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.”“Or flirt than bark.He not only offered to teach me himself, he made some offhand comment about how he's attracted to zaftig women, whatever the heck that means.”Paula placed her palm over her mouth, attempting but not succeeding in stifling a giggle.“Boris is an excellent teacher, although he can be intimidating.Yuri said he would consider taking me on, but his plate is full trying to squeeze in so many of Dimitri's former students.There are only four male dance instructors now: Marcus, Yuri, Boris, and Bobby.”I glanced across the room at Yuri.He was laughing and chatting with Tatiana and Wendy, two of the female instructors.I turned to Paula.“Were you going to follow Dimitri to his new studio?”She looked surprised.“You heard about that?”I nodded.“Dimitri and I competed in dance competitions all over the country this past year.I did so well, we decided I should go ahead and advance to the gold scholarship level.” She stared at her feet encased in rhinestone-studded bronze satin dance shoes.“He was such a brilliant dancer and teacher I would have followed him wherever he went.”“When was the studio supposed to open?”“The official opening was scheduled for mid February.Dimitri was positive he'd pull in some big prizes at the New Year's Holiday Ball.He also hoped to entice a couple of the premier Bay Area instructors to join him at the new studio.”“He thought he could get some big name professionals to move out here to the sticks?”“With the lower cost of living and housing, the foothills are quite a draw.And there are fewer studios competing for students here than in the Bay Area.I think he had several good candidates who wanted to join him.”“I'll bet that ticked Boris off,” I said.“Did you know he was aware of Dimitri's defection?”“He probably threw a fit when he found out.” Paula's hazel eyes widened as she contemplated my announcement.“You don't think Boris would have been angry enough to kill Dimitri, do you?”“That's what I wondered.Do you have any idea which students were following Dimitri to the new studio?”“Samantha Fielding said she would go.And Dana Chandler, of course.She couldn't bear to be parted from her teacher.” The expression on her face signaled more to the story.“Why do you say that?”Paula blushed.“Hey, I'm not one to start rumors, especially about the dead, but the two of them were together a lot.And not only on the dance floor.My husband and I were at the Bistro Restaurant last Wednesday night.Dana and Dimitri were there, alone, looking very chummy.”“Maybe he was explaining dance steps to her,” I said.We exchanged glances.Discussing dance steps over dinner?It was time to have a talk with the prime suspect.[Back to Table of Contents]* * *EIGHTEEN* * * *By Friday, I was more than ready for the weekend.Between work and an extra dance lesson Thursday night, I'd barely completed any of my Christmas shopping for my family.By 4:55 my last file was underwritten and approved—I tend to be more lenient on a Friday afternoon.Determined to be out of the bank no later than five o'clock, my purse was clasped in my hand when my phone rang.I looked to see if it was an interoffice call or anyone important.Mr.Chandler's extension.There was no doubt which category the president would put himself.I lifted the receiver.“Laurel speaking.”“Tomorrow.My house.Ten a.m.”At the end of a long week, my neurons aren't necessarily operating at peak capacity.“Huh? What? When?”“Dana would like you to come to our house tomorrow morning.” I imagined the digits of my Christmas bonus dropping as his sigh resonated over the phone.“She's nervous about going out in public and would prefer if you came here tomorrow to discuss her situation.We would both appreciate it.”It had to be difficult going from Queen Bee of the local society pages to Queen Suspect.“If my daughter can babysit, I should be able to make it there by ten.”The conversation ended with the dial tone buzzing in my ear.Evidently the meeting at the boss's house wasn't optional.I buttoned my black leather coat and slung my purse over my shoulder.The phone rang once again.I slumped back in my chair and grabbed the receiver.“Yes?” I said with all the enthusiasm of someone still at the office at 5:10 on a Friday afternoon.“Laurel, what are you doing tomorrow?”“Hi, Mother.Running errands, Christmas shopping, interviewing murder suspects.”“What?”“Nothing.What's going on?”“I want your opinion on something.Can you meet me for breakfast at ten?”“I'm busy at ten.How about lunch instead? Old Town Grill?”“What are you doing at ten in the morning?”Trying to keep my job.“I'll tell you about it tomorrow at lunch.”That seemed to satisfy my mother.Now if I could only satisfy my boss.???Jenna agreed to babysit her brother on Saturday, astutely guessing that one of my errands included chasing down the items on her Christmas wish list which consisted of gadgets starting with the letter I, as in iphone and ipad.I definitely needed that bonus if my children were going to remain technologically compatible with their peers.The temperature had dropped the night before and it wasn't uncommon to find patches of black ice hidden in the shadowy recesses of Green Valley Road, especially near the one-lane bridge over Weber Creek.I drove carefully, deciding that I'd rather be late for the meeting than have my car perform wheelies on the slick ice.The Chandlers resided in a Victorian mansion built by one of the gold rush magnates.The men who supplied the Forty-niners with food and equipment had become wealthy merchants while the poor prospectors drank and gambled away the bags of gold dust they labored so hard to discover.The Prius and I arrived at the Chandlers’ house only one minute late.The pale yellow mansion with dark green trim sparkled in the bright sunlight.Frost, icing the expansive front lawn, shimmered like tiny diamonds in the emerald green grass.I drove up the long paved driveway and parked off to the side next to a sporty navy blue BMW convertible.High-heeled boots and black ice are not a good combination so I stepped carefully, watching out for slick patches of ice on the long brick walkway.No doorbell was immediately evident so I finally banged on the leonine brass knocker, which adorned the oversized oak-paneled doors.The door was flung open in the middle of my pounding [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.”“Or flirt than bark.He not only offered to teach me himself, he made some offhand comment about how he's attracted to zaftig women, whatever the heck that means.”Paula placed her palm over her mouth, attempting but not succeeding in stifling a giggle.“Boris is an excellent teacher, although he can be intimidating.Yuri said he would consider taking me on, but his plate is full trying to squeeze in so many of Dimitri's former students.There are only four male dance instructors now: Marcus, Yuri, Boris, and Bobby.”I glanced across the room at Yuri.He was laughing and chatting with Tatiana and Wendy, two of the female instructors.I turned to Paula.“Were you going to follow Dimitri to his new studio?”She looked surprised.“You heard about that?”I nodded.“Dimitri and I competed in dance competitions all over the country this past year.I did so well, we decided I should go ahead and advance to the gold scholarship level.” She stared at her feet encased in rhinestone-studded bronze satin dance shoes.“He was such a brilliant dancer and teacher I would have followed him wherever he went.”“When was the studio supposed to open?”“The official opening was scheduled for mid February.Dimitri was positive he'd pull in some big prizes at the New Year's Holiday Ball.He also hoped to entice a couple of the premier Bay Area instructors to join him at the new studio.”“He thought he could get some big name professionals to move out here to the sticks?”“With the lower cost of living and housing, the foothills are quite a draw.And there are fewer studios competing for students here than in the Bay Area.I think he had several good candidates who wanted to join him.”“I'll bet that ticked Boris off,” I said.“Did you know he was aware of Dimitri's defection?”“He probably threw a fit when he found out.” Paula's hazel eyes widened as she contemplated my announcement.“You don't think Boris would have been angry enough to kill Dimitri, do you?”“That's what I wondered.Do you have any idea which students were following Dimitri to the new studio?”“Samantha Fielding said she would go.And Dana Chandler, of course.She couldn't bear to be parted from her teacher.” The expression on her face signaled more to the story.“Why do you say that?”Paula blushed.“Hey, I'm not one to start rumors, especially about the dead, but the two of them were together a lot.And not only on the dance floor.My husband and I were at the Bistro Restaurant last Wednesday night.Dana and Dimitri were there, alone, looking very chummy.”“Maybe he was explaining dance steps to her,” I said.We exchanged glances.Discussing dance steps over dinner?It was time to have a talk with the prime suspect.[Back to Table of Contents]* * *EIGHTEEN* * * *By Friday, I was more than ready for the weekend.Between work and an extra dance lesson Thursday night, I'd barely completed any of my Christmas shopping for my family.By 4:55 my last file was underwritten and approved—I tend to be more lenient on a Friday afternoon.Determined to be out of the bank no later than five o'clock, my purse was clasped in my hand when my phone rang.I looked to see if it was an interoffice call or anyone important.Mr.Chandler's extension.There was no doubt which category the president would put himself.I lifted the receiver.“Laurel speaking.”“Tomorrow.My house.Ten a.m.”At the end of a long week, my neurons aren't necessarily operating at peak capacity.“Huh? What? When?”“Dana would like you to come to our house tomorrow morning.” I imagined the digits of my Christmas bonus dropping as his sigh resonated over the phone.“She's nervous about going out in public and would prefer if you came here tomorrow to discuss her situation.We would both appreciate it.”It had to be difficult going from Queen Bee of the local society pages to Queen Suspect.“If my daughter can babysit, I should be able to make it there by ten.”The conversation ended with the dial tone buzzing in my ear.Evidently the meeting at the boss's house wasn't optional.I buttoned my black leather coat and slung my purse over my shoulder.The phone rang once again.I slumped back in my chair and grabbed the receiver.“Yes?” I said with all the enthusiasm of someone still at the office at 5:10 on a Friday afternoon.“Laurel, what are you doing tomorrow?”“Hi, Mother.Running errands, Christmas shopping, interviewing murder suspects.”“What?”“Nothing.What's going on?”“I want your opinion on something.Can you meet me for breakfast at ten?”“I'm busy at ten.How about lunch instead? Old Town Grill?”“What are you doing at ten in the morning?”Trying to keep my job.“I'll tell you about it tomorrow at lunch.”That seemed to satisfy my mother.Now if I could only satisfy my boss.???Jenna agreed to babysit her brother on Saturday, astutely guessing that one of my errands included chasing down the items on her Christmas wish list which consisted of gadgets starting with the letter I, as in iphone and ipad.I definitely needed that bonus if my children were going to remain technologically compatible with their peers.The temperature had dropped the night before and it wasn't uncommon to find patches of black ice hidden in the shadowy recesses of Green Valley Road, especially near the one-lane bridge over Weber Creek.I drove carefully, deciding that I'd rather be late for the meeting than have my car perform wheelies on the slick ice.The Chandlers resided in a Victorian mansion built by one of the gold rush magnates.The men who supplied the Forty-niners with food and equipment had become wealthy merchants while the poor prospectors drank and gambled away the bags of gold dust they labored so hard to discover.The Prius and I arrived at the Chandlers’ house only one minute late.The pale yellow mansion with dark green trim sparkled in the bright sunlight.Frost, icing the expansive front lawn, shimmered like tiny diamonds in the emerald green grass.I drove up the long paved driveway and parked off to the side next to a sporty navy blue BMW convertible.High-heeled boots and black ice are not a good combination so I stepped carefully, watching out for slick patches of ice on the long brick walkway.No doorbell was immediately evident so I finally banged on the leonine brass knocker, which adorned the oversized oak-paneled doors.The door was flung open in the middle of my pounding [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]