Dying to Have Her Read Free Page B

ashtray. And apparently she had burned a piece of paper. There was a charred scrap of something in the saucer along with the ashes. I’m not sure what that could possibly mean, but …”
    “I’m assuming you checked that out?” Olsen said.
    He was talking to someone behind Serena, a man seated on the couch at the far end of the room. She hadn’t really looked at him. As the man stood up, her heart almost caught in her throat. It couldn’t be.
    Liam.
    Liam Murphy, with whom she’d had a passionate affair before he’d walked out her door, never to return.
    But it wasn’t Liam. This man was tall, broad-shouldered, and well muscled, which had first made her think of Liam. He had thick, dark hair that made him a perfect barbarian type. She knew this detective. He had worked with Liam. He’d asked her out for coffee when she’d split up with Liam. She’d gone—admittedly, to stay close to Liam. She’d known it was wrong. But they’d had coffee one day, she’d seen a movie with him, and then they’d had dinner. That evening she’d told him the truth, that she just wasn’t ready for another relationship.
    Bill Hutchens was a nice man, attractive, serious, and capable of being very charming—and understanding. She wished she could have felt something for him. The chemistry just hadn’t been there, and he’d wanted more than she had to give. Still, they had remained friends. He liked being a cop, but he liked shows, movies, and actors as well. She had gotten him a walk-on in a Viking movie once, and he had helped her with a parking ticket.
    “Bill!”
    “Hi, Serena.”
    “Well, I see you two know each other,” Olsen said.
    “Old friends,” Bill told him.
    “Well, good. Bill is going to be in charge of the investigation here, Miss McCormack. So you call on him if you need to.”
    “Terrific,” Serena said. Maybe it would be. Bill would understand that there wasn’t a cast member on the soap who had felt even remotely threatened by Jane Dunne.
    “Did you find the saucer and the charred paper?” Olsen asked.
    Bill shook his head, watching Serena worriedly. “No.”
    “Are you sure of what you saw, Miss McCormack?” Olsen asked. “Maybe …” He lifted his hands.
    “I’m sure of what I saw, because Jennifer doesn’t smoke.”
    “Maybe someone removed it, not wanting anyone to speak badly of her now that … now that she can’t defend herself,” Bill suggested.
    “And you looked thoroughly through the dressing room?” Olsen inquired. “You’re sure you didn’t miss it?”
    The look that Bill gave his superior was eloquent. Of course, he hadn’t missed such a thing. He’d been a cop for more than ten years. He knew his business.
    “Well …” Olsen murmured.
    “Shall I sit back down, or were you finished with me, Lieutenant Olsen?” Serena inquired. She suddenly wanted to escape. This was really terrible. She had watched a woman die, and she did feel shaky, and she wanted to go home and be alone.
    “Just one more thing, Miss McCormack.”
    “Yes?”
    “You were so close to that light.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Weren’t you supposed to be in that spot?”
    “I … I think my marker was near where the light fell, yes.”
    Olsen nodded, as if he knew something she didn’t.
    “Lieutenant—”
    “Don’t you see, Serena?” he interrupted, leaning forward. “It could have been you beneath that light. Is there a reason anyone would want to kill you, Miss McCormack?” Olsen asked.
    “What?” she asked, startled.
    “Is there a reason anyone would want to kill you?”
    “No. Emphatically no.”
    “They say you can be rather feisty.”
    “You’d have to arrest half of Hollywood if that was a crime.”
    “Miss McCormack—” Olsen began.
    “I have no intention of leaving town.”
    “Of course not,” Olsen said. He actually smiled. “But you should be careful as well, don’t you think?”
    “I’m always careful.” She locked her doors, she had an alarm, she drove