Page 11 of Colton's Last Resort

Alexis glanced over her shoulder before closing the door at her back. She leaned against it. “That detective. Did he say whether she was attacked in any way?”

Laura had to stop and take another steadying breath. “You think someone hurt her?”

“She can’t have just died.”

Fulton’s final battery of questions came back to Laura. She shivered and rubbed her hands over her upper arms. “But who would do such a thing? Who would want to hurt her?”

Alexis’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know. But it won’t take long for the police to find out exactly what killed her. And I have a feeling they’re not done questioning everyone.”

Laura thought of that, the implications... “Murder doesn’t happen at Mariposa. It never has.”

“Maybe not,” Alexis said, subsiding. “Look, if you need to go home, Erica and I can cover for you.”

“No,” Laura said quickly. “You’re working through this. Adam and Josh are working through this. I’m going to do the same. We have to get through the day.”

“Knox is shaken up pretty badly,” Alexis told her. “He should go home.”

Laura nodded. “Right. I’ll handle that.” It would give her something to do, someone to take care of for the time being. “I’ll check back in with you in a little while.”

Sadness leaked across Alexis’s features. “Oh, Laura,” she said as she grabbed her into a hug.

“I know.” Laura fought the knot climbing back into her throat. “What are we going to do without her?”

Chapter 3

Laura knew her presence at Annabeth that evening was reassuring to people. She just wished she was able to reassure herself as she made a point of going from table to table.

For years, she’d watched her mother do this. The real Annabeth had exuded just the right mix of politeness, gratitude and grace to put even the most harried guest at ease. Laura tried to emulate that. She channeled her mother’s energy and hoped people bought the illusion.

Under the surface, her duck feet churned. She prayed the diners missed the sweat she felt beading on her hairline and the devastation she knew lurked behind her eyes. Joshua was doing the same at L Bar while Adam did his best to bolster the staff.

Allison’s death had hit the heart of the resort.

Laura hadn’t found a chance to pull Adam or Joshua aside to ask if Fulton had presented the same questions to them or how they had handled them. Alexis’s warning came back to her as she noticed the table with a Reserved card standing empty near the window. The police weren’t done asking questions if foul play was involved.

Lifting a hand, Laura flagged the nearest server, a young woman named Catrina. “Isn’t this Mr. Knight’s table?”

“The actor?” Catrina nodded. “Yes. He normally comes in around six.”

Laura checked her watch. “He’s running behind. Have someone place a call to his bungalow, please, and see if he’d still like to dine here tonight. If he’s decided against it, there are people waiting who can be seated here.”

“Yes, Ms. Colton,” Catrina said before hurrying off.

“Laura.”

She turned to find Erica Pike. The executive assistant stood eye to eye with Laura at five-nine, and her long brown hair was pulled up in a loose bun. Glancing at the table, she asked, “Is everything okay?”

“I was just wondering why CJ Knight hasn’t shown up for his six o’clock table,” Laura said.

“Oh.” Erica’s spine seemed to stiffen. “He checked out.”

“Checked out?” Laura repeated. “When?”

“Early this morning,” Erica explained. “I thought you knew.”

“No,” Laura said. “A lot’s happened.”

Erica nodded, her green eyes rimmed with shadows. “I know. Poor Allison.”

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