by Gemma Bruce
He smiled at her, and her heart did that skip thing, even though she was still mad at him.
“Love the dress,” she said, just to get a rise out of him. It did.
“Don’t start with me,” he said between gritted teeth and sat down beside her. “Ladies, please stay away from open flames. I’ve already had to snatch several goddesses away from near incendiary disasters.”
“Thank you for the warning,” said Evelyn. “I was wondering if anyone was aware of the fire hazard.”
“Where’s Jeannie tonight?”
They all looked at Jeannie’s empty seat.
“She was right here a second ago,” said Loubelle, looking around.
“Well, at least Demetri has left those fawning women,” said Evelyn, peering across the pool. “So hurtful to Jeannie after all she’s done for him. Unfortunately, I don’t see Gloria Hollander, either. If Jeannie finds the two of them together . . .”
“I think we should go look for her.” Andy stood up, her eyes already scanning the crowd.
Dillon snagged her by the elbow. “What’s this all about?”
He looked more annoyed than worried. The light cast the planes of his face into harsh angles. She shook him off. “Jeannie saw Demetri flirting with some other women. She’s not very happy with him right now. And if she discovers him en flagrante with someone else, there’ll be hell to pay.” Not to mention that Jeannie would be devastated.
“Excuse us, Dillon,” said Evelyn, getting to her feet.
“I’ll find Rusty and Louis and get them to help look,” said Loubelle.
“Let’s meet back here in ten minutes,” said Andy.
“Do you want some help?” asked Dillon.
Andy deliberated. “No, thanks. We can handle this by ourselves.”
“Fine,” he said and stalked away.
———
When they met again, no one had seen Jeannie or Demetri.
“I couldn’t even find Rusty and Louis in this light,” said Loubelle.
“Maybe she decided to make an early night of it,” said Evelyn. “Oh, here comes Louis. I’ll ask him to run up and check her cabin.”
“What are the chances she and Demetri are there together?” asked Andy.
Evelyn leaned over and said in Andy’s ear, “I’m not sure that there’s any of that really going on. More wishful thinking than reality. She’s a lonely woman. I don’t want to see her hurt.”
“Neither do I,” said Andy, trying to assimilate what Evelyn had just told her. Louis went off toward the cabins, and the others resumed their search.
Andy made a quick sweep of the pool area, and not finding Jeannie or Demetri—or Dillon for that matter—she began to look farther afield.
She found several couples taking advantage of the shadows cast by the amphitheater’s fluted columns, but none of them were Jeannie and Demetri. Across the lawn, there were lights coming from the men’s dormitory.
Would Jeannie have followed Demetri there? Andy had gone after Dillon without a thought. And had been amply rewarded for her trouble. The memory of Dillon and her making love in the shower ambushed her. She’d just have to break the rules again and take a look.
She was passing the Spa, when she noticed light coming from inside. Someone must be taking a late-night swim. Or an intimate whirlpool?
She tried the door. It was unlocked and she went inside. The hallway was empty. The women’s changing room was dark. She began to feel a little spooked and wished she hadn’t rejected Dillon’s offer to help. But she had to start getting over him. He’d certainly made it clear that he was going to get over her.
Now she regretted confiding in him. Well, she was here to empower her womanhood, so she would just make the search herself. She could sort through her feelings later.
The last door led to the pool and whirlpool. She could see light through the square window in the door. She opened the door a crack, stuck her head in. The lights nearest to her were on, and the underwater pool lights, but the rest of the room was in shadows.
“Jeannie?” she called. Listened. Heard nothing but the bubbling water of the whirlpool. And since the whirlpool was on a timer, she knew she’d found the miscreants. Anger flared in her gut. They’d heard her and were trying to be quiet so they wouldn’t be caught. And she knew for certain that it wasn’t Jeannie he had in that whirlpool, because Jeannie would have answered, made some raucous joke, and Andy could have crept away, embarrassed, but relieved.
She strode past the pool, her fists clenched, the heels of her sandals sending up echoes as they clicked over the tiled floor. She wasn’t sure what she was going to say when she found them; she was more inclined to knock Demetri’s teeth out.
If she found Dillon in this situation, she’d neuter him. And she was tempted to do the same to Demetri, then yank out Gloria’s hair. And where was Gloria’s slave while all this was going on? If he’d been doing his job, she wouldn’t have the time to roam.
“I know you’re there,” she said as she came up to the whirlpool. It was dark at this end of the room, but she could see them—at least one of them—in the water.
“Demetri, you swine.”
Someone moved in the shadows across from her.
The lights flared on, and Andy blinked against the sudden brightness. The first thing she saw was Dillon standing on the opposite side of the whirlpool.
“What are you doing here?” she asked stupidly.
“You didn’t really think I was going to let you wander around in the dark alone.”
“But what about—” She looked down into the whirlpool.
Demetri was there all right. But he was alone. Floating facedown in the churning water.
Andy blinked again, at first not believing what she was seeing. Swallowed down bile as it began to register. She stared down at Demetri, then back to Dillon. His face was expressionless, hard. She shook her head. Surely he hadn’t . . . No it wasn’t possible. And why would he?
She became aware of footsteps hurrying across the room. A scream pierced the air and bounced around the walls.
“Stop her,” ordered Dillon. Andy turned around just as Jeannie ran past and tried to climb into the whirlpool.
Andy grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back. “Don’t, Jeannie. It’s too late.”
Andy looked frantically at Dillon.
He shook his head.
Demetri was dead.
“Jeannie, come away. You can’t save him.” She began pulling the struggling woman away from the whirlpool.
Suddenly people were crowding through the door.
Andy had done enough thrillers to know that this was likely a crime scene. Not many people drowned in a whirlpool. She began to drag Jeannie toward the group of staring goddesses and attendants, wondering how she could handle both. But Dillon had anticipated her. He was already pushing people back.
Andy saw Evelyn and Loubelle standing in the crowd, mouths open in shock. She thrust Jeannie toward them and hurried back to Dillon’s side.
Bernard Bliss pushed his way through the knot of people. “What’s happening here?”
“There’s been an accident,” said Dillon, sounding cool, sounding as if he were used to finding dead bodies all the time. Or killing them. Andy pushed the thought away. That was an awful way to think. And after he’d promised to help her find Mac.
Bliss stretched to see around Dillon and gasped. “Good God.” He turned around and searched the crowd. “JoJo. Send the nurse here at once and have the MedEvac ready to lift off immediately. Someone should be doing CPR. Where’s Hans?” Hans stepped out of the crowd and motioned to two men to get Demetri out of the water.
Dillon stepped in front of them, blocking the way. “I’m afraid it’s too late for CPR.”
“How do—” Andy closed her mouth on the words. How did he know it was too late? Demetri might still be alive. Unless he’d checked, or unless he’d killed him. Stop thinking like that, she ordered herself.
“Some
one should call the local authorities,” Dillon told Hans.
“Hans, please remove everyone from the room.” The voice was cool, authoritative. Fiona Bliss appeared at her husband’s side. She was several inches taller than he was, dressed in a flowing diaphanous chiton shot with gold. Andy hadn’t seen her approach. It was as if she’d stepped right down from Olympus.
She continued to issue orders in the same sure, calm voice, but her eyes were focused on the body in the whirlpool, and they were filled with an emotion Andy couldn’t guess at.
As Hans herded people back to the door, Katherine Dane slipped out of the crowd and came to stand on the other side of Bernard Bliss.
“Oh, dear,” she said. “I’ve been having second thoughts about serving liquor at these parties. It seems that I was right.” She shook her head, and her sleek hair caught the light and momentarily haloed her head.
“Hans, you’ll have to take the body out the back and to the heliport. This is upsetting enough without everyone witnessing that.” She flicked her chin toward the whirlpool. “Have someone get him out of the water. I’ll . . . go make an announcement. Terrible accident. Terrible,” she said and started to walk away.
Andy saw Hans frown and Dillon slowly shake his head.
Katherine gave him a disdainful look. “Hans, now.”
“No, Katherine,” said Dr. Bliss in that same assured voice. “I’m afraid we must wait for the police before we can move him out of the pool.”
Katherine whirled around. “The police? Don’t be ridiculous, Fiona. There’s no reason for that. We’ll take him to the hospital, and they can file an accident report.”
The doctor slowly shook her head.
Katherine moved closer to the head goddess and said urgently, “Do you know what this kind of thing can do to our reputation? We can’t have any suspicions of misconduct or negligence linked to Terra Bliss. Our detractors will make full use of this to denounce the success of the goddess program.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“At least call in the state. You know how the locals feel about us.”
“They might learn to respect us if we cooperate.”
Katherine shot an appealing look at Bernard, but he said, “You know that Fiona is right. But please do make an announcement, Katherine.”
Katherine hesitated. “Well, I think you’re making a mistake.” She turned on her heel and marched toward the door.
Andy stood away from the others. She was trying to concentrate on what was going on around her, instead of thinking of Demetri dead and how Jeannie must be feeling. But it all passed in a fog. And strange questions kept popping into her mind. Like if Dillon had followed her to the Spa, why hadn’t she heard him. And how did he get to the whirlpool before her? And how did he know Demetri was definitely dead?
And the biggie, why did he automatically take charge of things? Even Hans looked to him for instructions.
She felt him come up beside her, give her a sideways glance. Perfectly in control. And she realized for the first time that he was always in control, except making love to her. Or was that just an act? And why was she thinking these things when there was a dead man only feet away?
“Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Enough.” She glanced back at the whirlpool. She didn’t want to look but she couldn’t seem to stop. The timer must have run out because the water was now smooth, and Demetri’s body bumped against the bench that ran along the inside.
She swallowed. “In my business dead people get up when the take is over and go to the canteen for coffee. This is so . . .”
“Final,” he supplied.
She nodded.
“I think you should go outside with the others.”
“No. I found him. The police will want to talk to me.”
“They’ll call you when they’re ready to take your statement. Just don’t talk to anyone about what you’ve seen. Try to keep a clear head and try to remember whatever details you can.”
Like that when the lights came on, you were the one I found standing over the body?
“I’m staying.”
His hand came around her bicep so fast that she let out a gasp. She tried to wrench away, but he held her trapped.
“What are you doing?”
“Trying to curb my temper.” His voice was low, tight. “Trust me. You don’t want to get involved in this mess any more than necessary. Someone killed the poor slob, and they’re going to feel a little threatened. And considering you’re here under false pretenses, you might want to keep a low profile.”
“I never saw the man before in my life.”
“Maybe. But you’ve been here for a week, and believe me that’s plenty of time for someone to get the urge to kill.”
She stared at him. Not believing what she was hearing. “You think I killed him?”
He let out a mighty sigh. “I’m just saying you should be careful.”
And what about you? Who are you? “How do you know so much about this kind of thing?”
This got her a flash of teeth. “The movies,” he said and shoved her toward the door.
Chapter 20
The movies. What a jackass, thought Andy as she sat by the pool, watching Loubelle and Evelyn trying to comfort Jeannie. It had been nearly an hour since they’d discovered Demetri’s body. She had no idea what was going on inside, just that Dillon was still in there and she was out here.
“Why? Why?” sobbed Jeannie. “How could something like this happen?”
Andy had a few ideas, but kept them to herself.
“He was just there, in the whirlpool, just . . . floating.” This ended in a louder sob than the rest, and Evelyn and Loubelle patted and cooed more fervently.
Drowning in a whirlpool. Falling from a balcony. Andy stopped there. She didn’t want to think about what might have happened to Mac.
Dr. Bliss climbed the steps of the amphitheater and stopped in front of the buffet table. For once, she wasn’t accompanied by her acolytes. Andy found them at the bottom of the steps, clinging to each other as if there had never been a hard feeling between them. She also saw shadows moving in the dark outside the lit pool area. The security guards must have been dispatched.
The doctor didn’t move, just looked over the crowd until all conversation stopped and all eyes turned to where she was standing. For several moments she just looked over the crowd, her face loving and a little sad.
Then she raised her hands in that gesture of supplication that was her trademark. “Friends, fellow goddesses, I know there is much concern about the tragedy that occurred here tonight.” She told them very simply that Demetri had suffered a heart attack and was dead. Andy hoped she was right, because if Demetri had been murdered—but she wouldn’t even think about that.
The doctor was sympathetic, sad, calm, and reassuring by turns. But when she informed them that the police had been summoned and that everyone should remain poolside until they arrived, a tide of murmurs rippled through the crowd.
“I have been assured that this is merely standard procedure whenever there is an unexpected death,” she told them. “I hope that we all will cooperate in their investigation.” She paused. Looked over the crowd. “Life is short. Which makes it all the more important that we should find our inner powers without delay.”
In other words, thought Andy, business as usual.
As she ended her speech, a line of police cars, lights flashing, sirens churning, drove into the compound. They were accompanied by a fire truck, an ambulance, and a black sedan, bringing up the rear.
Uniformed policemen and EMTs poured out of the vehicles. No one in the sedan made an appearance. Two uniforms were left guarding the Spa door, and Hans led the others inside. As soon as they were gone, the back door of the sedan opened, and a man stepped out.
He was wearing a suit and appeared tall from where Andy was standing. She edged closer to get a better look. He was either the undertaker, a federal agent, or a Mormon missionary. Too e
arly for the undertaker, too late to save Demetri’s soul. That left the feds.
And where did that leave her? She knew her police procedure. If you worked in enough movies, you picked things up. Some of it might even be true. And she knew that if they’d sent in the feds, they suspected more than a death under unusual circumstances.
And if they arrived this quickly, they must have already been investigating the retreat. And since Dillon had immediately taken charge of the crime scene, she figured he must be one, too. He’d denied it. But no big surprise there. She’d been consorting with a government agent.
He might even be doing the questioning. Just her luck.
The door to the Spa opened. Hans and one of the policemen stepped out and strode over to the pool. Andy waited for them to spot her, and when Hans motioned her over, she went without a backward glance.
She was escorted to Hans’s office where an interview room had been hastily set up. A stack of Sports Illustrateds had been shoved to one side and replaced by a tape recorder. The officer in charge sat behind the desk, dwarfed by the overlarge furniture.
Another policeman sat in a straight-back chair with a steno pad balanced on his knee. The man who’d gotten out of the sedan stood at the back of the room, conspicuously inconspicuous.
Dillon was absent.
It was the first time Andy had been in the masseur’s office, and she looked around while she waited for them to begin. The walls were lined with sports pictures and Xeroxed health articles. There was a water cooler in one corner, and a small refrigerator within reach of the desk chair.
The officer glanced up from an open manila folder. “Ms. Ar-iee-ad-nee McAllister?”
“Yes.”
Their eyes met, and she thought, Shit. She should have been figuring out what to say instead of looking at Hans’s walls.
She sat there feeling foolish as his eyes panned down her shawl and chiton and back up again. Probably the first time he’d ever had to interview someone dressed up like an ancient Greek. He shook his head and looked back down at the folder. “You live at 1254 Sepulveda Boulevard, Los Angeles?”