“Yes. It’s a nice wine, and I promised him I’d have a couple of glasses. I’d have a glass of wine while I relaxed in the tub, but I just didn’t have the energy for the tub, so—”
“If you had, you’d have drowned just like K.T.”
“I don’t understand, not any of this. I guess I’m being punished.” He let out a shaky breath. “I told Roarke.”
“What did you tell Roarke?”
“That I killed K.T.”
“Julian, are you confessing to the murder of K.T. Harris?”
“I didn’t murder her. I didn’t, but …” He let out a breath again, but this time it was an exhalation of relief. “I killed her.”
“How?”
He stared at Eve with red-rimmed eyes dull against the gray cast of his skin. “I’m not sure.”
“You’re not sure? How do you know you killed her?”
“Because I knocked her down. I didn’t mean to, but she pushed me, and I pushed her. Not hard, but I shouldn’t have. I
He had to stop, squeeze his eyes shut a moment while he calmed his breathing. “There’s no excuse. I know that. Drinking’s not an excuse, being upset isn’t an excuse. But she was screaming at me, and she shoved me, and without thinking, I pushed her back. She slipped, and she fell back and hit her head.”
“Back up a little, okay? You went up to the roof with K.T. Harris on the night of her death?”
“Yes. I should have told you, but Joel …”
“Joel Steinburger told you not to tell the police. You told him what happened, and he advised you to lie to the police.”
“He was just trying to help me. Protect me. It was an accident. I got drunk—after dinner. It was such an ugly thing she said. And she got me aside after. I told you about those two girls, from the club. I didn’t know they were underage. She said she was going public with all of it if I didn’t …”
“What?”
“She said to meet her up on the roof, and she’d tell me what I had to do. I shouldn’t have gone up. I wish I hadn’t, but I was goddamn sick of her threatening me. Everyone. So I did.”
“Was the dome to the pool open or closed?”
“What? Ah, closed. I remember that. I can remember that because she was smoking—a lot, and it was too warm under the dome. I thought about having a toke, to tell you the truth. But all I had to do was stand there and breathe.”
“Why didn’t you open the dome, get some air?”
“I … I didn’t think of it, but I don’t know how anyway. I was so pissed off. She said I had to get Marlo in my trailer. I was supposed to give her a drink, and it would have some Rabbit in it so she’d want to have sex with me. I said I wouldn’t. I’d never do that to Marlo—to anyone. But Marlo, she trusts me. We’re friends. Jesus, Jesus.”
He passed a shaky hand over his face. “I’d never slip any woman Rabbit, but especially a friend. It just made me so mad when she said that’s what I had to do. How could she want anybody to do that?”
“You told her no.”
“I told her to go to hell. I think. It’s all mixed up, but I know we yelled at each other. I think I said some really hard things to her, and she slapped me, then she shoved me. I shoved her back, and she fell. The strap of her shoe, I think the strap of her shoe broke and she fell. There was blood, and I couldn’t wake her up. I got so scared. I was going to run down and get help, call an ambulance, or something.”
“Is that what you did?”
“I started to, then Joel said …” He rubbed at his face, hard this time, as if to scrub the memories to the surface. “It’s all mixed up. He said not to worry. It would be fine, but then he said she must’ve gotten up, or tried, and fell into the pool. And she drowned. He said it wasn’t my fault, but you’d say it was, because busting a celebrity for killing a celebrity made
“Listen to me. Look at me.”
He met her eyes, pressed his lips together. “Am I under arrest?”
“I could arrest you right now, starting with obstruction of justice. K.T. didn’t get up and fall into the pool. She was dragged in while she was unconscious.”
“I didn’t do that.” His breath began to hitch and tear. “No. I didn’t do that. I couldn’t have. I know I was mad, and I was drunk, but … I couldn’t have done that. I don’t remember. I was going to get help.”
“You got Joel.”
“I don’t know. Did I? No. That’s what’s so mixed up because I didn’t go get him. He was there, and he said he’d take care of it. Then you said she was dead. I didn’t drown her. I couldn’t have done that to her. I never hurt women. I shouldn’t have pushed her. I’d never have pushed her if I hadn’t been drinking, if she hadn’t said those things about Marlo. But I’d never have put her in the water. It was an accident.”
“No, it was murder. But you didn’t kill her, Julian. Joel did.”
“That’s crazy. Please, it had to be an accident.”
“It was murder. And if Nadine hadn’t come, he’d have killed you tonight, setting you up to take the fall for him.”
“Not Joel. You’re wrong.”
“I’m right. Tell me, was he ever alone last night, out there? Did he ask you to get him something out of another part of the suite? After you both poured that one glass of wine.”
“He wanted to see the pages for the scene we were doing today. I keep them in the bedroom. I always read the pages one more time, last thing.”
“And that gave him the time to add the pills to the wine, plant the bottle, even put the bottle away so you wouldn’t be tempted to have more until he had a solid alibi.”
“He made me promise not to drink any more last night. But … no.”
But she saw it begin to sink in.
“It all got tangled. What I thought happened, pieces I remembered, what he said happened. It didn’t fit right, but he said … He was just there, when I ran out of the dome, to the lounge. I told him what happened. He said … he’d take care of it. Not to tell anyone. Not to spoil the evening for the others. He killed her. He was going to kill me. Why? Why?”
“It’s kind of his hobby.” She looked over as Nadine opened the door.
“Can he have a break? Some food?”
“Yeah. We’re done for now.”
“Joel,” Julian said quietly, staring hard at his own hands. “Joel. He’s almost like a dad. He let me think I killed K.T. He let me think I did that. And it made me sick to think I had. Am I going to be arrested?”
“No. But don’t lie to me again.” She walked over to Nadine. “First, contact the house doctor—or if you want to call in a favor, tag Louise. He should have a doctor look him over.”
“I already tagged Louise.”
“Okay. Second. He’s going to talk to you, and you’re going to get fodder for that book you’re thinking about. Keep it under wraps while I go nail this fucker closed. But you can leak—in, say, thirty minutes—that Joel Steinburger’s been arrested.”
Eve walked out. “Peabody, with me. You, too,” she said to Roarke, “if you want to.”
“Always.”
“I bet Steinburger’s having brandy and dessert about now. Let’s go spoil his after-dinner liqueur.”
Since Roarke owned the place, with all its raw brick, deep wood paneling, and dark red leather, Eve knew she didn’t have to badge her way in.
She just wanted to. Wanted to cause the sort of scene that drew an audience and tipped tags to the media. She glanced at her wrist unit. Nadine had a five-minute head start.
She’d earned it.
“Sir.” Spotting Roarke, the maître d’ sprang to attention. “I’ll have a table ready in just a moment.”
