Page 3

CHAPTER 3

We lounged for far too long and had to rush back to our room to change into nicer clothes for dinner at the Alta Vista, which overlooked the grounds of the inn and the mountains beyond. The reservation was for six o’clock, mere minutes away, but we laughed it off—the fact that the two of us always seemed to be running on the edge of time.

It wasn’t until I grabbed my clutch that I was reminded of the call I’d missed from Cade. I picked up my phone, and Maddie plucked it from my fingers, plopping it into her bag.

“ After dinner,” she said.

I moved my hands to my hips. “Now you’re pushing it.”

I wasn’t kidding, and she knew it.

Maddie crinkled her nose, studied me for a long second, and then gave the phone back to me.

“Okay, fine,” she said. “But if you need to make a call, will you at least do it on the way to the restaurant?”

I agreed and waited for the phone to reboot as we rode the elevator down to the main floor. When we stepped out, I found a signal.

Cade answered, getting straight to the point. “Where’ve you been?”

His tone wasn’t a teasing one, and I flushed, feeling a little defensive.

“I was relaxing at the spa, like I’m supposed to be doing,” I said.

When he didn’t respond, a sinking feeling came over me. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m still driving, and everything’s fine. Sorta. With me, at least. But I got a call from Henry—one I knew you’d want to know about.”

“I gather Henry didn’t have good news. What happened?”

“His girlfriend, Kim … she died.”

“I can’t believe it. We just went to lunch a few weeks ago. What happened?”

He paused a moment then said, “She was murdered, Sloane.”

“Are you serious?”

“Died right on his doorstep.”

Given we lived on the same floor of a condominium in New Orleans, his doorstep just so happened to be across from ours.

“What did Henry say?” I asked. “Does he want me to investigate?”

“No, Sloane. He doesn’t. Not yet. The police are doing their thing, and he’s satisfied with how it’s going so far. I’ll bet they’ll be calling one or both of us for our input, since we live right across the hall. Maybe not, though, since neither of us were there when it happened.”

I breathed a sigh of relief.

I didn’t have much more to give of myself right now.

“So he just wanted us to know, then,” I said. “How’s he doing? Is he okay? I mean, I’m sure he’s not, but … you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, he’s dealing with it, but he’s shaken up. Her family and their friends from the Helping House have been by his side ever since it happened, chipping in as needed. He knew you were already in North Carolina, so he called me.”

“Mm-hm.” My mind started to roll with questions. I assumed a murder investigation would delay the funeral, and by then, I’d be back in NOLA. “What do you know about how she died?”

“Knife to the throat. Nasty stuff. Happened sometime during the day when he was at work. No exact time of death, but that narrows it down some. I can’t even imagine what went through his mind when he found her.”

All the renewal I’d been feeling during my massage began to leave my body. I shuddered to think of a murder happening right outside our part-time doorstep. In an instant, it felt like the walls were closing in.

“Look,” Cade said, sounding wearier, “I didn’t mean to put a damper on your vacation. But … well, like I said, Henry wanted us to know before we heard it from someone else.”

“Should I call him?”

“He’s a wreck and busy with … everything that comes with a murdered girlfriend. He’s insisted we not change our plans. We’ll be there for him when we get back, and maybe then he’ll be in a better place to talk about things.”

I paused a minute, thinking. “Did Henry happen to mention anything to you about what the motive might be?”

“He said the detectives were leaning toward a robbery gone wrong. They’re speculating Kim may have arrived home and caught the killer in the act of trying to break in. Henry has quite a few collectibles in the condo from his travels, and as you know, some are valuable. So, the robbery theory makes sense. Besides, Henry can’t think of a single reason someone would want to kill Kim.”

“I feel awful about the whole thing. Poor Henry.”

“Yeah, and listen, I’m sorry to break it to you while you’re on vacation, but I figured you’d want to know,” Cade said. “Now go on and get back to your relaxin’.”

Relaxing.

After the news I’d just been given, it was easier said than done.