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straighten up and put my hands on my hips.
    ‘Heat
and high altitude up here, London, need to take water,’ he announces, calmly.
    ‘Noted!’
I climb the steps until I am level with him.  ‘Was it me you wanted to
see?’ I ask, realising that he may be here in a professional capacity.
    ‘Undoubtedly,’
he murmurs, his glance moving down to my bare legs.  ‘You have the longest
legs I have ever seen,’ he comments, casually.
    I
ignore the fizzing that hits my core at his perusal. 
    ‘Is
there any new information?’ I frown, scowling towards his lazy gaze.
    His
face clears, ‘actually, I do need to speak to you about Oliver,’ he
admits.  ‘I’ll meet you in the dining room in twenty minutes?’
    ‘You
can tell me now,’ I insist.
    ‘Twenty,
London,’ he turns away from me and enters the hotel leaving me following behind. 
‘I have other business to take care of,’ he announces, before slipping behind
the reception desk and into the door that is marked ‘ private.'
    I
stand and observe as the door closes gently behind him.  Irritation
curling in my stomach, I run up the stairs and make for the shower.
    ********

Chapter Three
    The
weather in Krystal is gloriously warm, I dress in denim Capri pants and a
sloppy t-shirt that hangs off of one shoulder, and slip my feet into my
Converse pumps.  After finger drying my hair and applying my regular
make-up, I run down to meet Detective Austin in the Dining Room. 
    Nerves
curl in my stomach at the possible information he may share.  Maybe one of
his many leads has proved fruitful. I cross my fingers in hope.  Nothing
will bring Ollie back; I know this, but it is important for me to comprehend
the reason behind my brother’s death.  Four years we had as siblings, four
years out of my thirty-one and his thirty-six. 
    Something
I had learned a long time ago, life is cruel.  Just when you think you
have discovered something special, fate has a way of laughing in your face.
    ‘Hey,
honey!’ Marnie moves through the dining room towards me, her eyes soft, her
sway light.  ‘How are you doing?’ She checks as she stops in front of me.
    ‘Morning,
Marnie,’ I smile, ‘I’m doing great, thanks,’ I respond.  ‘I was looking
for Detective Austin,’ my eyes sweep the room in search of his pensive gaze.
    ‘Oh,
he’ll be with you in a minute, take the table by the window.  Can I get
you some tea or coffee?’ She enquires.
    ‘I
would love a tea, please Marnie,’ I thank her before moving over towards the
small table with the best view in the room.  I sit and gaze in wonder at
the stunning surroundings.  My run this morning had taken me double the
typical time as I regularly stopped to take in the beauty of the mountains in
the horizon.
    One
of the waitresses places my tea beside me. ‘Can I get you any breakfast, Miss
Parker?’ She queries.
    ‘Not
at the moment, thank you.  The tea is fine,’ I smile, gratefully.
    She
nods and turns away before I notice her face light up like a Christmas tree,
‘Hi, Nate,’ she grins.
    ‘Hey,
Ali,’ he smiles, a small dimple appearing at the left side of his mouth.
    ‘Would
you like some coffee?’ She tempts, tucking a strand of hair around her ear in
that girlie way that makes it clear she is interested in getting to know Nathan
Austin, a whole lot more.
    ‘That
would be great!’ his gaze falls to mine, and it takes on a serious expression. 
My stomach plummets. Sitting opposite me, he leans in his eyes moving over my
face in that way that he does.  ‘You had breakfast?’
    ‘Not
yet,’ I busy my hands with opening the tea bag and plonking it inside the
boiling water of the teapot.  ‘What is it?’ I demand.
    ‘I
just had a call from the coroner,’ I glance back up into his handsomeness.
    ‘I
thought we knew the cause of death.  A bullet to the brain will do it
every time,’ I state, mechanically, refusing to allow my mind to provide a
mental picture.
    He
nods, ‘but as a matter of