Delores moved toward the wet carpet. She rounded the corner of the couch and stopped, reaching out to steady herself as she saw a sight that she knew would haunt her dreams for years to come. Tori was sprawled on the rug, a sticky red stain on one of the beautiful silk caftans she wore on evenings that she worked at home.
The stain on the caftan glistened in the light from the tiny bulbs in the ceiling. Delores shuddered as she saw the crystal champagne flute tipped on its side on the floor, its expensive contents now permanently embedded in the plush white fibers. Thank goodness the blood hadn’t gotten on the carpet! That could have permanently ruined it. She’d have to give Tori the name of a good carpet cleaning firm so that they could remove the champagne stain.
“Ohhhh!” Delores gave a cry that ended in a sob. Tori wouldn’t need the name of a carpet cleaner. Tori would never need anything again. Tori was dead! Her friend was dead!
Tears began to fall from her eyes, but Delores couldn’t seem to look away. Her friend’s eyes seemed fixed on the ceiling and her mouth was slightly open, as if she were protesting the cruel twist of fate that had befallen her.
“It’s okay, Delores. We’re here.”
The sound of a calm male voice released Delores from her horrid fixation and she managed to turn to face the sound. It was Mike, and he had brought Lonnie with him. They had both come to help her. She wanted to thank them, but she couldn’t seem to find the words.
“Lonnie’s going to take you back upstairs and stay with you until Michelle comes.”
“Michelle’s still here?” Delores recovered enough to ask about her youngest daughter. “I thought she was going back to college tonight.”
“She was, but she decided to stay until Hannah and Ross get back. I’ll be up later to take your statement.”
As Lonnie took her arm, Delores began to shake. It was as if she had been hit with a blast of icy winter wind. She leaned heavily on Lonnie’s arm as he led her from the room, from the awful sight of the friend she’d never see again, the friend who wouldn’t come over for coffee in the morning, the downstairs neighbor who would no longer sit by the pool under the climate-controlled dome in Delores and Doc’s penthouse garden, and chat about her career on the stage. Tori would never collect her lifetime achievement award and hear the applause of her peers. Victoria Bascomb’s stellar life had ended, and Delores was overwhelmed with grief and sadness.
As she entered the penthouse on Lonnie’s arm and sank onto the soft cushions of the couch, another emotion began to grow in her mind. It replaced the heaviness of her sadness, at least for the moment. That emotion was anger, anger that her friend had died in such a senseless manner. How dare someone come into Tori’s home and hurt her!
As Delores sat there waiting for Michelle to arrive, she was filled with a fiery resolve. She had to tell Hannah that Tori had been murdered. The moment that Michelle arrived, they had to try to reach Hannah. They needed her and she had to help them. Her eldest daughter would know where to start and what to do. Hannah had to come home to Lake Eden immediately so that they could find Tori’s killer and make him pay for the horrible crime he had committed!
Chapter Two
Hannah Swensen Barton sat on the balcony of the owner’s suite, a chilled glass of champagne in her hand. She gave a happy smile as she watched the sun sink lower in the sky. The gentle lapping of the waves created a rhythm of contentment in her heart and she knew that she’d never felt so joyous and fulfilled. Marriage was wonderful. She loved Ross with every fiber of her being and she truly felt one with him.
At the same time, she was happy to be alone for a few moments, to rediscover herself as a person and not half of a couple. She’d missed her alone time in the early morning, sitting at her kitchen table in her old nightgown, sipping coffee and letting her mind gather the energy to deal with the day ahead.
Early morning and late night were the times that her creative juices flourished, unchecked by the necessity of making conversation. Those were the times when she came up with ideas for new recipes, for improvements she could make at The Cookie Jar, for wonderfully personalized gifts she could make or buy for her family. Of course there were times when solitude was lonely, but she’d been with Ross for every waking moment of their honeymoon. There was no denying that it had been wonderful, but it had also felt just a bit confining, perhaps even . . . Hannah stopped herself in mid-thought and attempted to ignore the word that had flashed in her mind. That word was stifling. Not all of the time. Certainly not. But occasionally, she needed some room to think and to breathe.
She took a sip of her champagne. She didn’t really want it, but Ross had poured it for her and he’d think that she didn’t like it if her glass was still untouched. She rose to her feet, walked to the second bathroom that their butler had called the powder room, and poured half of the champagne down the drain.
On her way back to the balcony, she felt a bit disloyal. Ross had chosen the champagne especially for her. It wasn’t that she didn’t like it. She did. It was just that she didn’t feel like drinking it now, on the last night of their cruise. She wanted to savor every moment, to stock up the memories for later, for after they’d returned to their lives in Lake Eden.
The sun was almost down and it cast a golden path across the sea, a glistening bridge between day and night. Hannah looked up and smiled as she realized the stars were beginning to appear in the sky. They seemed to be bigger and more brilliant out here on the ocean than they ever had in Lake Eden. Going on a cruise was a wonderful adventure and she hoped that they could afford to do it again sometime.
“I’m back, honey.” A voice spoke behind her and Hannah almost jumped.
“Ross! I didn’t hear you come in. Is everything all right with the purser?”
“Everything’s fine. They just charged us for a couple of things we didn’t get, like the shore excursions we canceled in Cabo.”