Garden of Secrets Read Free

search of someone, and she knew that someone was her.
    A man in the crowd suddenly shouted, “One minute to midnight.”
    She felt an overwhelming desire to run for her life.
    “Thirty seconds!”
    Andrew and Joe were moving down the hall, drawing closer. What was she going to do? Kiss one, then the other? She’d been caught between the two men before, and it was not a happy place to be.
    She turned and fled. The grand staircase was the only open path, so she ran up the stairs, ignoring the surprised look of a passing maid. She could find refuge in some bathroom, she hoped.
    “Ten, nine, eight . . .” The chant from the crowd grew louder.
    She turned one corner, then another. The huge house was perfect for hiding out. She moved fartherdown the hall, stopping abruptly as the lights went out.
    Surprised cries and nervous screams echoed through the house, along with shouts of “Happy New Year.” What the hell happened?
    Someone brushed against her shoulder, knocking her slightly off balance, then the shadowy figure was gone. How could they move so quickly through the darkness?
    Turning around, she put her hand on the wall to find her way back to the staircase. A chorus of “Auld Lang Syne” rang out from below. The blackout hadn’t dimmed the party’s champagne-fueled spirits. She followed the noise, glad when small flickering lights appeared. Someone had lit some candles. She reached the staircase with relief, her hand hitting the banister as the lights came back on. She blinked, then moved quickly down the stairs.
    She had just reached the bottom step when she heard shrill screams from above. It took a moment for them to register over the party chatter, but as the screams continued, the crowd hushed.
    Then the housekeeper appeared at the top of the staircase. “Mrs. Monroe!” she cried. “I think she’s dead!”
    Joe Silveira pushed through the shocked hush of the crowded hallway. He’d had a bad feeling when the lights went out, and now he knew why. Charlotte gave him a shocked look as he passed her, and she started to follow,but he waved her back. He needed to find out what was going on first. One of his officers, Colin Lynch, jogged up the stairs behind him.
    When they reached the landing, the housekeeper burst into an agitated mix of Spanish and English as she led them down the hallway and waved them toward an open door.
    The master bedroom was a picture of luxury: thick carpet, a huge king-size bed with an ornately carved frame, and a sitting area with a fireplace and a big-screen television. He registered the details with efficiency. The room was too messy for a party night; the drawers in the dresser were half open, and there was a scent of perfume in the air. As he moved further inside, his pulse jumped at the sight of the beautiful, skinny blonde sprawled on the floor between the bedroom and the bathroom.
    Theresa Monroe was on her back, her skin pale against her bright red cocktail dress. Her short blond hair was streaked with blood, a pool appearing under the back of her head, which rested on the marble floor.
    He squatted down next to her and put a hand to her neck. Her pulse was faint but present, and he could hear the whisper of her breath.
    “She’s alive,” he told Colin, who was already calling for an ambulance.
    “I’ll get Charlotte.” Colin jogged out of the room.
    Joe grabbed two thick towels off the rack and covered Theresa. The mayor rushed into the room a moment later. He was a tall, balding man with a bitof gut stretching the buttons on his white silk shirt. His eyes widened in shock when he saw his wife. His mouth opened, but no words came. It was the first time Joe had ever seen him speechless.
    “Oh, my God,” Monroe finally got out, dropping to his knees.
    “She’s breathing,” Joe quickly reassured him. “Paramedics are on the way. Colin went downstairs to find a doctor.”
    Robert touched his wife’s bare shoulder. “She’s so cold.” His gaze moved to the pool of