Shock Treatment by Greg Cox Read Free Book Online Page B

beganto regret vacating the trailer while Jill changed. Chivalry was a bitch.
    Footsteps echoed behind him. He turned to see a uniform, Officer Pennington, escorting another witness toward the trailer. Debra Lusky was the next item on Brass’s to-do list. According to Jill, her friend had steered her toward tonight’s “job interview” at WaxWorkZ. Which meant that Debra had set her friend up for a little Shock Treatment.
    Wonder how she feels about that now?
    He looked Debra over as she approached the trailer. Compared to her redheaded, modelesque friend, she struck him as a bit on the plain side. Of medium height and weight, she trudged glumly toward the detective, wearing slacks and a stylish wool blazer that he guessed she had bought especially for her big debut on TV. Straight brown hair was cut in a short, professional bob. Her defeated expression and body language hinted at a guilty conscience. She dragged her feet across the pavement.
    â€œHere she is, Captain,” Pennington told Brass. Pennington was a burly Filipino who looked like he put in plenty of time at the gym. “I told her you wanted to talk to her.”
    Brass gruffly acknowledged his service. “Thanks.”
    Debra and her escort had reached the foot of the steps when the door to the trailer swung open. Catherine’s voice could be heard inside. “You’re free to go, Ms. Wooten. Thank you for your cooperation.”
    Jill emerged from the trailer, clad in an unflattering orange jumpsuit. Another uni stood by a few yards away, waiting to drive her back to her apartmentout past Tropicana. Jill froze atop the steps as she spotted the other woman below her. Her knuckles tightened on the rail. “Debra?”
    â€œJill?” Debra hurried forward, leaving Pennington behind. She held out her arms in sympathy, like she couldn’t wait to give her friend a hug. “Oh my God, Jill. How are you doing? I am so sorr—”
    She didn’t get to finish her apology. “You lying bitch!” Jill snarled, her face twisted in rage. “How could you set me up like this? Do you realize what you’ve done? This is all your fault!”
    She lunged at Debra. Oh hell, Brass thought. Reacting quickly, he grabbed onto Jill’s waist before she could add assault and battery to her rap sheet. He struggled to hold on to her. She was stronger than she looked. “Whoa there! We don’t need any more bloodshed tonight.”
    Pennington stepped in front of Debra, just in case Jill got loose. Visibly shocked by her friend’s reaction, Debra shouted past her guardian, trying to justify her actions. “But . . . it wasn’t supposed to be like this! It should have been fun!”
    â€œFun?” Jill stopped squirming, but her fury hadn’t cooled a bit. She glared angrily at Debra. “You call this fun? I killed a man because of you! Do you get that? He’s dead!”
    Debra flinched as though she had been slapped. “Please, Jill. You have to understand. I didn’t mean any of this. If I’d had any idea things would turn out this way . . .”
    â€œShut your lying mouth!” Jill put her hands over her ears. “I don’t want to hear any more bullshit from you.” She smacked herself in the head. “Ishould have known better than to friend you again. This was all about getting back at me, wasn’t it? You jealous little slug!”
    Okay, Brass thought. This is getting interesting. He observed the confrontation through narrowed eyes. He had not arranged this run-in on purpose, but it was turning out to be more informative than he could have anticipated. Now he just needed to keep Jill from adding to tonight’s body count. Good thing she doesn’t have another gun on her.
    Drawn by the commotion, Catherine poked her head out of the trailer door. “Everything under control out there?”
    â€œI think so,” Brass muttered. He loosened his