Class Reunion of Murder by Vanessa Gray Bartal Page B

her key to unlock the door. Jason flipped on the lights, but they were the old-fashioned kind that took a while to light up.
    “Swimming in the dark,” he muttered. “Awesome.”
    “It’s only almost dark,” Lacy said. She took off her t-shirt and shorts and laid them on a chair. Jason did the same and turned to her with a frown.
    “A one piece, Lacy, really? That’s like covering the Sistine Chapel with a drop cloth.”
    He must be teasing her. He had to know by now she wasn’t the type to wear a bikini. In addition to the fact that it didn’t suit her personality, there was no way she would risk pouring her ample curves into such measly fabric. “We can only push the bounds of spandex so far, Jason,” she said, and he laughed.
    “Answer me this: why do you have no problem swimming with me, yet you won’t allow me to see you completely covered in running gear?”
    “It’s not the clothes; it’s what I do in them. I’m actually quite graceful in the water.”
    “Show me your moves, Flipper. Let’s dive.”
    She dipped a toe in and quickly removed it. “The water is freezing.”
    “Jump in. You’ll get warm really quickly.”
    “How will I get warm by submerging myself in shockingly cold water?” she asked. “I’ve got to ease into it.”
    Jason jumped in the shallow end, ducked under the water, and came up with his arms outstretched. “Let me help you.”
    She put out her hands and held onto him as she jumped, but she didn’t go under. Instead she froze with the water waist high, whimpering. “S-s-so c-cold,” she said, her teeth chattering almost too much to form words.
    He tugged her toward the deep end. “Once you get your shoulders wet, it will be okay.”
    “Your logic eludes me,” she said.
    “Trust me,” he urged.
    “You say that a lot.”
    “That’s because I’m waiting for you to do it,” he said. He pulled her close, pressing her to him as his arms doubled around her. “There, isn’t that better?” They were almost in the deepest part of the pool now.
     
    “I think I’m in over my head here,” Lacy said. Her arms eased around him.
    “Me, too,” he said.
     
    “I was talking about the water,” she said.
    “Oh, yeah, me too,” he said, smiling. He leaned down and kissed her just under her jaw. She clutched him closer. “Feeling better?”
    “I’m definitely warmer now.”
    Abruptly, he let her go. “Good, now show me what you’ve got.”
    Lacy sputtered and dog paddled to bring herself back to the surface. Jason stood by, waiting for her to complain about going under. Instead she took a breath and dove. She really did love swimming, and she was good at it. She wasn’t the fastest, but she had stamina, probably because she was so good at floating. She could tread water for hours, barely moving her arms and legs. She would never be skinny, but God had apparently decided to make up for that by bestowing her with the floating capacity of a chubby otter.
    She stayed under for a long time, pushing her lungs to maximum capacity. She brushed Jason’s leg, snapped his trunks, and smiled when he jumped away. She was just getting ready to break to the surface when something tangled itself in her hair and tugged, pulling her down, down, down to the bottom of the pool.
     
    She couldn’t get free of whatever it was, and she was starting to panic. Her air was gone. After a few seconds of fruitless struggle, she realized she could lift whatever it was and drag it with her. She pushed off the bottom and kicked hard, desperation for air giving her the strength she needed to tow whatever object was bound to her hair. She broke the surface and reached out a hand, the universal symbol for “I’m drowning.” Jason caught her hand and pulled her up.
    “Lacy, don’t move,” he said.
     
    “What is it?” she asked, alerted by his tone.
    “It’s better if you don’t know. Just hold still until I untangle you. Here.” He wrapped her arms around his neck so she dangled off