blushing.”
“That’s irritation, not
embarrassment,” she snapped. “We went on one date. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Could have been,”
Juliette muttered.
Sam rolled her eyes.
“Can we focus on what’s important, please? Alice will be back any minute.”
“Don’t you dare say a
word about this to my mom,” Darby said between gritted teeth. “She’d insist on
moving in with me—or hiring a bodyguard. I’m not sure which would be worse.”
“You have to promise to
be careful, Darb. If we tell the authorities—”
“If!” Her voice rose.
“If? Christ, Sam, we have to report it. We witnessed a murder. There’s no
pretending to ourselves the woman survived. Not anymore.”
Sam eyed the stubborn
set of Darby’s mouth before meeting Juliette’s troubled gaze. “We’re all in
agreement, then? We’ll go to the sheriff as soon as we get home?”
Juliette nodded.
“He can call me with any
questions,” Darby said. “I don’t have time for a trip to Ravenswood right now.”
“Too bad.” Juliette’s
voice was wistful. “It’d be like old times, all of us together again.”
“Darby’s expression
softened. “Maybe in a month or so, after I finish my current project. This
client isn’t the type to wait around for answers. You aren’t leaving anytime soon,
are you, Sam?”
“Not until they find the
guy who killed that woman.” She waved her arm to indicate the sterile room.
“The same animal who put you in here.” Her voice was grim. “I’m not going
anywhere until this is over.”
****
Clouds scudded across
the sky, big, white puffs with gray underbellies. Sam stuffed her hands into
the pockets of her sweatshirt and lowered her head against the wind,
side-stepping around a big man yelling into his cell phone. She glanced up when
a wolf whistle caught her attention, and grinned at the arm extended from a
Fish and Game truck, thumb turned up.
Hurrying the last block,
she pushed open the door to the dance studio—and screamed. Flames leapt from a
trash can in the hallway. Rushing forward, she turned and kicked the tall,
wicker basket out the door. A flaming ball of paper rolled onto the sidewalk as
the basket landed on the welcome mat. Stepping around it, she reached for the
watering can set next to a tub of fall flowers.
“Oh my God. Oh my God.”
Eyes wide in horror, Juliette barreled down the stairs, flew across the short
hall, and grabbed the can from Sam before running back inside.
Spying a rake tossed
atop a pile of leaves heaped on the small front lawn, Sam picked it up and
pounded the flaming paper. Hollow footsteps echoed against the sidewalk behind
her, and she glanced over her shoulder.
Ethan pulled the rake
from her unresisting grip and went to work on the flames while Juliette doused
them with the can full of water. In less than a minute, the trash basket was reduced
to smoldering remains.
Eyeing the mess, he
nodded to Juliette. “Maybe one more can of water, just to be on the safe side.”
She disappeared inside,
and Sam let out a long breath as she met his startled gaze. “Talk about an
adrenaline rush.”
“You could have been
hurt.” Blue eyes flashed with a hint of anger, and his hands clenched around
the rake handle. “Why the hell didn’t you call 911?”
“I didn’t think. I just
reacted. It happened so fast.”
Juliette returned and
poured a stream of water over the smoking basket. “Thank God you came when you
did.” Her hands shook. “What if I’d been teaching a class?” Tears rolled down
her cheeks. “My girls could have been hurt.”
“Don’t think like that.
It’ll make you crazy.” Sam reached over and squeezed her friend’s tense arm.
“You weren’t, so no harm done.”
“Only some blistered
paint and a scorch mark on the floor. I guess I was lucky.”
Ethan raked the soggy
heap into a neat pile. “Do you have any idea how it started? Did someone throw
a cigarette butt in the trash without putting it out
“That’s irritation, not
embarrassment,” she snapped. “We went on one date. It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Could have been,”
Juliette muttered.
Sam rolled her eyes.
“Can we focus on what’s important, please? Alice will be back any minute.”
“Don’t you dare say a
word about this to my mom,” Darby said between gritted teeth. “She’d insist on
moving in with me—or hiring a bodyguard. I’m not sure which would be worse.”
“You have to promise to
be careful, Darb. If we tell the authorities—”
“If!” Her voice rose.
“If? Christ, Sam, we have to report it. We witnessed a murder. There’s no
pretending to ourselves the woman survived. Not anymore.”
Sam eyed the stubborn
set of Darby’s mouth before meeting Juliette’s troubled gaze. “We’re all in
agreement, then? We’ll go to the sheriff as soon as we get home?”
Juliette nodded.
“He can call me with any
questions,” Darby said. “I don’t have time for a trip to Ravenswood right now.”
“Too bad.” Juliette’s
voice was wistful. “It’d be like old times, all of us together again.”
“Darby’s expression
softened. “Maybe in a month or so, after I finish my current project. This
client isn’t the type to wait around for answers. You aren’t leaving anytime soon,
are you, Sam?”
“Not until they find the
guy who killed that woman.” She waved her arm to indicate the sterile room.
“The same animal who put you in here.” Her voice was grim. “I’m not going
anywhere until this is over.”
****
Clouds scudded across
the sky, big, white puffs with gray underbellies. Sam stuffed her hands into
the pockets of her sweatshirt and lowered her head against the wind,
side-stepping around a big man yelling into his cell phone. She glanced up when
a wolf whistle caught her attention, and grinned at the arm extended from a
Fish and Game truck, thumb turned up.
Hurrying the last block,
she pushed open the door to the dance studio—and screamed. Flames leapt from a
trash can in the hallway. Rushing forward, she turned and kicked the tall,
wicker basket out the door. A flaming ball of paper rolled onto the sidewalk as
the basket landed on the welcome mat. Stepping around it, she reached for the
watering can set next to a tub of fall flowers.
“Oh my God. Oh my God.”
Eyes wide in horror, Juliette barreled down the stairs, flew across the short
hall, and grabbed the can from Sam before running back inside.
Spying a rake tossed
atop a pile of leaves heaped on the small front lawn, Sam picked it up and
pounded the flaming paper. Hollow footsteps echoed against the sidewalk behind
her, and she glanced over her shoulder.
Ethan pulled the rake
from her unresisting grip and went to work on the flames while Juliette doused
them with the can full of water. In less than a minute, the trash basket was reduced
to smoldering remains.
Eyeing the mess, he
nodded to Juliette. “Maybe one more can of water, just to be on the safe side.”
She disappeared inside,
and Sam let out a long breath as she met his startled gaze. “Talk about an
adrenaline rush.”
“You could have been
hurt.” Blue eyes flashed with a hint of anger, and his hands clenched around
the rake handle. “Why the hell didn’t you call 911?”
“I didn’t think. I just
reacted. It happened so fast.”
Juliette returned and
poured a stream of water over the smoking basket. “Thank God you came when you
did.” Her hands shook. “What if I’d been teaching a class?” Tears rolled down
her cheeks. “My girls could have been hurt.”
“Don’t think like that.
It’ll make you crazy.” Sam reached over and squeezed her friend’s tense arm.
“You weren’t, so no harm done.”
“Only some blistered
paint and a scorch mark on the floor. I guess I was lucky.”
Ethan raked the soggy
heap into a neat pile. “Do you have any idea how it started? Did someone throw
a cigarette butt in the trash without putting it out
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