“There you go. It could be totally unrelated. Maybe she had a boyfriend in the building and they had a fight and he killed her… in front of your door,” I said, not very convincingly. “What is it you want us to do?”

“Anything,” Caitlin said, looking desperate and uneasy.

“How did she get by the doorman?” Beth asked.

“I don’t know. I guess the police will find out.”

“You can stay with me. I have a futon you can sleep on,” Beth said matter-of-factly and I almost got whiplash turning to face her.

“What? No, she can’t! Somebody is following her. They may have left a dead body in front of her door.”

“You said that might be a coincidence and totally unrelated,” she pointed out.

“I don’t want to take that chance,” I said through clenched teeth.

“You’re not taking it; I am.”

“You’re my girlfriend!”

“You and Mike are going out? Congratulations!” Caitlin perked up.

“I live in a secure building,” Beth said, ignoring her.

“So does she!” I reminded her.

“Well, do you want to stay with us?” I have to admit that for about a millisecond… Hey, I’m a guy!

“You two are into that?” Caitlin cut in. She paused and seemed to consider it. “You know, I might be up for it.” Beth and I both gave her a death glare at the same time, and then continued ignoring her.

“Beth, for now just let it be. We can talk to the building owner and make sure he understands that security needs to be tightened.”

“Isn’t there anything else we can do? I just don’t want to see anyone else get hurt.” The look she gave me made me want to find a way to make her happy. Fuck, I was a goner. I would be BBQing with the other marrieds soon.

“Maybe we can poke around online… from the safety of our office, and try to find out more about this reporter. Other than that, I’m not sure what we can do… unless Gerard invites us into his study where you happen to see the painting,” I added without thinking.

“Wait, if he invited us in… the mystery weekend,” Beth said looking excited. Nice job Mark. I doodled a picture of a big mouth on my pad.

Chapter Thirteen

Beth

6:00 PM

Cam opened the door and invited us in. When we got to the living room, all conversation immediately ceased and everyone turned to look at us in unison. Even Bruno, who looked like he was thinking, “tramp.”

“F. Scott and Zelda have arrived,” Cam announced with a smile.

“Nice tree. Well lit,” Braden said, not smiling.

“You, know Mark, standing under a tree filled with lights kind of defeats the purpose of copping a feel in the dark,” Adam added.

“Oh shit,” Mark said, looking pained. Paparazzi. I sighed.

“It was a beautiful picture,” Lily said, quickly coning over to stand next to me and throwing a threatening glance at her husband.

“It was very romantic, honey,” Jess added. “The two of you really could have been F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Except that you weren’t drunk. Or crazy.”

“What’s the big deal anyway?” Gabrielle asked, dismissively. “Braden and I had sex during your family’s fundraiser last year.”

“Gabrielle!” Braden said through gritted teeth.

“We all knew what you were doing, Braden,” Cam said. “Who sneaks off to a pool house during a formal dinner just to hang out?”

“At least we were inside a building,” he answered defensively.

“We were just kissing! We’re single adults, who have known each other for years, and we’re dating. Deal with it,” I demanded irritably.

“She’s right!” Jess said, coming over to join Lily and putting her arm around me. “And for the record, honey, the two of you make an adorable couple.”

“I think you make a nice couple too,” Cam added. Braden and Adam both turned to look at him. “Just sayin’.”

“I’m thrilled that you’re dating,” Braden said, “but you still can’t be all over each other in public at a fundraiser.”

“Uh, Braden…” Adam broke in.

“We were inside a pool house,” Braden replied testily, glancing at his wife.

“I’m sorry, man. I know we should have been more careful,” Mark said, sounding miserable. Oh great, now he felt guilty about kissing me in public. If Braden had his way, Mark and I would go join the Amish.

“The picture was romantic, not scandalous,” Lily piped up.

“Where is this picture?” I asked. “I’d like to see it myself.”

“Here, I’ll show you honey,” Jess said, going over to a laptop sitting on a desk. She and I both went over to take a look.

She went to the website of The Philly Beat and pulled up a photo of Mark and me standing under the sparkling lights. Our costumes really did make it look like we had stepped out of the 1920’s. My arms were around his neck, and his were around my waist, but one hand was on my bottom holding me up against him. That gave me a little thrill and I felt a flutter in my lower belly. I had to get a copy of that.

“I like it,” I said, not caring what anyone else thought.

“So do I,” Mark, who had walked up beside me agreed. I looked up, surprised, and saw him staring down at me with the hint of a smile playing on his lips. We gazed at each other and shared a moment that made me feel like someone had lit a fire inside me.