Dark in Death (In Death 46)

“Apparently. Glazier’s been recording at your place.”

“Right.” Jake shoved at his long, tousled hair. “I want to say he’s turned himself around, and it’s not always easy in our game. He’s been an asshole, but he’s young and it’s almost required you’re an asshole when you’re young and rocking it.”

“Are you an asshole?”

“Jesus, Dallas.”

“It’s fair,” Jake said to Nadine with a spark of humor in crystal blue eyes. “I’m not so young, and while I had asshole moments, I decided early on the music was more important than the party. Even than the sex, though that can run neck and neck in some cases. Glaze took awhile to get there, made some idiot choices, but he’s on the road. Loxie was a big pothole in that road.”

The humor died as he glanced down at the coffee in his hand. “I’m sorry she’s dead. I’m sorry she died like she did, but Glaze had already driven around that pothole and moved on. He wouldn’t have hurt her.”

“Do you know who would have?”

Jake looked at Nadine.

“You can be straight,” Nadine said in a way that told Eve she had said the same before. “She won’t think less of you.”

“I think a little less of me for saying it, but okay. She was one prime bitch. Selfish, mean as a rattler, with no sense of loyalty. My opinion? She wanted Glaze more after he didn’t want her. Dog in the manger.”

“She had a dog?”

For a moment, Jake just stared. “It’s an expression. Like, you want something more when you can’t have it.”

“What does that have to do with dogs and mangers? Never mind. You knew her well?”

“Not really. I knew who and what she was. I’ve seen her kind plenty. Between bouts with Glaze she made moves on Rocky—our drummer. Our married drummer. He didn’t move back. She made them on me, and just hell no. She just wanted to leech onto rockers. That sounds harsh.”

Apparently he did have a sensitive side, and Eve didn’t have time for it.

“Does being dead make her less of a bitch while she was breathing?”

He blew out a breath, stared down into his coffee again. “No. Nadine figured I should tell you I ran into her a few days ago, and we had some hard words.”

“When, where, what?”

“She came to my place, wanted to see Glaze. They were recording. I was going to lay some tracks with them, so I was around. I saw her on the security. I didn’t say anything to Glaze—she’s a distraction. Was,” he corrected. “I went to the door, told her to blow. She told me to suck it and so on. She was high. Buzzed most likely. She offered me a bj if I’d let her in. I said, shit, I said I thought too much of my dick to have her mouth on it. She took a swing at me, missed. I told her if she came back, if she tried any of that shit again, I’d twist her up. And I shut the door on her. So, I threatened her.”

“How about you tell me where you were last night at about twenty-two hundred.”

“Is that ten in actual time? Because about then Lois and I were engaged in certain activities.”

“He was at my place from about nine o’clock last night, and we were together all night. Stop playing with him, Dallas.”

“It’s routine and procedure,” Eve corrected. “Did she try to come back?”

“No, at least not when I was around. Glaze is clean—I know when someone isn’t. He’s seeing a really nice woman, and he’s focused on staying clean, the woman, and the music. This’ll mess him up some, and I’m more sorry about that than her being dead. And that’s harsh, too, but truth.”

“You’re around the studio a lot?”

&n

bsp; “I live there. I work there. So, yeah. When I’m not traveling or we’re not doing a gig or promo, I’m there.”

“Did you ever notice a woman hanging around—” Before she could finish he flashed a grin, the one that told her just what flustered Nadine.

“Maybe one or two.”

“A specific woman,” Eve continued. “About five-six, on the lean side. Red hair, blue side dreads.”