveland and the high price of parking. Marie seemed fine, glowing, the life of the party, just like always.â
âNo arguments, complaints?â Theresa asked.
âNone.â
âDid she flirt with this speaker?â
âYeah, but he didnât seem to be going for it. He had a wedding ring on.â
Frank stifled a chuckle at the idea that a ring would stop a man at an out-of-town function. Theresa went on. âAnyone else seem especially taken with Marie?â
âOnly the usualâevery guy at the table checking out her rack.â
âSomeone mentioned that Marie had raised some sort of a fuss at the luncheon?â
Sonia rubbed her eyes, devoid of makeup. âNo. She sent her veal piccata back, said it tasted old, and refused another one. She got pretty curt with the waiter. I felt sorry for him, but with Marieâshe either wanted more attention from the speaker guy or just an excuse not to eat her lunch. Iâve seen her at a lot of functions, and she never eats much. Iâve always suspected bulimia there. Did you know that surgeons and trial lawyers have the highest rate of alcoholism, drug addiction, and eating disorders? And sheâs got to keep her figure to keep her image. No oneâs afraid of an attorney who looks like me,â she added, prodding her own rolling waistline.
âHow long have you known Marie?â Theresa asked. Frank cleared his throat, to let her know she had veered off topic. She ignored him, of course.
âSince law school. Sheâs our age.â
Theresa goggled. âThen how does she look like sheâs twenty-five?â
âBy not eating, I guess.â Sonia shrugged. âMaybe a tuck here or there. I told you, she took care of her image.â
âCan we get to more recent history?â Frank asked, before they could start exchanging diet tips. âWas she planning to hook up with anyone in between seminars?â
âI wouldnât know. Marie was nice to meâDonât raise your eyebrows, she really was. Even though I obviously have the social status of a half-dead rat, she has always been