discover she’d fully loaded the cart without realizing it. The table was clear. “Thanks, Ellen,” she said, allowing the cook to take the cart. “I should probably go check on everyone.” She suspected more than a few of them had headed back to bed for a nap at the very least, but her encounter with Alex had left her more curious to see what she might find in Haley’s room. She should track down Tom and see if he was ready to go through it.
After holding the swinging door to let Ellen push the cart into the kitchen, Meredith stepped out of the dining room and into the hall. She drew up short when she saw two figures standing near the end where it opened up into the main foyer.
Rachel and Jessica stood close together, heads bent in conversation. They were speaking in hushed tones, their voices whispers Meredith couldn’t make out from where she stood. She could still catch the anger in them, their tones harsh and insistent as the women glared at each other, their faces dark and tense.
Meredith wasn’t sure whether she should duck back into the dining room before they noticed her. The choice was taken out of her hands an instant later when Jessica suddenly looked up, her eyes locking on Meredith.
She abruptly straightened. Noticing she’d lost Jessica’s attention, Rachel glanced over and saw Meredith, too.
Meredith watched the anger drain from their faces. Before she could say anything, Jessica quickly spun away and disappeared into the main hall. A moment later, Rachel followed, ducking her head and walking away.
What was that about? Meredith had to wonder. A continuation of their earlier argument at breakfast?
She didn’t know, and more than anything she suddenly wished she did.
* * *
S TANDING IN H ALEY ’ S room was no more comfortable in the light of day than it had been the night before. Even with the light streaming through the window, the scene was unrelentingly grim.
Mostly because the blood in the middle of the floor was impossible to avoid no matter where Meredith looked.
As she had when he’d documented the body, she stood out of the way while Tom captured the room on camera. Lingering just inside the door, she studied the space. She was glad they’d chosen to put Haley’s body in another room. This task would be even more difficult than it already was if they had to do it with the body lying there, its presence as unavoidable as the blood.
Folding her arms over her chest, Meredith fought her unease. There wasn’t much to go through, she noted, wondering if they were wasting their time. Haley had only brought two pieces of luggage with her. Both were unzipped and looked to still be full, as if she hadn’t unpacked them. Maybe she hadn’t had time to, Meredith thought with a pang. On the top of the desk was a laptop and a few manila folders, the bag she’d brought them in sitting on the desk chair.
The wardrobe against the wall opposite the bed was slightly ajar. Meredith watched as Tom opened it, revealing only two items hung inside. One was the coat Haley had been wearing yesterday when she’d arrived.
The other was a bridesmaid’s dress, still encased in a plastic bag.
Meredith couldn’t take her eyes off it, even after Tom moved on to record something else. She imagined Haley hanging up the dress, thinking about when she’d put it on in a few days. And now she never would.
The way no one might ever dress for that wedding, she thought. She hadn’t asked Scott and Rachel about their plans for the wedding, the issue somehow insignificant in the midst of everything else. She assumed they’d decided to cancel it, if they’d given any thought to it at all. There didn’t seem to be any way the wedding could go on. Not with one of the bridesmaids now dead.
Not with a killer on the loose.
“Done,” Tom said, drawing her attention back to him.
She watched him lower the camera to his side, stopping to face her. “Where do you want to get started?” he asked.
“I was just
After holding the swinging door to let Ellen push the cart into the kitchen, Meredith stepped out of the dining room and into the hall. She drew up short when she saw two figures standing near the end where it opened up into the main foyer.
Rachel and Jessica stood close together, heads bent in conversation. They were speaking in hushed tones, their voices whispers Meredith couldn’t make out from where she stood. She could still catch the anger in them, their tones harsh and insistent as the women glared at each other, their faces dark and tense.
Meredith wasn’t sure whether she should duck back into the dining room before they noticed her. The choice was taken out of her hands an instant later when Jessica suddenly looked up, her eyes locking on Meredith.
She abruptly straightened. Noticing she’d lost Jessica’s attention, Rachel glanced over and saw Meredith, too.
Meredith watched the anger drain from their faces. Before she could say anything, Jessica quickly spun away and disappeared into the main hall. A moment later, Rachel followed, ducking her head and walking away.
What was that about? Meredith had to wonder. A continuation of their earlier argument at breakfast?
She didn’t know, and more than anything she suddenly wished she did.
* * *
S TANDING IN H ALEY ’ S room was no more comfortable in the light of day than it had been the night before. Even with the light streaming through the window, the scene was unrelentingly grim.
Mostly because the blood in the middle of the floor was impossible to avoid no matter where Meredith looked.
As she had when he’d documented the body, she stood out of the way while Tom captured the room on camera. Lingering just inside the door, she studied the space. She was glad they’d chosen to put Haley’s body in another room. This task would be even more difficult than it already was if they had to do it with the body lying there, its presence as unavoidable as the blood.
Folding her arms over her chest, Meredith fought her unease. There wasn’t much to go through, she noted, wondering if they were wasting their time. Haley had only brought two pieces of luggage with her. Both were unzipped and looked to still be full, as if she hadn’t unpacked them. Maybe she hadn’t had time to, Meredith thought with a pang. On the top of the desk was a laptop and a few manila folders, the bag she’d brought them in sitting on the desk chair.
The wardrobe against the wall opposite the bed was slightly ajar. Meredith watched as Tom opened it, revealing only two items hung inside. One was the coat Haley had been wearing yesterday when she’d arrived.
The other was a bridesmaid’s dress, still encased in a plastic bag.
Meredith couldn’t take her eyes off it, even after Tom moved on to record something else. She imagined Haley hanging up the dress, thinking about when she’d put it on in a few days. And now she never would.
The way no one might ever dress for that wedding, she thought. She hadn’t asked Scott and Rachel about their plans for the wedding, the issue somehow insignificant in the midst of everything else. She assumed they’d decided to cancel it, if they’d given any thought to it at all. There didn’t seem to be any way the wedding could go on. Not with one of the bridesmaids now dead.
Not with a killer on the loose.
“Done,” Tom said, drawing her attention back to him.
She watched him lower the camera to his side, stopping to face her. “Where do you want to get started?” he asked.
“I was just
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