Dead Beat

'I didn't hate her,' she blurted out. The woman standing next to her having the mental washing-powder debate was so riveted she began to follow us before she was withered by Gloria's hard stare and her muttered, 'Do you mind?'

A few feet further on, she said, “I just didn't like the effect she had on everyone. We were all happy here together before she arrived. Since she got here, everyone's been bickering. And whatever anyone else says, she made Jett edgy with her constant demands. Everything had to be just the way she wanted it.'

'So you're not exactly sorry she's dead?'

Gloria banged her fabric conditioner on the side of the trolley. 'That's not what I said!' she flared. 'Just because I didn't think she was good for Jett doesn't mean I'm not upset about the way she died. I know you don't like me, Miss Brannigan, but don't think you can pick on me!'

I felt a pang of sympathy for her then. She was too young to be setting herself up as the devoted handmaiden to the great man. She should have been out there enjoying life, not stuck with a bunch of piranhas who fed off each other's emotions and talents. I mean, for God's sake, who sends a qualified secretary round the supermarket these days? Apart from anything else, it would be cheaper to hire a woman from the village.

'How long have you been with Jett?' I asked, hoping to defuse her anger.

'Three years and five months,' she replied, unable to keep a note of pride out of her voice. 'I was working at his record company, and I heard he needed a secretary. Of course, the job has grown a lot since I took over. Now I organise his schedule completely.'

This time my sympathy was all for Jett. Again, I switched the subject, hoping to catch her off guard. 'When I told you about Moira, you seemed convinced that she was doing drugs. Why did you think that?'

Gloria refused to meet my eyes. 'Everyone knew she'd been a drug addict,' she mumbled. 'It was the obvious conclusion. We all knew she'd be back on the drugs again as soon as she got half a chance.'

'And did you help to give her that half a chance?' I demanded, leaning over Gloria to study the assorted nuts, so close I could smell her fresh lemony perfume.

'No!' she cried desperately.

'Somebody did, Gloria,' I insisted.

'Well, it wasn't me. You've got to believe me,' she pleaded. 'If she was doing drugs, she was doing it of her own free will. Why else would she steal my syringes?'

19

I just stood staring at Gloria, who looked back at me with a mixture of triumph and defiance in her eyes. 'What do you mean?' I finally gasped.

'Somebody has been stealing my syringes over the last four weeks or so,' she said.

'What syringes?' I almost howled in my frustration. The snacks section had never seen drama like this.

'I'm a diabetic. I have to inject myself with insulin. I keep a supply of disposable syringes in my room. On three or four occasions, I've noticed that there were a couple missing. I have to keep a close eye on them, because I daren't run out.'

I took a deep breath. 'So why did you assume that Moira was responsible?'

She shrugged. The shopping was forgotten now. We'd gravitated to the end of the aisle, and neither of us was showing any inclination to hit the soft drinks.

Gloria dropped her voice and said, 'Well, who else would want needles except a drug addict? And in spite of what you might think about the rock business, nobody in the house is a junkie. Jett just wouldn't stand for it. He's got very strict views on the subject. I know some of the others sneak away and do some coke, but none of them are stupid enough to get into heroin. Especially after what happened when Moira got hooked.'

'Any other reason why you were sure it was Moira?' I asked.

'Well, for one thing, they'd never gone missing before she moved in. Then one day I came upstairs and caught her with her hand on my doorknob. She said she'd just knocked to see if she could borrow a book, but I wasn't falling for that. I knew by then what she was after.'

'And did she borrow a book?'

'Yes,' Gloria acknowledged reluctantly. 'The new Judith Krantz.'

'Was she in the habit of borrowing books from you?'

Gloria shrugged. 'She'd done it a couple of times.'

'And did she know you were a diabetic?' I asked.

'There's no secret about it. She never actually discussed it with me, if that's what you're getting at.'

The next question was obvious, though I knew she wouldn't like it. That was just tough luck. 'Who else comes into your room either regularly or occasionally?' I demanded.

I was right. 'Just what are you trying to suggest?' Gloria flashed back, outraged.

'I'm not trying to suggest anything. I asked a straightforward question, and I'd appreciate a straightforward answer.'

Gloria pointedly turned away from my stare. 'No one uses my room except me,' she mumbled. 'Moira was the only person apart from the cleaner who's been in there.'

I took pity on her. I couldn't see being madly in love with Jett as an emotionally rewarding pastime, and I didn't want to rub in the fruitlessness of her passion. 'Given that it wasn't a drug overdose that killed her, have you any ideas about who might have wanted rid of Moira?'

'How should I know?' Gloria snapped.

'I would have thought there was no one better placed to have a few theories,' I replied. 'You're right at the nerve centre of the household. You're in Jett's confidence. I can't imagine there's much goes on around here that you don't know about.' When in doubt, flatter.

Gloria rose to the bait. 'If I had to choose one person, I'd pick Tamar,' she bitched right back at me. 'If Jett wasn't such a nice guy, she'd have been out of here weeks ago. They've been rowing for ages, and when Moira arrived, Tamar's nose was put right out of joint. Jett needs a woman who understands him, who really appreciates how demanding his work is. But Tamar just wants to have a good time, and Jett's just the means to that end for her. When Moira turned up, he saw how many of his needs weren't being met by Tamar, and it was obvious he didn't have much time for her any more. And now Moira's dead, Tamar's been all over him, trying to get back in his good books.'

It was a long speech for Gloria, and her efforts to make it sound objective rather than vitriolic would have been funny under any other circumstances. I nodded sagely, and said, 'I see what you mean. But do you really think she's capable of a crime of violence like that?'

'She's capable of anything,' Gloria retorted. 'She saw her position under threat, and I think she acted on the spur of the moment to protect herself.'

'What about the others? Micky? Kevin?' I inquired.

'Kevin wasn't thrilled that she was back. He was worried about the press getting hold of the details of her past and using that to smear Jett. And she was always chasing him about money, as if he was trying to do her out of her share, which is just ridiculous. I mean, if Kevin was dishonest, Jett would have found out and got rid of him years ago. He had nothing to fear from Moira's silly allegations, so why would he kill her? All her murder's achieved is to stir up the very stuff he wanted kept quiet,' Gloria informed me.

'And Micky?'

'You wouldn't be very thrilled if someone who had been out of the business for years came along and started telling you how to do your job, would you? She was very pushy, you know. She had her own ideas and God help anyone who didn't go along with them. I felt really sorry for Micky. She was always pushing Jett into taking her side over the album, and he was so scared that she'd take off again that he went along with her. But Micky wouldn't have killed her. I mean, she might have been driving him demented, but she couldn't do his career any damage,' Gloria stated. She pointedly made for the check-out queue. In her eyes, she'd clearly decided she'd told me all I was going to get.

I cut round in front of her, making her brake sharply. 'One last question,' I promised. 'You said cocaine was