“Have you called Liam yet?”
“I texted him and said I needed him to come pick me up, that I couldn’t find a ride. I knew if I told him, he might crash into a tree onhis way. I—I’m going to wait by the door for him so I can break the news in private.”
Tori gets up again and drifts into the hall, and seconds later Ava reappears with a tray of glasses and a liter of sparkling water, setting it on a wooden butler’s table. After pouring drinks for everyone, she joins me on the couch.
“Oh, Kiki,” she says softly. “There aren’t any words.”
“Ava, it can’t be true. It just can’t be.”
“I know. It’s too mind-boggling to comprehend.”
Vic rushes back into the parlor. “Where the hell are the police?” he says to no one in particular. He glances over at Dan. “Did the operator give you any idea how long they would be?”
“She said a car was being dispatched, so I assume it won’t be long.”
“And until then we’re just supposed to mill around in here?” Vic exclaims, lifting his hands in exasperation.
“Well, we can’t go back out there,” Dan says bluntly. “The police won’t want us doing anything that would compromise the scene.”
Compromise the scene.I hate how bossy he’s trying to sound. Ava told me once that some of his clients write thrillers. Does he think that makes him some kind of crime scene expert?
Suddenly I’m on my feet.
“Vic, are you really sure it’s too late?” I exclaim, fighting back tears. “Shouldn’t we be trying CPR?”
“Kiki, I’m sorry,” he says grimly. “But there’s no way he could have survived his injury.”
“What do you mean?”
“I hate being the one to have to share this, but it was a gunshot wound to the head.”
I see Jamie then in my mind’s eye—slumped in the front seat, blood gushing everywhere. The image makes me retch. I bolt fromthe parlor, race to the powder room, and after shoving the door closed behind me, kneel in front of the toilet. When it seems clear that I’m not going to be sick, I exit the room and make my way farther down the hall to the kitchen. I yank out one of the chairs by the table and collapse into it.
After a short while, I hear someone come up behind me, and when they touch my shoulder gently, I realize it’s Ava.
“Let me make you some herbal tea,” she says.
She fills the kettle with water, and as she’s setting it back on the base, a new sound pierces the night—the wail of a siren. Ava freezes momentarily, holding the kettle in midair. She finally sets it back on the base, clicks it on, and settles next to me at the table. She lays a hand over one of mine.
“Do you think it was a robbery gone wrong?” I ask. “That someone was out there waiting for the guests to leave?”
“Oh, Kiki—I don’t know,” Ava says mournfully. “It’s all a terrible mystery. We’re just going to have to let the police figure this out.”
The kettle clicks off and she hands me a mug of tea, then says she’s going to check to see what’s happening. As soon as she leaves, I take a sip, but the taste makes me gag. I check my watch. Ten fifty-four. That means it’s not even eight in Phoenix, where my mother’s been living since my father died five years ago. But after her knee replacement surgery last month, she started going to bed super early, and despite how desperate I feel to speak to her, I don’t want to take the chance of waking her.
When Ava returns a few minutes later, she explains that Vic has spoken to the patrol officer, who assured him that detectives will be here momentarily. After fixing a cup of tea for herself, she rejoins me at the table, keeping silent company with me as I wait in anguish. Thoughthe kitchen door is partially closed, we can hear voices coming from the other end of the house.
About thirty minutes later, Vic reappears to say that he and Dan have been interviewed by a Detective Calistro, who would now like to speak to me alone in the kitchen. Ava will be interviewed in the dining room by a second detective, who’s already spoken to Tori and Dan’s wife. And then, within seconds, Calistro is here, and I rise to meet him. He appears to be in his midforties, about five nine or ten, with very short dark hair and a trim mustache. He’s dressed in black slacks, a white collared shirt, and a dark gray blazer.
“Katherine Reed?” he asks.
“Yes, or Kiki, whichever you prefer.” Unexpectedly, my heart has started to hammer.
Vic slips out of the room with Ava, who glances over her shoulder, offering a look of support. I trail her for a moment with my eyes, and while doing so, catch sight of Liam at the end of the hall, preparing to leave with Tori. His back is to me, so I can’t see his face, but I can only imagine how devastated he must be. Has he informed his uncle Drew yet? This news will surely crush him.
“I’m very sorry for your loss,” Calistro says, tugging my gaze back to the room. He motions me to be seated again, slides into a chair across the table from me, then flips open the pad he’s carrying. His fingers are short, with shiny, buffed nails. “I know it’s a difficult time, but I need to ask you a few questions while the events are still fresh in your mind.”
Still fresh in my mind.Like tonight’s a dish to be savored at the peak of perfection.
