Crescendo Read Online Free PDF Page B

leave the sunlit world, with all of its thorns and sharp edges, forever.
    Her father was taking care of the financial end. Detective Sanchez would take care of the law.
    â€œWardrobe delivery service!” Hally chirped from the doorway. She’d curled her hair for the party so the unnaturally bright red spiraled wildly. Her dress, in glaring daffodil yellow, clung to her slim figure.
    â€œWow!” Christine commented. “You look hot. And bright.”
    â€œYellow is the color of regret.” Hally smiled thinly. “It seemed appropriate. For you I brought black.”
    â€œThank you! I so didn’t want to wear what Roman thought up for me.”
    Hally wrinkled her nose. “Dove gray. Full length. I saw it in the messenger bag outside your apartment door. I left it there.”
    â€œGood. Get the door, would you? I’ll change.” Christine took the garment bag from her friend and raised her eyebrows at the chichi store name embossed on it. “Can I afford this?”
    â€œOh, didn’t I mention? I met your dad. He showed up at the bar at lunch hour. Handed me a credit card and told me to buy whatever. He also said I’d been a good friend to you and wanted to see my paintings—gave me the number of his art buyer.
    Christine clutched the dress to her. “Oh my God, you didn’t show him that painting, did you?”
    Hally clucked her tongue. “No, silly. Besides, it’s not done.”
    â€œOkay.” She breathed out her relief. “I’m glad he was nice to you.”
    â€œIsn’t he always?”
    â€œAbsolutely not.”
    â€œYeah. Well, it’s nice when people turn out to be better than you thought.”
    â€œI didn’t think things worked that way.” Christine pulled the dress over her head and turned for Hally to zip it up.
    â€œWouldn’t it be a great world if people became better all the time? It should work that way. That fits perfectly. I impress myself.”
    â€œIt’s short!”
    â€œSo what? You have fabulous legs.” Hally dangled a pair of silver strappy stilettos from her fingers. “And these shoes will top it off.”
    â€œOoh!” Christine seized them. “You really bought Jimmy Choos? My dad will have a fit.”
    â€œHey—don’t hand me your credit card and tell me to have at it if you’re on a budget.”
    â€œSo noted.”
    Hally fished out Christine’s makeup and jewelry from the bag and set them on the desk. “I didn’t know which jewelry you’d want, so I brought anything silver. That way you can keep your protective sacred spiral pendant on. And all the makeup—shit!”
    One of the eye shadows tumbled off the desk and shattered on the concrete floor. She crouched to gather up the pieces.
    â€œWhat’s this?”
    Hally was holding a piece of heavy paper. The first note from the rose, which Christine had hidden away under the eye-shadow tray, just in case.
    â€œGive me that.”
    Slowly, she looked up from it, assessing Christine. “This was one of the notes you got?”
    â€œYes. But it doesn’t matter now, because I know who’s been doing all these things.”
    â€œOh, yes. It matters very much.”
    The little office fell so silent; the soprano aria wafting from the main stage seemed to be in the room with them.
    â€œI know this handwriting.”

5
    T he party was all it should be.
    Carlton Davis, master manipulator, had managed to dovetail the “special celebration” with a planned cocktail reception for patrons while the public opening-night tailgating festivities ramped up in the parking lot. Tourists and locals alike set up folding tables by their cars, broke out the fine linens, silver, and crystal and ate and drank, enjoying one of the best sunset views Santa Fe had to offer.
    It was surpassed only by the opera house loading dock, with its sheer edge dropping over the valley.