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L aura frowned at the water glass on the table in front of her. She wished for her thermos. Hell, she wished this interview could take place at L Bar. The bartender, Valerie, knew Laura’s drink of choice.

Allison , she thought. Oh, God. Allison...

Detective Mark Fulton of the Sedona Police Department sat across the table. He hadn’t allowed either of her brothers to join her. They had each been questioned separately, as had Bella, Knox, Tallulah, Manuel and Roland.

“I understand you were the one who initially hired the deceased,” Fulton commented.

She studied the small corona on top of his shiny, hairless head, a reflection from the wide chandelier above them. Forcing herself to look away, she traced the pattern of his tie with her gaze—circles overlapping circles in various shades of blue, each edged with a thin gold iris. “Allison,” she said. She swallowed. She hadn’t let herself cry.

Not yet. She’d been surrounded by people—her brothers, the staff, the guests—since the discovery of Allison’s body.

Her voice split as if the strain of not crying had injured her vocal cords.

“Sorry?” Fulton said, looking up from his notepad distractedly.

“Her name is Allison,” she told him. He needed to stop calling her the deceased . It sounded discordant, inhumane.

“Of course,” he allowed. He spared her a brief smile. “You hired Allison. Ms. Brewer. Is that correct?”

“I did,” Laura answered. “Two years ago last September.”

“And when did you see her last?” he asked.

Laura thought about it. “Yesterday. She teaches... I mean, she taught a yoga course in the meditation garden at the rock labyrinth at sunset. I saw her coming back from that around dusk. It was between six and six thirty. I was on my way to check on our chef at Annabeth. He had to have stitches the day before. He cut himself during the lunch rush. I wanted to make sure he was okay to work through dinner. I saw Allison walking from the meditation garden toward C Building, which is where the staff locker rooms, break rooms and café are located. It’s also where they park their cars when they arrive for work in the morning.”

“Did you speak to her?”

“I did,” Laura said with a nod.

“How would you describe her demeanor?”

Laura frowned. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Did she strike you as happy, tired, angry, upset...?”

It took a moment for Laura to settle on the right description. “She was upbeat. Allison was always upbeat. Even when she was fatigued, which I imagine she was after a full day of classes. She does guided meditation for guests and for anyone on staff who wants to join after hours. One reason I was so excited about hiring her was because she had wonderful ideas for improving the wellness of not just Mariposa’s guests but the resort as a whole. She wanted fellow members of staff to have the opportunity to rest and recharge.”

“That was generous of her.”

Laura nodded. “Allison was always generous with her time and attention. Everyone liked her.”

“What did you speak to her about when you saw her yesterday evening?”

She narrowed her eyes, trying to recall the exact words of the conversation. “She wanted to grab dinner and was looking forward to a few moments to herself in the break room before the guided meditation with the staff. Sometimes, she liked to join the stargazing excursion after dinner. She was excited about seeing last night’s meteor shower before she went home to Sedona. She had a house there.”

“Would you mind telling me what she was wearing at the time?” Fulton asked.

Laura fumbled. She thought again of Allison lying between Knox and Joshua. Her blue-tinged lips. Her blank stare.

Something wormed its way up Laura’s throat. The taste of acid filled her mouth. She had to force herself to swallow it back down. “Workout clothes. The same ones we...we found her in this morning.”

“Was she wearing shoes last night?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s an odd question, Detective. Do you mind me asking how that’s relevant?”

“I’m just trying to get a full picture of the deceased...I mean, Allison...in the hours leading up to her death.”

He said it gently. Even so, her death sounded so final. Laura reached up for her temples, feeling off balance. “Ah... I believe so. Yes. She wore flexible, lightweight footwear between classes. For the classes themselves, she preferred to go barefoot.” Laura remembered the tiny lotus tattoo on Allison’s ankle. Her eyes stung. “Do you mind me asking, Detective, if you have any idea how she died? It just seems strange for someone so young to just...”

Fulton nodded away the rest. “That’s why I’m trying to go through all the details. It will help me understand what happened to her.”

“Did she have a heart attack?” Laura asked. Even that seemed nonsensical. Allison was so healthy. She was vegan, preferring to bring her own meals instead of having them prepared by others. “It could have been a stroke, I suppose. Or an aneurysm?”

“Again, Ms. Colton,” Fulton said in as kind a voice as he could muster. “I assure you. I will do everything I can to figure out what happened to your employee.”

Employee? Allison was her friend. Laura opened her mouth to correct him, but she faltered.

“Was there anyone on staff who Allison didn’t get along with?” Fulton asked.

“No. As I said, everyone liked Allison.”

“What about guests? Have there been any disgruntled students from her yoga or meditation classes?”

“No,” she said, finding the idea ridiculous. “None.”

“In two years, she never had a dissatisfied student?”

“Not one,” Laura said. She would have known. Allison would have told her.

“Did she have a personal relationship with any of the guests?”

“What do you mean by that?” Laura asked.

“Was she closer to any particular guest?” he elaborated. “Beyond the classes. Maybe one she got to know during the stargazing excursions.”

Laura frowned. “Allison would never overstep. She knew where to draw the line. She was the perfect mix of friendliness and professionalism, and she never would have thought of mixing business with pleasure, if that’s what you’re implying.”

“You’re sure of this?”

She met his level stare. “Yes.”

He made several notes before he asked, “Do you know anything about her personal life? Was she involved with anyone on staff?”

“No, Detective. Relationships among staff members aren’t encouraged.”

“No one on staff seemed especially interested in Ms. Brewer?”

“I don’t think so,” Laura said. “There was a flirtation with our adventure guide, Knox Burnett. But Knox flirts with everyone.”

“What about outside the resort? What was her personal life like in Sedona?”

“She was in a relationship when she first came to the resort,” Laura remembered suddenly. “But it ended a few months after she started.”

“Did she seem upset?”

“She enjoyed being single again. Prioritizing herself was important. She enjoyed living alone.” She came to attention as something occurred to her. “Oh my God! Have you told her family? She didn’t talk about her parents, but there was a brother she was close to. She talked about him regularly. Does he know? Should we have contacted him already? I’m sure she put him down as her emergency contact.”

Fulton held up a hand. “We have contacted her next of kin. You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Still, I’d like to extend the condolences of the family and staff,” Laura explained. “There must be something we can do.”

“I’d be happy to get you in touch, if you like.”

“I would,” she said. “Very much.”

“I’ll have that information sent to you as soon as possible,” he stated. “One more question, and I’ll let you get back to your day. Can you tell me about your whereabouts between one and two o’clock this morning?”

She felt heavy in her chair, as if gravity were exerting more force than necessary. “Is that when Allison died?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Why do you need to know my whereabouts?”

“It’s simply a matter of routine.”

“I was in bed,” Laura explained. She’d gone to bed early, her large tabby cat at her side.

“Can anyone corroborate that?”

“No.” Was her word not enough? “I took off my smartwatch to charge it. I’m sure there’s a time stamp, probably around 11:00 p.m. My alarm goes off at 5:30 a.m.”

“Your brother informed me there are no security cameras on the property.”

“No. The privacy of our guests is very important at Mariposa.”

“He said that, too. I just hope it doesn’t make matters more complicated for you.”

“Why would it?” she asked.

He closed his notepad and pushed his chair back from the table. “I think that’s all I have for now. Thank you for sitting down with me. If I have any more questions, I’ll let you know.”

If he had any more questions for her? She was the one with all the remaining questions, and none of them had been answered. She sat frozen as he rounded the table. Before he could reach for the door, she snapped to attention, standing suddenly. “Detective?”

He stopped. “Ma’am?”

“You will keep my brothers and me informed of any developments?” she requested. “We all cared about Allison a great deal.”

“I will,” he agreed. “Have a good day.”

She waited until he was out the door before she sank to the seat. Her legs weren’t steady enough to stand on.

She should’ve asked why Allison’s lips had been blue. Would Fulton know how long she had been in the cabana?

Had she suffered? Was she scared? How long had she been alone and frightened?

How could this happen? What was she going to do now? How was she supposed to go about their day as if nothing had happened?

Laura’s posture caved. She rarely let it, but she folded under the weight of shock and pressed her fingers to her closed eyes.

She hadn’t lost anyone close to her since her mother’s passing and hadn’t forgotten how it felt—the staggering weight of bereavement. It was impossible to forget. But she hadn’t expected... She hadn’t been prepared to feel it all again.

The shock was wearing away fast. Once it was gone, the grief would sink in. And it wouldn’t give way to anything else. She pressed her hand to her mouth, choking it back.

She was afraid of it. Grief. How it gripped and rent. As a child, it had come for her on wraith wings, real but transparent. She hadn’t been able to see it, but it had held her. It had hurt her. And it had transformed her into something she hadn’t recognized.

Panic beat those wings against her chest now. Her pulse rushed in her ears. She tried to breathe, tried to think through it, but it didn’t allow her to.

It was already taking hold.

She’d seen it coming before. Her mother had warned her there wasn’t much time. She had told all her children what to expect at the end of her cancer battle. She had prepared them and armed them for the hard days to come.

This wasn’t the same. And yet it was.

She thought of her brothers waiting outside the door. Coming to her feet, she walked the length of the conference room. She paced until the panic subsided—until her breathing returned to normal and her heart no longer raced.

Adam might be the oldest, but her brothers had looked to her in the past. For strength. For stability. When their mother died, she had stepped into Annabeth’s power—to carry them, to ground them and to keep them together.

They were grown now, but they would look to her, still. They would need her to handle this...and they would need to lean on her. And so would the staff.

She dried her eyes, fixed her makeup and made herself down the entire glass of water in front of her.

A knock clattered against the door. She checked her reflection in the window before she said, “Yes?”

Alexis stepped in. “Hey. How are you holding up?”

Laura made herself meet her friend’s gaze. “I’m fine.”

Alexis raised a brow. “You want me to pretend that’s true?”

“I’m going to need you to,” Laura requested.

Alexis nodded. “Okay.” She, Allison and Laura had gotten to know each other well. Besides Tallulah and Laura’s brothers, redheaded, smiling Allison and dark, no-nonsense Alexis were the members of staff Laura felt closest to. In some ways, they had been her saving grace over the last few years. There were things she couldn’t discuss with Adam and Joshua. Just her girls. The three of them had made Taco Tuesdays at Sedona’s Tipsy Tacos a weekly escape from the pressures of the hospitality business. Laura lived and worked at the resort. Alexis and Allison had taught her that getting away, even for a few hours, could be crucial for her well-being.

“How about you?” Laura asked. “How are you handling this?”

Alexis’s hazel eyes raced across the length of the table, as if searching for the answer there. “I think I’m still processing.”

“It’s a lot.”

“Yeah, and it doesn’t make sense, Laura.”

“No,” Laura agreed.

Alexis glanced over her shoulder before closing the door at her back. She leaned against it. “That detective. Did he say whether she was attacked in any way?”

Laura had to stop and take another steadying breath. “You think someone hurt her?”

“She can’t have just died.”

Fulton’s final battery of questions came back to Laura. She shivered and rubbed her hands over her upper arms. “But who would do such a thing? Who would want to hurt her?”

Alexis’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know. But it won’t take long for the police to find out exactly what killed her. And I have a feeling they’re not done questioning everyone.”

Laura thought of that, the implications... “Murder doesn’t happen at Mariposa. It never has.”

“Maybe not,” Alexis said, subsiding. “Look, if you need to go home, Erica and I can cover for you.”

“No,” Laura said quickly. “You’re working through this. Adam and Josh are working through this. I’m going to do the same. We have to get through the day.”

“Knox is shaken up pretty badly,” Alexis told her. “He should go home.”

Laura nodded. “Right. I’ll handle that.” It would give her something to do, someone to take care of for the time being. “I’ll check back in with you in a little while.”

Sadness leaked across Alexis’s features. “Oh, Laura,” she said as she grabbed her into a hug.

“I know.” Laura fought the knot climbing back into her throat. “What are we going to do without her?”