Page 34 of Dead Girl Running

“The guests will be talking to each of you, so let’s keep the gossip low-key,” Kellen said. “Be encouraging. The death was months ago, we’re horrified and grieved, but we go on as a family. Right? Because we will watch out for each other, won’t we?”

Fear bound the group like glue.

Xander came to his feet again in that don’t-touch-the-floor maneuver that made him look like a cobra rising from a basket. In his overly serene voice, he said, “The universe watches out for us, and we trust the universe to keep us safe.”

“The universe didn’t give a damn about Priscilla,” Frances said.

The employees separated reluctantly, moving toward their stations, arms clasped around their middles. Each of them glanced back as they left the room, and Kellen nodded encouragingly as they did.

Sheri Jean shooed her staff out the door, too.

The last to leave was Destiny. She came to Kellen. “I wouldn’t have left the door unlocked if I’d known a killer lurked close. Captain, I’m so sorry.” She wasn’t asking for her job back. She was apologizing and acknowledging her mistake.

“You understand now. This could happen at any time and to anyone.”

Destiny blew her nose.

Kellen threw caution to the wind. “Mr. Gilfilen will take me severely to task, and he’ll probably override me when he returns from vacation, but for the moment, you can stay.”

“I’ve got my job back?” Destiny’s red-rimmed eyes lit up. “Thank you. If I don’t make money, I won’t go to college next year. My mom works here as a housekeeper—she can’t afford the tuition, and I’m not smart enough to get a scholarship. But college is my only ticket out, and I promise I won’t screw up again.”

Kellen noted that Destiny hadn’t played the sob story card until she was reinstated. Bonus points to her.

To Kellen, Mara said softly, “I told you she was a good kid.” To Destiny, she said, “Mrs. Yazzie specifically requested you for her massage. I substituted a free pedicure, but she wasn’t happy. When she comes in, let her know you’re back and ready to work on her.”

“Okay!” Destiny started to leave but turned back. “What I want to know is—what did Priscilla see out on the tour that scared her so badly she tried to run away?”

11

Good question, kid.Kellen had come here seeking a place to build a home, and now the home had become its own kind of nightmare with friends she didn’t know if she could trust and her own mind that led her through logic and programming and abandoned her when it came to her own memories.

Sheri Jean turned to Kellen. “Youaregoing to call Annie, aren’t you?”

“Right now.” Kellen started for the office.

“What about our meeting?” Sheri Jean asked.

Kellen turned and looked at her in exasperation.

“You’ll come to me after you talk to her,” Sheri Jean instructed. “Tell me what she said.” She left Mara and Kellen alone in the spa waiting room.

“She has a very stern sense of what’s owed to her.” Mara grinned without humor. “Gruesome death cannot change that.”

“I get that.” Kellen had been in so many countries and so many situations where status ruled and wisdom came second to ego. “But it’s hard to bend to tradition when today I’ve seen a mutilated corpse.”

“Mutilated?” Mara bounded to her side. “What do you mean, mutilated?”

Why had Kellen told her that? Something about Mara’s competitive competence had lured her into confession. “Priscilla’s hands had been severed.”

“No wonder you were sure it was a murder. That’s sick. That’s brutal. What else do you know that you didn’t tell us?”

“Nothing. I’ve seen corpses before, in war zones. This is different. Not combat. Cold brutality. The stench of death is different. Less random. More intent.”

“What Lloyd Magnuson knows about police work couldn’t fill a teacup.”

“That’s right.”

“Do you think the people here are in danger?”