Page 41 of The Getaway

“It’s just . . . Why are five of the speakers perfectly stored, and this one looks like it was sort of thrown there?” she asked.

“Maybe whoever put them there was in a rush?” Marshall scratched the back of his head, tousling his already mussed hair. “It was pretty much chaos once Linc decided to shut the party down. All the staff were trying to get everything put away as fast as possible before it got too bad.”

“Maybe.”

Marley bent and picked up the towel, which was wet in spots, and turned to go.

“What’re you going to do with that?” Marshall asked.

She shrugged. “May as well throw it in the laundry room.”

“You’re such a Girl Scout,” he commented fondly, reaching around her to turn out the light. As he did, Marley’s eyes caught on something, and her pulse stopped cold.

“Marshall.”

“What?” He froze. The tone of her voice required it.

“Look,” she said. Her finger shook as she pointed.

There was blood splatter on the doorjamb. And it looked fresh.

19

Suzy

Magdelena had put out a spread of eggs, potatoes, bagels, lox, flavored cream cheeses, fruit salad, and coffee while the group was distracted. The second Suzy smelled the coffee, her stomach grumbled. She hadn’t even thought about food all morning, but now she was ravenous.

When Marshall and Marley reentered the room, she was sitting at the end of the long dining table farthest from their intruder, Cole, who had made himself a plate worthy of a king and was shoveling potatoes into his mouth as if he’d never eaten before. Suzy sipped black coffee, gnawed on a strawberry, and tried not to meet anyone’s eye. Grant, Gemma, Sean, and Juliet had each taken something to eat as well, but it was like they all felt guilty for it. They chewed slowly, methodically, and quietly, and did not speak. The twins were on the couch, whispering in low tones, their heads bent close together as they sipped coffees. Wintour was happily curled up in Vienna’s lap.

Slowly, Suzy observed each of these people, wondering if any one of them could have possibly committed murder. But how? Juliet was too earth mother. Gemma was too mothering. Grant was too goofy. Sean was too wishy-washy. Hazel was too in love.

Could it have been Hazel, though? Didn’t they always look at the husband or the wife first? Or maybe it was one of the staff. Though she hated to think that way. Lincoln and Lily had always paid them well, and Lincoln was not one to strike up personal relationships—good or bad—with the people who worked for him. Sean was different—they’d been friends before they worked together. Aside from him, Lincoln kept his professional and personal lives separate.

Which again begged the question . . . What were Grant and Gemma doing here?

The silence was too much for her to bear. She was about to ask Grant how he and Lincoln had connected in the first place, just to have something to say, but then Marshall stormed in, and she snapped her mouth shut.

“I want everyone who is in this house in this room, right now,” he announced, his nostrils flaring in a very un-Marshall like way. “Juliet, go get Hazel and Tini. Not the kids.” Marley cleared her throat. “Please,” he added.

Juliet got up and, without a word, ran upstairs.

“Marls, can you see if you can find Trevor and Candice?”

“Sure. I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll get Magdelena,” Sean offered and shoved back from the table. He seemed energized, as if he was glad to have an assignment.

“What’s going on?” Grant said, standing.

Marshall cut a suspicious look at him that made Suzy’s stomach turn. “I’d rather not say until everyone’s here.”

Soon, they were all gathered in the great room, either sitting or standing around the table. Trevor and Candice, both wearing fresh, dry uniforms, stood near the wall behind the table with Magdelena, away from the guests, as was their way. Everyone else except for Marshall and Marley sat at the long table. Hazel and Tini were the last to arrive, followed by Juliet. They hovered just to the right of Suzy’s chair.

“Nothing like being summoned to the living room of your own house,” Hazel said sarcastically. But it didn’t have much bite. Her eyes were red and raw, and she wavered a bit on her feet, like she’d just woken up from a deep sleep, which she probably had. Suzy didn’t know what she’d taken to get herself to calm down after finding Lincoln, but whatever it was must have been strong. “Does Tini really need to be here? We can’t leave the kids alone for long. The babies are in their cribs, but Olivia and Ben are freaking out. They know something’s up.”

Tini, bless her heart, looked incredibly hopeful at the thought of being excused.

“Sorry,” Marshall said to Hazel, his hands resting on his hips. “But I don’t want to have to say this twice. I think someone killed Lincoln.”