Blood Vines

CHAPTER SIXTY

Tuesday, March 16

4:30 P.M.

Tim had beat her back to the rental, Alex saw. His candy apple red Chrysler Sebring sat parked in front, top still down. She had tried him twice since leaving the Kenwood; both times she had been rolled over to voice mail and neither time did she leave a message.

She parked behind him, climbed out and hurried to the front door. She let herself in, then stopped, surprised. The small dining table had been set with white linen and china. A bottle of champagne sat chilling in a bucket, two flutes beside it.

Went for food. Help yourself to the bubbly.

P.S. Don’t be mad. I have news.

Alex stared at the setup, bemused. The man was nothing if not a suck-up. He knew she was mad and intended to coax her out of it. He’d even provided the opportunity for her to get started doing that without him.

She crossed to the champagne and poured a glass. She’d have a little surprise for Mr. Clarkson when he returned. No way was he going to wiggle off this particular hook.

She carried her wine out to the front porch to wait. And wait she did. Ten minutes became twenty, became thirty. Where was he? There were a number of good restaurants within walking distance. Which one had he chosen? She dialed his cell and found that he still hadn’t turned it back on.

She let her breath out in a short, frustrated huff. At this rate, she’d be drunk before he returned with the food.

No doubt, that was his plan. Tim didn’t like emotional scenes. That’s why he’d called when he had-thinking he’d leave a message and avoid the messiness of a face-to-face.

There would be no avoiding it, she thought. She would drill him until she knew every detail of what her mother had told him. She wanted the when and where, the date and the circumstances.

And she wanted to know how, under any circumstances, he could have thought it was okay to keep the information from her.

Wineglass empty, she stood and went for a refill.

Meowing, Margo darted out of the kitchen. “Hey, girl,” she said and scooped her up. Purring, the cat nuzzled her shoulder.

“Tim’s in big trouble, isn’t he?” she asked. “He’s a big traitor.”

Margo meowed again, leapt out of her arms and onto the linen-covered table. “Margo, no! Off the…”

The words died on her lips. Margo had left paw prints on the linen. Alex shifted her gaze to the wooden floor. A trail of prints led from the kitchen to where she stood. She lowered her gaze to her shirtfront. Her white, long-sleeved T was smeared with red.

Blood.

She stared at it with a growing sense of horror. And denial. No, wine. Margo had toppled an open bottle. She had done it before, while she and Tim had been married. Not blood, she thought again. Wine.

Blood wine. The sharp smell of sandalwood stung her nose. Her glass slipped from her fingers, hitting the floor and shattering. A thrumming filled her head. Light… flickering… blood…

A scream, high and terrified. Hers. She ran toward the kitchen, pushed through the door. She slipped, landing on her hands and knees in something. Blood, she saw.

She shifted her gaze. Tim. On the floor, on his back. Something shiny sticking out of his throat. Chopsticks, she saw. The ones he had given her.

She crawled the rest of the way to him, sobbing, praying it wasn’t too late. She placed her hands on his chest, over his heart. Nothing. She pressed her ear to the spot, then her fingers to his wrist.

Nothing… nothing… Dear God…

Alex backed up, sobbing, hysterical. She became aware of her own voice, her repeated pleas. She was covered with blood, she realized. It was everywhere. Her hands and hair. Her clothes.

No… no… Whimpering, she tried to rub it from her hands, but it only smeared more. Her fault, she thought. She’d brought Tim into this. If not for her-

What to do? She dug her phone out of her pocket, dialed 911.

“Help,” she whispered, when the dispatcher answered. “Please. Tim’s… he’s been… stabbed. I think he’s… Oh, my God, he’s dead!”