Dead on the Dance Floor Read Online Free PDF Page A

case—among other things.”
    Quinn looked at him questioningly.
    â€œYour girl took lessons at the Moonlight Sonata studios. Right up until last November.”
    Quinn frowned. “My girl? My girl who?”
    â€œNell Durken. I managed to sneak a look in the file cabinet at Moonlight Sonata, and Nell Durken’s name is there, right in the record books.”
    Quinn hadn’t known a damn thing about Nell Durken’s dance lessons. But then again, he hadn’t known all that much about her, really. She had just hired him to find out what her husband spent his time doing.
    So he had found out.
    And the bastard had killed her.
    â€œActually,” Doug continued, “Nell was one of their advanced students. Then, last November, she just quit going. Never mentioned it to you, I guess. Curious, though. The records indicate that she was gung ho—and then just gone. Makes you wonder, huh?”
    â€œFine,” Quinn said flatly. “I’ll do some checking. I’ll take a few fucking dance lessons.”

CHAPTER 3
    â€œH ey, how’s it going?”
    Ella Rodriguez tapped on Shannon’s half-open door, then walked the few feet to the desk and perched on the corner of it. Shannon sat back in her desk chair, contemplating a reply to her receptionist.
    â€œI don’t know. How do you think it’s going? Personally, I think we should have shut down for the week,” Shannon said.
    â€œWe shut down for three days,” Ella reminded her. “That’s about what most corporations are willing to give for members of the immediate family when someone has passed away.”
    â€œHer pictures are all over the walls,” Shannon reminded Ella.
    â€œRight. And teachers and really serious students are going to miss her—one way or another—for a long time. But you have some students who aren’t all that serious, who never want to see a competition floor, and who are getting married in a matter of weeks, left feet and all. They need the studio open, Shannon.” Ella had short, almost platinum hair, cut stylishly. She had a gamine’s face, with incredible dark eyes and one of the world’s best smiles. She considered herself the least talented employee in the studio, but whether she was right about that or not, her warmth and easy charm surely accounted for many of their students.
    Except that now Ella made a face that was hardly warm or charming. “Shannon, I’m well aware you’re not supposed to speak ill of the dead. But truth be told, I didn’t like Lara. And I’m not the only one. There are even people who think that her dropping dead on the dance floor was a piece of poetic justice.”
    â€œElla!”
    â€œI know that sounds terrible, and I’m really sorry. I certainly didn’t want anything to happen to her,” Ella said. She stared at Shannon. “Come on, you’ve got admit it—she couldn’t possibly have been your favorite person.”
    â€œWhether she was or wasn’t, she was a dynamic force in our industry, and she started here. So this was her home, so to speak,” Shannon said.
    â€œWe’re all sorry, we know she was a professional wonder, and I don’t think there’s a soul out there who didn’t respect her talent.” Ella met Shannon’s eyes. “Hey, I even said all that when the detective talked to me.”
    â€œYou told him that you hadn’t liked Lara?” Shannon asked.
    â€œI was dead honest. Sorry, no pun intended. Oh, come on, he was just questioning us because he had to. You know—when someone dies that way, they have to do an autopsy, and they had to question a bunch of people, too, but hell, everyone saw what happened.” Ella arched a brow. “Did you tell them you had adored her?”
    â€œI was dead honest, as well—no pun intended,” Shannon said dryly. “Well, for all of the four and a half minutes he