Read A Dead Sister (Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery) for Free Online Page B

Only nineteen years old at the time of her death, it had shaken them all. Why on earth would he want to talk about Kelly?
    “That’s right, our Kelly. Something’s come up, and I’d like to get your input. Sorry to be so cryptic about this, but we should talk about it in person rather than by phone, on the fly. How about two o’clock? Is that okay?”
    “Sure, Frank. I’ll see you then.” Jessica said goodbye and put down the phone.
    “Let the ruminating begin,” she announced to the empty patio as she dived back into the pool, letting the water envelop her in its silky embrace. Wondering: “cute,” huh...“major chip on her shoulder,” huh...“poor Kelly,” huh? Jessica finally settled down as she struck up the beat and put in more miles in the water.
     

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER 3
     
     
    Jessica finally dragged herself from the pool and into the house, using the sliders that led directly from the patio into her bedroom. Her huge bed had not been made. A copper-colored duvet, in a slinky, expensive fabric imported from Italy, hung half off the bed. Beneath the duvet, buttery soft Egyptian cotton sheets were adorned with a delicate paisley print in a paler shade of copper. The colors on the bed played off the earth tones on the walls, set at intriguing angles. Clerestory windows allowed sunlight to stream in, highlighting particular surfaces and casting shadows on others.
    Jessica’s mother loved the look of “layered neutrals”, based on a palette of creamy whites, taupe and sandy beiges; browns that ranged from light toasty tans to dark espresso; and the blackest black. The neutral scheme was used throughout the house in Mission Hills. It was made more interesting by varying the textures in each room. Stone tile, some polished and some unpolished; wooly woven rugs, grass cloth and silk fabrics; shiny mirrors and grainy woods set off the neutrals. So did pops of color in the art and accessories.
    Jessica craved color. As a teen she had insisted that more be added to the walls in her room. Her mother accommodated her request, with enthusiasm, and the walls were painted a rich golden hue. The fireplace surround, created by two interlocking L-shaped blocks of stucco, was painted in contrasting shades of a deep auburn-brown and a dark coral. She and her mother loved the way it looked so much they had added color to accent walls elsewhere in the house.
    Pillows of various shapes and sizes were piled on a Kreiss bench at the foot of Jessica’s bed. The whole house had been furnished in the plush contemporary designs custom made by Kreiss. It was another sign of the times that the company had declared bankruptcy. Stopping to make the bed so she would be less tempted to climb back in it, Jessica wondered if her mother knew Kreiss had gone belly up.
    It had been several weeks since Jessica had spoken to her mother or her father. When she fi led for divorce she felt obligated to let them know. Her mother, in Monaco at the time with her fourth husband, was casual about the news. Having been through the whole thing herself several times she was in a position to assure Jessica that she would be okay, and she did. Her mother was trying to be helpful. Nevertheless, Jessica was bothered by her blasé attitude, and told her so, moving the conversation in a bad direction.
    “What do you want me to say, Jessica? You’re not going to be okay? You can’t live without Jim and you’re never going to be happy again? It may feel like that right now but it’s just not true. You’re strong, baby girl, and you’ll get through this, trust me.”
    She didn’t trust her. Her way of “getting through this” was to find another man, and that had not worked out so well. In addition to four husbands Alexis Baldwin-Huntington-Cranston-something-Bortoletto had forged a number of less formal dalliances with men. How many wasn’t clear. Too many, as far as Jessica was concerned, growing more irritated by the minute. Sh