“WHAT AM I going to do?” Happy heard her own…
ANNIE LAURANCE DARLING crouched on the floor by the coffee…
SHE TOOK A step backward.
ANNIE GLANCED IN her rearview mirror. That blue Ford had…
A LIGHT FLASHED on his phone. Max pushed back his…
MAX PAUSED OUTSIDE the heavy wooden door of Parotti’s Bar…
ANNIE HAD ALWAYS enjoyed the flair for originality on Broward’s…
MAX PAUSED IN his casual progress toward the evening’s lion…
ANNIE WAITED UNTIL Max slammed his door and turned on…
ANNIE LOOPED A garland of red and green tinsel over…
PARKING OUT OF sight of the big house, Annie hurried…
ANNIE PLACED THE silver in the dishwasher. “Thanks for having…
ANNIE PUT DOWN Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer place mats, a…
HER UNFORGETTABLE FACE ravaged by grief, her eyes brilliant with…
THE ARCHWAY FROM the terrace room led to the over-furnished…
“YOU WON’T GO away?” Rachel stood by the bathroom door…
“WAIT A MINUTE.” Garrett’s eyes scoured Rachel’s face. He held…
MAX DELIBERATELY CHOSE a chair in the corner of the…
“THANKS, INGRID. IF you’ll take care of everything at the…
THE VOLVO SQUEALED into the Dumaney drive. Annie jolted to…
ANNIE GLANCED DOWN the hall when she reached the second…
THE HALF DOZEN silver bracelets on each arm jangled as…
MAX WAS ALMOST to the door when the telephone rang…
ANNIE HEARD A thump above her head as she walked…
THE CANDLELIGHT WAVERED as Emory Swanson closed the door. Shadows…
FLAMES SPIKED AGAINST the velvet black of the sky, shooting…
ANNIE BANGED THROUGH the kitchen door, her face eager.
ANNIE SHIVERED, WATCHED the patterns of moonlight and cloud against…
AN UNEASY QUIET lay over the Dumaney house. Joan and…
KATE RUTLEDGE WALKED into the small storeroom. Max closed the…
ANNIE SMILED AS she walked up the stairs. From the…
ANNIE STARED AT a dark oblong on the wall of…
RACHEL LOOKED BACK one more time at the two new…