Who Killed Jenny Schecter? Ch. 08

"Comedians," Duffy said.

"I thought we were Angels," Shane said.

"Angel comedians," Carmen said. "Hey, I got an idea, Lieutenant. You can be the smart one."

Duffy frowned. "Sucking up, huh?"

Carmen beamed shamelessly.

"I'm beginning to like you, Morales. You can be the smart one until further notice. Okay, let's cut the shit. What have you got?"

"First off, I think we're making progress," Lauren said. "We think we have a couple people we'd like to take a closer look at. There's a good bit of legwork I have to do, and then we have a bunch of interviews to do. But first we have a major question for you."

"Me?"

"Yes. The night of the murder, you were on scene, you were in charge. While you were talking inside to the women, one of the team found Niki Stevens hiding in the bushes."

"Right. What about it?"

"We were wondering if they found anyone else, or rather, how big a canvas did they do after they found Niki."

"You're thinking there was someone else?"

"We're just wondering if it's possible there was. We even have someone in mind. But that person might have left the scene before the homicide team found Niki. Then there's the transportation issue. How did Niki get there?"

"Okay, I see what you're asking," Duffy said. "Yes, when they brought Stevens in, I told them to make sure there was no one else around. So yes, I'd say our search of the neighborhood was thorough, but yes, there could have been someone else who just walked away before we got there. Never got to transportation. Never canvassed for Niki's car. That help?"

"Well, it's what we figured."

"Who's your second suspect?"

"Adele Channing."

"Refresh my memory."

"She's the woman who was Jenny's assistant, then took over her job as director. She would have been Niki's boss after Jenny was fired by the studio."

"Motive?"

"Unknown."

"I've got an idea about that," Carmen said.

"Tell me," Duffy said.

"We now know it was Niki who stole the negatives and hid them in Jenny's attic, right?"

"She confessed to it, yes."

"Her motive was to get back at Jenny. But if the negs are never discovered, the revenge is never truly completed. Jenny is never exposed as the thief, alleged thief, anyway. So suppose Niki tells Adele she thinks that bitch Jenny stole the negs, and hey, come with me and we'll sneak into Jenny's house and maybe we can find them there."

Everyone chewed on it. "How'd they know we wouldn't be home?" Shane asked.

"Easy," Carmen said. "Jenny was running around for a week or more, rounding up and filming goodbye messages for Tina and Bette. She'd have asked people at the studio Tina had close ties with. I didn't see the video; was Niki one of the people in it? If so, she'd have known there was going to be a party. And even if she wasn't in it, maybe Jenny told her. Or she heard it from somebody else. At any rate, it would have been common knowledge around the studio Tina was moving to New York and Jenny was doing a farewell video. But even simpler, all you have to do is stake out your house, see when you both leave to go somewhere."

"Okay," Shane said. "I'll buy that."

"I just thought of something else," Carmen said.

"That is?" Duffy asked.

"Suppose there was a second person hiding in bushes, whether Adele or somebody else. The person who drove her there, maybe, a member of her posse. So, if there was a second person, suppose they saw the murder ... or suppose they were the murderer."

Duffy looked at Lauren. "See? I knew she was going to be the smart Charlie's Angel," she said.