A Dead Sister (Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page B

circles sat beneath her eyes, and her skin was paler, with less color in her lips and on her cheeks. The overall effect was not unattractive. It cast a soulful aura that added, rather than detracted, from her natural beauty.
    Jessica marveled at the grace in her manner and bearing. A characteristic that she had attributed to Laura’s athletic ability, she now regarded as more an expression of some interior quality. Jessica had been drawn to Laura by her openness and willingness to reach out. Everything in Jessica’s world was so fractious when they first met all those years ago at St. Theresa’s. Jessica had been wary and a little wild, kind of like she was again with her marriage on the rocks and her life in tatters. Laura had displayed a friendly, easygoing confidence, not offended by Jessica’s petulance or impulsiveness. She had been a stabilizing influence in Jessica’s life and they had become steadfast friends.
    Jessica could recall conflicts with other girlfriends, but not with Laura. Although she had regarded Tommy Fontana’s sister Kelly as her closest friend in high school, Laura anchored their little group. She brokered truces and mended fences when squabbles erupted among their circle of friends at St. Theresa’s. Laura still did so much good, not just as a friend, but also in her chosen profession as a nurse. Those memories evoked the Catholic schoolgirl within. Jessica found herself saying a Hail Mary for her friend.
    After dinner, the cat pack got down to business. Their Saturday night gathering was intended to allow Jessica to treat them all to an escape. Figuring out where they wanted to go was easy—Hawai’i. The “boys”, eager for Brien to take the surf safari he had long dreamed about, were headed to the North Shore of Oahu. Once their travel dates were sorted out, Jessica finalized a reservation she had made for them in a gorgeous, fully staffed beach house. Personal chef, housekeepers and a driver would tend to them.
    The “girls”, Jessica, Laura and Bernadette, settled on a trip to Maui for a stay at the Grand Wailea. Coordinating their schedules, Jessica put her black AMEX card to work. In no time, they had their trips booked. Laura had also finagled some dates out of her sister Sara, who was making a swift recovery from her own blood-curdling encounters with the dark side during hell week. The cat pack cheered Jessica on as she booked Sara, her husband Dave, and their two children on a Disney cruise.
    The following week , Jessica, Bernadette and Laura were borne aloft, in body and spirit, by the jet speeding them from one resort paradise to another. Their ten days in Maui at the Grand Wailea were splendid, restoring Jessica’s faith in the miraculous nature of spa treatments. They were all polished, pampered and massaged. Brazilian blow-outs, facials, “manis” and “pedis,” along with more exotic fare, evoked “oohs” and “aahs” day after day. The shops nearby made it easy to indulge her shopping “jones.” The tropical drinks flowed as they watched the sunset cast vivid colors over the horizon, turning the Pacific waters from aqua to indigo. It was a welcome respite from the desert heat. Jessica’s body was still struggling to readjust after a decade-long absence.
    This morning, on her first day back home, the house was way too quiet. Laura, who had moved in with Jessica and Bernadette during the investigation into her husband’s murder, had left. She was living with her parents, for now, so they could all support each other while mourning Roger’s death.
    Peter March, already back from Oahu, had returned to work. His job as Jessica’s “security consultant” no longer involved taking up a post in her front yard. He had installed surveillance cameras and upgraded their home security system but wasn’t scheduled to check back, in person, until mid-July. Tommy, Brien and Jer ry weren’t due home for a few more days, staying in Oahu for the Fourth of July.