Read Killing Monica for Free Online

a gorgeous piece of jewelry.
    Pandy couldn’t tear her eyes away.
    Portia snatched the magazine out of Suzette’s hand. She looked from the image back to Pandy. “Well,” she said triumphantly. “You were right. You’re definitely not Monica anymore.” A beat, then she added: “You need airbrushing!”
    “Can I get you ladies something else?” the waiter asked.
    “How about some airbrushing?” Pandy asked, as Suzette and Portia screamed with laughter.
    *  *  *
    It was past two when Pandy picked up her phone and saw that she had three texts from Henry. She held up her phone so that it glinted annoyingly in the sun. “My goddamned agent,” she said loudly. “Why won’t he leave me alone? Doesn’t he know I’m busy ?” Without bothering to read his texts, she wrote, “Yes?”
    Henry immediately replied: “Have you read my texts?”
    “No,” Pandy sent back. She put the phone down and lay on her stomach, resting her chin over the edge of the chaise. She closed her eyes and allowed her thoughts to wander. The mechanical bleeps of other people’s devices turned into the sound of crickets; the hum of conversation became the lazy buzz of bees. As she was drifting off, a vision came to her of a smattering of reddish freckles marching like ants across the bridge of a turned-up nose.
    She lifted her head with a start. The freckles belonged to SondraBeth Schnowzer.
    She tried to push the image away, but it was too late. SondraBeth was lifting her gold aviator sunglasses, lowering her gaze to focus on Pandy. And there it was: the smile.
    Monica’s smile.
    Pandy shook it off and sat up sharply, her sudden movement causing the world to spin ever so slightly.
    She glanced around. The pool was quieter now, the heat having driven away all but the die-hard sunbathers. Suzette was sleeping. Portia was at the bar, in the middle of an animated conversation with someone Pandy couldn’t see.
    Suzette’s reading glasses had fallen into the space between the two chaises. Pandy picked them up, put them on, and read Henry’s texts.
    “Call me.”
    “Where are you?”
    “We need to talk.”
    And finally, “Where and when can I meet you?”
    Pandy shot up. She was suddenly wide awake and stone-cold sober. Henry had had word . That was why he wanted to see her.
    Her hand trembled as she tapped in his number, walking briskly to the shaded awning at the far end of the pool. The phone rang and rang, until it went to voice mail.
    “Damn,” Pandy said aloud, hanging up. She immediately sent him a text: “Do they LOVE it?”
    “Where are you?” came the reply.
    “Pool Club.” She was tempted to add, “Answer your damn phone,” but couldn’t be bothered to tap in all the letters.
    “On my way!” Henry wrote back. He’d added an exclamation point; that meant it had to be good news. Suddenly feeling giddy with anticipation, Pandy hurried toward her friends, waving her phone in the air.
    The club was filling up again, this time with mothers and children who must have just gotten out of school. Pandy skipped around a toddler wearing so many flotation devices, he looked like a small astronaut.
    “Henry’s coming!” Pandy said to Suzette, who was now awake due to the screams of the many children who appeared to have taken over the club. “I think it’s good news.”
    Unable to contain her excitement, Pandy began pacing, circling around the nest of deck chairs as she mumbled incoherently. “After all this…I can’t believe… Ohmigod .” Overcome, she had to sit down.
    “Honey, are you all right?” Suzette asked.
    Pandy put her hand to her chest. She wished she could explain to her friends how important this was, but she knew they’d never quite understand. She vigorously nodded her head instead. “Where is Henry?” she cried out impatiently.
    “Henry’s coming?” Portia asked, strolling over with a drink in a plastic martini glass sloshing onto her hand. She looked at Pandy assessingly. “Doll, you’re