“I’m taking Mirium first,” Eve told Feeney as she studied the dainty woman through the one-way glass.
“You could take a break, Dallas. Word is, it was pretty rough over there this morning.”
“You always think you’ve seen it all,” she murmured. “But you never do. There’s always something else.” She blew out a breath. “I want to do it now. I want to close this.”
“Okay. Duet or solo?”
“Solo. She’s going to talk. She’s on something…” Eve shook her head. “Maybe she’s just plain crazy, but I think she’s using. I’m going to get her to sign for a chemi-scan. The PA doesn’t like confessions given under the influence.”
“I’ll order one up.”
“Thanks.” She moved past him, walked into the room. Mirium’s face had been washed clean of blood. She wore a baggy disposable shift in police station beige. And still managed to look like a young, eager fairy.
Eve set the recorder, entered standard, then sat. “You know I’ve got you tagged, Mirium, so we don’t have to take that dance. You murdered Louis Trivane.”
“Yes.”
“What are you on?”
“On?”
“Doesn’t look like straight Zeus, you’re too mellow. Will you agree to a drug scan?”
“I don’t want to.” Her pretty mouth pouted; her dark eyes sulked. “Maybe later I’ll change my mind.” She pursed her lips and plucked at the thin skirt of the shift. “Can I get some of my own clothes? This thing’s itchy, and it offends the eye.”
“Yeah, we’re real worried about that right now. Why did you kill Louis Trivane?”
“He was evil. Chas said so.”
“By Chas you’re referring to Charles Forte.”
“Yes, but no one calls him Charles. It’s just Chas.”
“And Chas told you Louis was evil. Did he ask you to kill Louis?”
“He said I could. Other times I just got to watch. But this time I got to do it myself. There was a lot of blood.” She lifted a hand, studied it carefully. “Gone now.”
“What other times, Mirium?”
“Oh, other times.” She moved her shoulders. “Blood purifies.”
“Did you assist or witness other murders?”
“Sure. Death is a transition. I got to do this one. It was a very powerful act. I cut the demon out of him. Demons exist, and we fight them.”
“By killing the people they inhabit.”
“Yes. He said you were smart.” Mirium beamed at her out of slanted black eyes. “But you’ll never touch him. He’s too far removed from your law.”
“Let’s go back to Louis. Tell me about it.”
“Well, I have a friend on staff at the Luxury. All I had to do was screw him, and that was okay. I like to screw. Then I slipped one of the master codes in my pocket. You can get in most anywhere with a master. I put on one of the maids’ dresses, so no one would bother me, and I went right on in Louis’s suite. I took him towels. He was in the bathroom. He’d been sick, I could smell it. Then I stabbed him. I went for the throat, just like I was supposed to. Then I guess I got into it.”
She moved her shoulders again, sent Eve a mischievous smile. “It’s kind of like punching a knife through a pillow, you know. And it makes this sucky noise. Then I cut the demon out of him, and you came. I guess I’d finished, anyway.”
“Yeah, I guess you had. How long have you known Chas?”
“Oh, a couple of years. We like to make it in the park, in the daytime, because you never know if somebody’s going to come along and see.”