EXCERPT

I wasn’t even in the room when she was killed, how could I be a suspect...

I was almost out the door when I turned to take one last look around. Tina’s travel bag was sitting on the bed, and the vodka bottle was still on the table. Even if it wasn’t my liquor of choice, I could see no sense letting it go to waste. I walked over, grabbed the bottle, and put it into the shopping bag that held my belongings. Just then I heard a cell phone ringing from somewhere in her bag. I looked over my shoulder at the door. No one seemed to be in the hallway. The phone rang again. I dug into her bag and found the phone. The display read “Puddy.” It rang again.

I know I shouldn’t have, but I answered it. “Hello?”

“Who’s this?” the voice on the other end asked. “Let me talk to Tina.”

“Um, Tina can’t come to the phone right now.”

“Bullshit. Put her on,” the voice demanded.

“Yeah, well, you know Tina’s been drinking, what with all that’s happened. Why don’t you come on over to the hotel, Puddy? We can talk.”

“Who the hell is this? How do you know my name? Is that bitch talking? You tell her she says anything to anyone that gets me in trouble, she’s a dead woman.”

“You’re too late, Puddy. Someone already killed her. You want to tell me anything about it?”

“She’s--dead. Oh shit, oh shit--”

The phone went dead.

“Hey, what are you doing?” a voice asked from behind me.

I turned. It was the young officer who had stood guard at my door.

“Um, just checking for messages,” I answered.

“Yeah, right. You’re under arrest and coming to the police station with me.”

So much for the Evergreen Motel. Seemed I found other accommodations.