Page 2

CHAPTER 2

ONE WEEK PRIOR

“This place is sheer heaven,” Maddie said, admiring the snow-dusted trees and misty ridgeline visible through the glass corridor.

“So right,” I said. “It’s kind of surreal—seeing winter just on the other side of the glass while we’re warm and toasty in here. I hear rain is coming, though …”

We were strolling along the enclosed walkway that led to Sanctuary Springs Spa, part of the Havencrest Inn and Spa at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. The path curved gently with the mountainside, framed in glass on one side and local stone on the other, with soft lighting tucked into wooden beams overhead. Beneath our feet, the slate floor radiated warmth, making it easy to forget the snow piled up just beyond us in the January chill.

Tucked into the mountain itself, the spa already felt like a secret worth keeping—and we hadn’t even crossed the threshold.

Our latest girls’ getaway had landed us in this cozy mountain hideaway, the first time we’d seen each other—save for a wedding—in over a year. She’d flown in from out west, and I’d driven in from New Orleans. Today we were booked for a couple’s massage at the inn’s underground spa, and I couldn’t get there fast enough.

“We’ll be lucky to make it on time, thanks to someone who has to keep stopping to view the sights,” I said.

“In my defense, I am a tourist!”

We both laughed.

“I have to admit, I got a little sidetracked myself,” I said. “It’s like walking through our own personal snow globe.”

We stopped to admire a recessed garden alcove tucked into the stone interior wall beside us, filled with ferns, mosses, and local blooms like trillium and rhododendron. A faint mist hung in the warm air, scented with spruce and wild mint. We took a deep breath in and grinned at each other.

“I’m glad we were able to get away together again,” I said. “Thanks for changing your plans so we could do it sooner than later.”

She gave me a quick one-armed squeeze and we continued our trek toward the check-in desk.

“That’s why I retired,” Maddie said. “I make my own schedule now.”

Maddie had worked as a medical examiner for decades before retiring a few years earlier. But she kept busy—almost busier than she had been before with her full-time career. Now she did the teaching and conference circuits whenever called upon for assistance, which happened a lot.

As for me … I was supposed to be easing into retirement, working part-time as a private investigator so I could travel more, but the last year had been a constant stream of cases everywhere I turned. One of them had happened at Maddie’s niece’s wedding, where there was a murder in her uncle’s mansion. The mental legwork had kept me on my toes, but I found myself longing for a break from it all. When my husband, Cade, insisted I was overdue for a breather, I called Maddie to suggest another getaway.

And here we were.

We checked in and met our massage therapists, then snuggled under the covers of our respective cots, facedown, ready to be kneaded and smoothed. It wasn’t long before I fell under the spell of the soothing music and pleasing aromas of oils and lotions.

Just as my masseuse, Harmony, started digging into my shoulders, my cell phone rang. I recognized the ringtone. It was Cade.

I groaned and pushed up to my elbows.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Maddie said, speaking through the face cradle of her massage bed. “You didn’t shut your phone off?”

I looked up at Harmony. “I’m sorry. It’ll only take a minute.”

She nodded and stepped away.

I rose to answer the call, but Maddie shot her hand out, stopping me. “Come on, Sloane. This is supposed to be girl time. Me time. You time.”

Jay, her masseuse, stepped back, his eyes wide, unsure whether to continue.

I raised a finger. “One minute. I promise.”

“Whatever he wants, it can wait for one hour,” Maddie said. “Am I right or am I right?”

She had a point, and I conceded, walking back to the massage bed.

“Okay, okay,” I said. “I’m sure he’s just checking in.”

Cade was on his way to Wisconsin with his cousin and a few friends to go ice fishing, of all things.

I glanced at Harmony. “Would you mind turning my phone off, so I won’t be tempted to answer it? It’s in the front pocket of my bag.”

“Sure, I’m happy to help,” she said.

Harmony did as I’d asked and then returned to my side, saying, “Now, let’s get those knots out of your shoulders.”

And she did.

When the hour was up, I felt like a brainless noodle, and I was happy about it. We gathered our things and wandered down to the mineral soaking pools, where steam curled into the crisp mountain air. Then we eased beneath one of the stone-fed waterfalls tucked into a warm grotto carved from the mountainside. From there, we could see the snow-capped Blue Ridge Mountains. The view was majestic, but my mind kept going back to Cade’s phone call and the fact that my phone remained off—a total disconnect from my real life. It felt weird. A little bit nice, but also annoying, like an itch I couldn’t scratch.

“I need to see if Cade left a message,” I said. “I’ll just pop over to the locker, then come right back.”

Maddie’s eyes remained closed as she let the waterfall do its work on her neck and upper back.

“Maddie … did you hear me?” I asked.

Her eyes shot open. “Can you not do this right now? You were the one who wanted to get away. I want you here with me, in the present moment. Is it too much to ask?”

I froze for a second, then sighed and plopped next to her under the mini waterfall. She smiled, and I forced myself to concentrate on the glorious setting, the calming sensations all around me, and the precious time away with my closest friend. Minutes passed, then more, and I felt like I was starting to get the hang of this “relaxing” stuff.

I draped an arm around Maddie and gave her a squeeze. “Thanks for reminding me about why we came here.”

With her eyes closed once again, she murmured, “Always and forever, my friend.”