Xs, An Allie Armington Mystery Read Online Free Page A

Danes I remember
could become besotted over anybody other than himself.
    “But you were over Cliff by then, weren’t you?”
    “I thought I was. When Caro moved in, we spent a lot
of late nights sharing our hopes and dreams. I told her everything
about Cliff and me. How he discovered me at the Lampasas County
Beauty Pageant and signed me on the spot. How he persuaded me to
freelance with him instead of joining a reputable agency, saying
I’d make more money. How in the beginning he got me on all the
major fashion covers, but when the offers began drying up he lost
interest.”
    She sighs. “You know, I actually thought we might
get married someday.”
    I want to tell her how happy I am it didn’t work
out, but I see the anguish in her face and bite my tongue.
    “I can’t blame Caro. She went out of her way to make
it easy on me by going to his place. Then in May, things changed.
Caro started seeing someone else on the sly. I never found out who,
but she would tell me when he was coming by so I could
disappear.
    “That’s about the time she started doing drugs. When
I called her on it, she laughed. Said they were just doing a few
recreational hits out at The Castle and that she could handle it.
Then she told me I should loosen up.”
    Angela’s eyes fill. “If only I could have stopped
her.”
    I wait until she calms. “You said Cliff took you to
the last party.”
    “Some date. He kept looking around for Caro. When I
called him on it, he got all funny. Said he didn’t care what she
did. But I could tell he was really bothered.”
    “Is it possible that Cliff murdered Caro?”
    Angela stares away for a few seconds. “There are a
lot of things about Cliff that are strange, but I can’t see him
killing anybody.”
    “Maybe he really was in love with Caro.”
    Angela shrugs. “All I know is he was desperate for a
date last week and called me at the last minute.
    “The evening was totally weird. All the men wore
full face masks.”
    “Are you saying no one knew who anyone else
was?”
    “Oh, no. Most of the men knew each other. At least
Cliff seemed to know quite a few. But no one called anybody by his
right name, and they spoke in some kind of code.”
    “What kind of code?”
    “They had different names. Like Cliff is Jay Three.
Oh, and they rated the women. One to ten.”
    “Did you see Caro that night?”
    “When Cliff left me in the hallway for a few
minutes, I heard my name being called. It was Caro. She was leaning
over the upstairs railing. She looked so happy.”
    I move to Angela’s bed and put my arms around her.
“I know you feel horrible about what happened to Caro, but it was
her life. She made the choices.”
    “Yes. She made the choices, but I don’t think she
expected to be murdered. Nobody would.”
    “Okay, so this new guy gets her upstairs. Did she
tell you what happened there?”
    “A couple performs while everybody watches.”
“Performs?”
    She gives me a “you know” look.
    “You mean they have sex? In front of everybody?”
    “Caro said it was really about the man. That it was
a test to prove a man’s ‘savoir faire.’”
    My mouth must drop open because Angela gives me an
agreeing smirk. “Worse than that, Caro told me if another member
likes the way a woman responds, he can ask to try her out. That’s
the rule. No man can refuse. Refusing is considered bad
manners.”
    “Hey, wait a minute. Doesn’t the woman have anything
to say about it?”
    “Why should the women complain? They get paid—and
plenty.”
    “Are you saying Caro wasn’t?”
    Angela shrugs off my question. “Two other men had
her that night and there were others standing in line when the bell
rang.
    “Caro was devastated. Said this guy promised her the
time of her life. Said she didn’t expect to be treated like a
common whore. She swore she was never going back.”
    A black hole in my stomach starts to grow. Does
Angela know names? If so, she could also be in danger. “Did Caro
ever