Peril in Paperback: A Bibliophile Mystery

sister.”
    She hugged him back and rested her head on his chest. “It’s probably wrong of me to say it, but I’m glad the police won’t let anyone leave. At this rate I would be all alone by the time my birthday came around.”
    “That would never happen,” I said.
    “Oh, that’s sweet. I’m so pleased that I’ve gotten to know you, Brooklyn,” she said, pulling me close to her other side. “Suzie’s lucky to have you as a friend.”
    “I’m the lucky one,” I insisted. Then, arm in arm, Gabriel and I walked Grace out to the wide main hall and headed back to the party.
    I suddenly remembered we hadn’t found Sybil. I opened my mouth to say something but was interrupted as a woman’s scream shattered the air.
    We all ran toward the sound that came from somewhere near the grand stairway. My throat went dry when I spotted Kiki lying motionless on the marble floor at the bottom of the stairs.

Chapter 9
     
    Gabriel swore loudly and tore off down the stairs. I hurried to follow him, but had to be mindful of the slippery soles of my new shoes.
    “Is she okay?” I asked when I reached the bottom.
    “She’s still breathing,” he murmured, and slipped his hand beneath her neck. He gently lifted her head off the cold, hard marble floor to cushion her with his hands.
    “Is she awake?”
    “Not yet, but there’s no blood.”
    “Thank God for that,” I muttered.
    “No, no,” Grace moaned from a few feet above me on the stairs. “My little Kiki.”
    “She’ll be okay,” Gabriel said briefly, although he didn’t sound all that confident yet. He ran his hands carefully along her shoulders and down her back, checking for broken bones, I assumed.
    I heard the distant sound of tapping heels on the marble hallway floor and looked up. It was Sybil, and she was running toward us.
    “What is that?” she cried from twenty feet away, then gasped as she saw Kiki’s inert body on the cold floor. “Oh, my God! What is happening to us?”
    Gabriel looked up at her with annoyance shimmeringin his eyes. “Quiet.” Then he ignored her and tended to Kiki.
    “Where were you?” I said to Sybil, then grimaced at my suspicious tone. This wasn’t the time for an inquisition.
    Sybil blinked at me. “I was using the powder room downstairs. I—I needed a few minutes to myself. To recover from that humiliating performance.”
    “It wasn’t so bad,” I mumbled. “All in good fun.”
    “It was horrific,” she said flatly.
    True,
I thought to myself. I still didn’t know if Sybil was telling the truth about sneaking off to the powder room downstairs, but I would wait to make sure Kiki was okay before jumping into a full-scale investigation of Sybil Brinker’s whereabouts over the past few minutes.
    More footsteps pattered down the stairs. I glanced up and saw Suzie and Vinnie, both wearing identical looks of horror.
    “Kiki,” Suzie said, her voice trembling as she wrapped her arm around Grace. “Is she…?”
    “Gabriel says she’ll be okay,” Grace whispered.
    “Praise Lakshmi,” Vinnie murmured, then began to chant softly in her native tongue.
    I knelt down next to Gabriel. “Can I help?”
    “I want to get her off the cold floor. Is there a room with a couch nearby?”
    “The Blue Room,” Grace said immediately, pointing down the hall. “First door on the right.”
    Gabriel laid Kiki down on the blue sofa, then knelt on the floor next to her, watching her slightest movements. I knew he was master of a hundred different obscure skills and had played at dozens of different roles throughout his colorful life. I just hoped that one of them was emergency medical technician, because I doubted even an ambulance would make it out here tonight.
    Merrilee rushed in with blankets, a pitcher of water, and some hand towels. She spread a warm blanket overKiki as Gabriel dipped and wrung out one of the towels and laid it on the unconscious woman’s forehead. He slid another warm, damp towel behind her neck, then leaned back on his heels and waited and watched.
    Ruth had joined Grace and the two women sat together on the nearby love seat, gripping each other’s hands. Vinnie and Suzie paced the floor. I chose to sit on the sturdy coffee table close behind Gabriel, in case he needed anything. But essentially, we were all just waiting for Kiki to gain consciousness.
    A few minutes had passed when I heard Kiki emit a soft moan. I felt Gabriel tense up as I watched her stir. He leaned close and brushed her