I didn’t … you know, screw him, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Excuse me?” asked Doyle. “What are you talking about?”
“Mr. Winthrop. I didn’t have sex with him,” said Tina, arms crossed.
“Why would we want to know that, exactly?” asked Doyle.
“Because you guys are working on this … thing that happened to Davis, and—”
“You mean when he got shot in the face?” asked Amanda. This surprised even Doyle, though he could see that Amanda was trying to get a reaction out of the make-up artist.
Doyle had to admit, Tina was quite beautiful, although she clearly used far too much make-up on herself.
Tina looked down, solemn. “Yeah, that’s what I was referring to. Any-way, I know you’ll be asking everyone a lot of questions, and someone is bound to say that I spend a lot of time in Mr. Winthrop’s trailer, which is true. But it’s not what it sounds like, and before you start jumping to a lot of conclusions, I assure you it’s in no way connected to what happened to Davis.”
“So you’re just trying to be proactive and clear the air, is that right?” asked Amanda.
“Yeah,” said Tina. “I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m an open book.”
“If you weren’t being intimate with Mr. Winthrop, but you were in his trailer with him all the time, what were you two doing together?” asked Amanda.
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” said Tina, staring right in Amanda’s eyes.
“For an open book, you’re intentionally trying to be difficult to read,” said Amanda.
“It’s like, we want J.K. Rowling,” said Doyle. “But you’re giving us nothing but David Foster Wallace. Understand?”
“I don’t follow,” said Tina.
“Listen, we need every detail here, even if it’s embarrassing. If you two were doing something secretive together, it raises suspicions, and you don’t want to be raising suspicions during a murder investigation.”
Tina, looking deflated, said, “I knew I’d end up telling you guys sooner or later. Nothing interesting ever stays secret, especially not in this line of work.”
“Well, let’s hear it,” said Doyle with a pen in his hand, prepared to take down juicy gossip.
“Mr. Winthrop pays me a little extra money on the side to put makeup on him,” Tina said.
“He’s not in the movie, is he?” asked Doyle.
“No,” said Tina. “He’s not.”
“He’s a transvestite?” asked Doyle. “Is he also a homosexual?”
“Not necessarily,” said Tina. “I mean, he’s such a private person— I honestly can’t see him being with anyone. I think, maybe, he just likes to look pretty.”
“I see,” said Doyle. “And you don’t think he’s gay?”
“I’ve put make-up on many, many men, Detective. They all like it, at least to some degree, regardless of their sexuality. I’m not saying he’s not gay. I’m just saying you shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
“Fair enough,” said Doyle. “But, did he at any point compliment your breast size, or perhaps the shape of your ass?”
“Doyle!” said Amanda, punching him in the shoulder.
“Ow, hey—watch it. It was a fair question,” he said.
“No,” said Tina, with an expression of disdain. “But be sure to let me know if he compliments your penis size.”
“Will do,” said Doyle.
“Okay,” said Amanda. “So you’re not having sex with Mr. Winthrop. You apply make-up on him for extra cash, and he may or may not be a homosexual. While this all makes excellent gossip, I don’t think it helps our investigation one bit.”
“It could be relevant at some point,” said Doyle.
Tina nodded.
“Tina, do you mind answering some direct questions regarding what you witnessed this morning?” asked Amanda. “Am I considered a suspect?” she asked.
“Technically, everyone is—at least until we get a grasp of what happened,” said Amanda. “Although you’ve already been questioned by the police. Did they give you any indication?”
“None, but they can be awfully hard to read,” said Tina.
“Are they remarkably clever, like Sherlock Holmes?” asked Doyle.
“Quite the opposite,” said Tina. “They asked me a couple questions. I explained that I just put make-up on the actors, and that seemed to settle it. It didn’t seem like a woman being capable of murder was within their mental grasp.”
“You realize we’re from Minneapolis,” said Amanda. “And, therefore, far more suspicious of everyone. Including you. Our questions may not be so simple.”
“Okay, well, sure—I’ll give you whatever information you want, as long as it keeps my name clear.”
Doyle cocked his eyebrow. “Don’t you want to know who killed
Davis?”
Tina shrugged. “Eh.”
Doyle and Amanda exchanged worried glances.
Amanda asked the obvious question. “So, you’re not at all curious who switched out the blanks with real bullets?”
“I don’t mean to sound cruel or uncompassionate, but Davis was a jerk. I mean, a real creep. Egotistical, chauvinistic, elitist, sarcastic. Kind of like
Detective Malloy, except without the self-deprecating sense of humor.”
“I’m not that bad—“ Doyle began to say.
“I’m really not surprised someone finally put an end to him. And believe me, I’m not the only one who thinks this way. I didn’t do it—but I assure you there’s no shortage of women, probably men too, who would love to take credit for it.”
“Do you have any suspicions as to who may have actually committed the crime?” asked Doyle.
Without hesitating, Tina said, “Eva Wong. After Davis was shot, she was on him within seconds. She didn’t show the slightest bit of emotion. I mean, she’s British and everything, but it still seemed weird.”
Doyle was getting an uneasy feeling about William’s wife repeatedly coming up as a prime suspect. Doyle wasn’t sure what he was more worried about: William’s potential reactions at finding out his ex-wife is a suspect, or the possibility that William’s ex-wife was, in fact, the murderer. Doyle gulped.
“Tina, what do you think—“ Amanda was about to ask a question when the conversation was interrupted by the sound of a megaphone.
“Attention, all cast and crew. Please report to the set for a special announcement. Again, all cast and crew—please report to the set. Thank you.”
“I should go,” said Tina.
“That’s fine,” said Amanda. “Can we contact you later, should we have further questions?”
“Yeah, of course,” she said. “I’m not a suspect any more, am I?”
“I’m afraid so,” said Doyle. “Once we find out who the murderer is, then you’re off the hook.”
Tina looked from Doyle to Amanda then back to Doyle.
“I’m not gonna hold my breath,” said Tina.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” said Doyle.
“Anytime. Good luck.”