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beside me, and saw Reed do the same with Hugo. We had to maneuver through the crowd, and as I inhaled I thought I might get tipsy just from the aroma of liquor that permeated the air. But in a minute, I was able to sidle up beside where Janelle stood.
    â€œGood to see you up here,” I heard her say to another woman—not the one she’d entered with—who was sitting on one of the stools at her other side. “Are there any dog parks up here? If so, I hope you’ll tell me where. And where’s your dog?”
    The woman looked barely old enough to be in here, but since she had a glass of wine in front of her, I assumed she’d been carded if the bartender had found it necessary. She had curly hair that was so blonde it was nearly white, and unlike the people I’d hung out with all day she was wearing a dress—a skimpy red one, with shoulder straps and no sleeves and a deep neckline.
    â€œI’m not aware of dog parks here, although there may be some.” The woman’s voice was shrill … her normal tone, or just her attempt to be heard over the crowd noise here? “Jojo’s at home in LA with my sister. I didn’t bring her.”
    â€œI figured that,” Janelle said. “I happened to hike by your family’s house here this evening and didn’t hear any barks. Are you staying there while you’re here?”
    â€œWell … yes. Some of the time.” The woman had slid off the barstool and was now standing on the floor, her hands on her hips as she confronted Janelle. Was she an Arnist? We’d passed homes owned by a lot of other elite families in the area, yet Janelle had definitely appeared most interested in that one.
    But why? And why was she asking this woman so many questions?
    â€œOh, really?” Janelle said. “Your family house looks so nice. Where else are you staying?”
    Instead of answering, the woman asked, “Why are you here, Janelle?”
    Before Janelle could answer, the woman with whom she’d conversed on the phone entered the conversation. “We’re here on vacation, Ada. For fun. You know. You mentioned Knobcone Heights sometimes when we saw you at the dog parks, and it sounded so wonderful. You know that Janelle’s dog Go is missing—she needed to get away for awhile, so I came with her up here.”
    â€œAnd you’re—”
    â€œI’m her friend Delma Corning. My dog’s Shobie, the Boston terrier mix who was with Go a lot in the parks.”
    â€œWell, good to meet you, Delma, and good to see you, Janelle. I hope you have fun while you’re here. My family and I have always enjoyed the area.”
    Was her family here too? I hadn’t been able to tell whether the house was occupied at all when we’d walked by. But that was true of some of the other mansions as well.
    â€œI definitely intend to have a good time,” Janelle said. “And I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of you here. Unless you’re leaving now?”
    â€œNot immediately, no,” Ada said. “Maybe we could get together one of these days.” She picked her purse up from beneath her stool and headed for the door, just as Neal came in.
    He must have seen the look on Janelle’s face that I did. Maybe Neal knew her well enough to interpret it, but I didn’t. Not really. But it was clearly emotional.
    â€œAre you okay, Janelle?” he asked quickly.
    â€œSure,” she said, much too brightly. “But I’ve been waiting for you. I want to introduce you to Delma—and most of all, I want a drink.”

    We stayed only long enough for each of us to have one drink. I chose a glass of a Napa Valley Zinfandel. Janelle and Delma also chose wines, although I didn’t hear exactly what they ordered, and Reed and Neal got beers.
    The dogs received a bowl of water to share.
    Maybe because Neal worked at the resort, although primarily at the reception desk,