“I wouldn’t miss it. I’ll head in next Tuesday.” My stomach growled loudly at the sight of the bowl of pasta I’d mixed up. I sprinkled a liberal dose of parmesan on it as I said my goodbye to Mom.
I queued up the next episode of Burn Notice, which I had been binge watching for months. I hadn’t taken more than three bites when I heard a bang on my front door.
Had someone thrown something at my house? I walked toward the picture window, throwing a glance at the snake on my way. He was lounging on top of his flowerpot, flicking his tongue at me as if I’d invaded his territory.
Another rap sounded and I peered out the window. I had no curtains up yet, so whoever was out there would have an unobstructed view of my face.
Stone Carrington the fifth stood on my step, as yet unaware of my inquisitive stare. He’d changed to pants and a button-down shirt and his hair was perfectly tousled. He would have looked exactly like a model in a Ralph Lauren ad, if it hadn’t been for the tight line of his lips and the serious look in his eyes.
Stone Carrington was worried, and I wondered why.
Chapter 3
I held off on opening the door, taking a couple more bites of pasta first. Far be it from me to deprive myself of sustenance just to chit-chat with the rich guy next door.
Or so I told myself.
Wiping at my sauce-spattered mouth with a napkin, I stepped to the heavy wood door. I turned the ancient knob and opened the door, just a crack.
“Could I help you?” I asked curtly.
Stone nodded, angling his face so he could see more of me through the mostly-closed door. “I’d like to talk. Is this a good time?”
There was no really polite way to say it, so I was honest. The penne was delectable, and it wouldn’t be warm for long. “I’m actually eating now.”
“Oh, I see. Sorry.”
My resolve caved when I met his dejected gaze. “It’s okay—come on in. I’ll finish my supper and we can talk.”
Stone stepped in, sliding his leather shoes off just inside the door. His socks were a bright turquoise and purple argyle.
He focused on the snake, which was also focusing on him. “How does one ever get used to a creature like that, I wonder?”
“Beats me. I’m going to have to bathe the thing at some point, too. Not something I’m looking forward to.”
I gestured toward my shabby couch, with all the aplomb of one offering a chair in the Oval Office. “Have a seat.”
He sat and looked at the TV screen. “Michael Westen and Fiona. I love that show.”
I hid my surprise. “I’m nearly on the last season.”
“That one was tough to watch at first.”
I stood at the kitchen counter, taking a few bites of my now-lukewarm pasta and watching Stone closely. I had a hard time reading him.
“Would you like some coffee? I have decaf,” I offered.
“No, thank you.” He hesitated, then plunged in. “I need you to tell me all you know about the dead woman. Did you see much?”
He wasn’t going to play me for a fool. “I figured your security dude told you all about it. I saw him head over to the tennis courts.”
He nodded, unfazed by my observation. “He did tell me what he saw. Val tells me everything.”
I couldn’t offer information I had no business sharing. “Why do you care so much?”
“Because I knew her, and her name will be plastered all over the news soon. I need to understand what happened to her.”
He wasn’t telling me everything, I was sure. I took a wild stab. “Why do you need to understand what happened? Had she been at some kind of party, maybe in your house? She was dressed for a date.” I cringed, realizing I’d just divulged more than I’d planned to.
He noticed my irritation. “To answer your question, yes, she was in our house last night. Every Monday night I have a billiards party, inviting over a few close friends to play pool. Margo Fenton was an old family friend, and it wasn’t the first time she’d attended.” He swallowed. “I guess it will be the last, though. Val recognized her immediately, because she’d acted nervous last night when he opened the gates for her.”
I swallowed the pasta I’d forgotten was in my mouth. “So why didn’t Val tell the police he recognized her?”
“Val wasn’t sure what to do—he’s loyal to me. He’s been our head of Security for years.” He leaned back into the couch, and some of his tension seemed to dissipate. “Don’t worry—I’ll call the police station when I leave you, fill them in on the details of that night.”
“So why are you here again?”
He leaned toward me. “Val wasn’t sure how she died, but I’d like to know, so I can help my family prepare for the inevitable media coverage. I thought maybe you’d heard or noticed something when you found her, or maybe when you were talking with the police.”
I rinsed my bowl before walking over and dropping onto the opposite end of my blue velour couch. Stone’s legs were long and lean and didn’t fit neatly under my coffee table, like mine did. Although, truth be told, I usually had my feet propped on the coffee table as I played video games.
Pink light filtered through my wide back window. I glanced out at a sunset that had enveloped the flowerbed of doom in a golden light.
Stone’s full attention was on me, and it was a hard thing to resist. His bright eyes had an undeniable smolder factor, even though he wasn’t flirting.
He possessed a quiet power that wasn’t showy and didn’t stem from his wealth. It was the power of honesty, I thought. He had been up-front with me, so I would return the courtesy so his family could be prepared for the front-page headlines.
“It looked like she’d been strangled, if you want my non-professional opinion,” I said. “She was wearing a long necklace, but I’m not sure if someone could’ve used that to choke her without breaking it.”
Pain wrenched his features, making it obvious he’d truly cared about Margo. “I guess that means nearly anyone who was here last night could’ve done it.”
Luckily, I’d been snake-sitting in Manhattan, so I knew I wouldn’t be a suspect. I wondered just how wild Stone’s pool-playing parties got. “Was she drunk, do you think?”
He shook his head. “Margo wasn’t a heavy drinker. She’d probably only had a couple of beers, although, honestly, I wasn’t paying much attention.”
He didn’t elaborate as to what he’d been paying attention to, but I wondered if it was another woman.
Rasputin rubbed his thick body against the Plexiglas, then slithered back into his flowerpot, as if he had seen enough of humans for one day.
Stone seemed to snap out of his thoughts. “Okay. Thanks for the information. I’m going to call the police station and fill them in on the billiards party. You want me to call you back if they tell me anything new?”
“That would be great. Also, would you mind letting the cops know I won’t be around for the next couple of days? I have to take Rasputin back to his place in Manhattan, and I’ll be there for a day or two to take care of snake-y things.” Things I was trying hard not to think about.
“Sure thing.” Stone slid into his shoes. When he placed a hand on my arm, my attention was immediately riveted to his long, slim fingers. “Wait—I have an idea. I’m going into the city tomorrow night. I have a friend there who came over for billiards, and he might have a better idea about what Margo did after the party. Maybe we could