Party Crashers

indicative of the resting place he'd made for himself in eternity.
    Her eyes filled with sudden tears, and a sob caught in her throat from the guilt over not having cared enough about him. Somewhere there was probably a pretty girl who had been Gary Hagan's first love, who wondered how he had turned out, hoping she would run into him again someday, not knowing that he was dead unless she happened to subscribe to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Somewhere there was someone who was more qualified to bury him.
    At the sound of footsteps behind her, she brushed away tears and turned.
    Detective Salyers, wearing her uniform of chinos and jacket came walking toward her.
    Jolie tensed. "If you've come to arrest me, can you wait until after the service?"
    Salyers gave her a little smile. "I didn't come here to arrest you, Ms. Goodman. I came to pay my respects to Mr. Hagan...and to you."
    "Oh. Thank you."
    Salyers cleared her throat. "Ms. Goodman, I know this isn't exactly the time or the place, but I wanted you to know that I've made this case my top priority—on the clock and off. I truly appreciate all the leads you've sent our way. The information you got from the bartender at Manuel's last night will go a long way toward linking these two murders by way of more than an affair gone bad. We're looking into Kyle Coffee's death, and we're reexamining the West Peachtree condo." Salyers sighed and averted her gaze.
    "But?"
    Salyers looked back. "But you're still the prime suspect, and my boss is going to recommend to the D.A. tomorrow that an arrest warrant be served."
    Panic pumped through her limbs. Jolie massaged her throbbing hand through the bandage. "Okay...okay...okay."
    "I thought this would be better coming from your attorney, but I contacted Pam Vanderpool; she said that you had fired her."
    Jolie nodded. Beck had left her a half dozen messages. "I'll find another attorney in the morning."
    At the sound of more guests, Jolie turned. Carlotta and Hannah walked in, their footsteps careful and uncertain. Carlotta, always the trendsetter, wore yellow head to toe. Hannah looked surprisingly feminine in a flirty ruffled skirt. Jolie smiled, grateful for their presence. They spotted her and made their way toward the front of the chapel.
    "He looks better than the last time I saw him." Carlotta murmured. "Nice suit—everyone should be buried in Prada."
    Jolie nodded. She'd paid almost as much for the suit as she had the casket.
    Hannah gave Jolie's hand a squeeze. "How are you holding up?"
    Her gaze flitted to Detective Salyers, who had taken a seat in a middle pew. "Fine."
    Hannah shifted from foot to foot. "Jolie, I stole that money from your boss's purse the night of the party." She puffed out her cheeks. "I was going to plant it on Russell."
    Jolie frowned. "Why?"
    She shrugged. "To discredit him, to show him that I could. I was trying to get close enough to put it in his jacket pocket when Carlotta grabbed me and we went into the pool."
    Jolie bit into her lip. "Hannah...have you considered counseling?"
    She nodded miserably.
    "Omigod," Carlotta whispered. "Jolie, your ex-boss just walked in."
    Jolie lifted her head and sure enough, Sammy had arrived, toning down her usual pinkness with a splash of gray.
    "Excuse us," Carlotta said. She and Hannah turned and claimed a pew equidistant between Salyers and the back of the room.
    God help her, but Jolie looked at Sammy and immediately pondered the woman's motivation. Did she feel obligated to attend because the body had been found in her house? Had she been fooling around with Gary behind Jolie's back and developed genuine feelings for him? Or was she here simply to give out business cards? (A tactless trick of the real estate trade.)
    Sammy stopped in front of Jolie and after an awkward hesitation, leaned forward to give her a stiff one-armed hug. "I'm really sorry about Gary," she said, and she sounded as if she meant it.
    Jolie felt unexpectedly misty. Was it possible that she and Sammy had simply fallen into a habit of disliking each other? She hadn't exactly behaved well herself, sneaking into the woman's house, ransacking her bathroom, filching a photo frame, then bringing the party to a screeching halt. She was touched that Sammy seemed to be extending an olive branch. "Thank you for coming, Sammy."
    Sammy's expression was pinched with compassion. "I wouldn't have missed it." She linked her arm in Jolie's and stared down at Gary. "So young, so handsome, such a