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  Ryan and Olivia were still in shock. At that point, they noticed that all of the dozen people at the party were staring at them. They became very self-conscious about the scene they’d caused and had no interest in being the center of attention any longer.

  The duo scurried out in a hurry, bickering the entire way.

  With Ryan and Olivia gone, Adam and Lily were suddenly in the spotlight.

  Adam turned to his wife with fire in his eyes. He was more than just disgusted. Adam looked like he wanted nothing to do with her.

  “I thought you said you didn’t have feelings for him anymore,” Adam snapped.

  Lily opened her mouth to answer, but Adam cut her off before she had the chance to get a word out.

  “I’m not interested in any more of your lies,” he continued.

  Adam stormed away.

  At that point, Lily was reeling. Her head was spinning every which way. She had a deer in the headlights look.

  When Lily noticed everyone at the party standing awkwardly silent as they stared at her, she became overcome with embarrassment. Normally Chloe’s heart would go out to her, but judging by what she’d heard, Lily’s own actions had gotten her into this royal mess. The question was, how would she get out of it?

  Everyone appeared to be wondering that. As Chloe looked around the room, all the party guests seemed to be standing in place, like a movie stuck in freeze frame, waiting for the action to begin again.

  The room was silent as could be. No one wanted to be the first to talk. Although, what more really was there to say that wouldn’t just make things worse?

  Finally, Lily broke the silence by lashing out in frustration.

  “The party is over. Everyone get out of here,” she said.

  Chapter Five

  As Chloe and Paige made their way out of the party with the rest of the guests, they were left with a number of unanswered questions. That was especially true for Chloe. She felt like she was completely in the dark about a slew of different things. What a night for long-simmering grudges to boil over.

  Chloe would have asked Paige about the checkered pasts of everyone involved, but her friend’s mind was already preoccupied. As an actress, it wasn’t uncommon for Paige’s head to drift off into the ozone, but this wasn’t just an average head-in-the-clouds kind of moment.

  Something was eating at Paige. It must have troubled her to see her old friends at each other’s throats. Chloe had only just met these people, and she couldn’t help but be bothered by how quickly the party blew up. That kind of raging dysfunctionality didn’t come around very often. There wasn’t much Chloe could do other than comfort her friend. She decided to do just that.

  “What’s going on?” Chloe asked.

  Paige pulled her head out of the clouds, only to have something else catch her eye. She pointed down the street. “Trouble.”

  Chloe turned and saw that Ryan Foster had run into another person that seemed to have a beef with him. About forty feet down the street, Ryan was engaged in a heated exchange with a greasy-haired man in his forties wearing a leather jacket.

  With the argument occurring so far away, there’s was no way for Chloe to overhear the specific words being said. She didn’t really need to. All that mattered was that trouble had found Ryan Foster again.

  Just when things seemed like they couldn’t get any more contentious, the greasy-haired man slammed Ryan against a car door, shouted at him, and then walked to a nearby car. The greasy-haired man got into the car and drove off.

  Ryan meanwhile took a moment to catch his breath. Surprisingly, his girlfriend Olivia did not rush over to his aid. Instead, Olivia shook her head in frustration, then chewed him out herself. After that, Ryan and Olivia got into a car, still bickering, and drove away.

  Back in the Foster’s driveway, Chloe took a deep breath. What a night, and it wasn’t even over yet.

  Chloe instinctively told a joke to blow off some steam.

  “Maybe now the fireworks show is finally over for the night.”

  That got no response from Paige. Granted, it wasn’t the best joke Chloe had ever told, but she was hoping for at least a half-smile from her friend.

  As Chloe looked over, she saw that Paige didn’t view this night as any laughing matter. Even more, Paige was quietly seething. This was not like her. Paige was known for her bubbliness. That personality trait was completely on the shelf tonight, sidelined in favor of rage.

  Chloe didn’t know what had gotten into her, but Paige didn’t look like herself at all. If anything, she looked like she was back in character. As if she was still up on stage acting in the play.

  Chloe wanted to bring her back to reality. She was getting a bad feeling in her stomach.

  “Are you ok?” Chloe asked.

  “Uh yeah, I’ll be fine,” Paige muttered.

  Considering Paige was an actress, that was the least convincing answer Chloe had ever heard.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. Let’s get out of here,” Paige insisted.

  Chapter Six

  Chloe wanted nothing more than to get to the bottom of all that had happened tonight. Conversely, Paige didn’t seem to have any interest in that whatsoever. Chloe had never known her friend to be closed-off emotionally. Apparently, there was a first time for everything, which left Chloe getting a good night from Paige instead of the answers she was looking for. As Chloe and Paige arrived at her parent’s house, Paige couldn’t have been more anxious to get inside.

  That was especially strange, considering there was nothing waiting for Paige inside but an empty house. Her parents were seventeen hundred miles away at their timeshare condo in Florida. They had seen their daughter’s big break a few weeks ago when the play made a five night stop in Tampa.

  While Chloe thought her friend’s mood was odd, she knew it wasn’t her place to judge. What Paige needed now was comfort, and Chloe was there to give her just that.

  “I hate to cut the evening short, but I really should be calling it a night,” Paige said.

  “I understand. There was almost as much real life drama tonight as there was onstage,” Chloe replied.

  “That’s never a good thing.”

  “You know what they say, you can take the actor out of the drama club, but you can never take the drama out of an actor.”

  Paige groaned. “Even former actors, apparently.”

  Chloe became very concerned. “Are you sure you’re going to be ok?”

  Paige nodded. “Yeah.”

  Paige could say she was going to be fine all she wanted, Chloe didn’t believe it for a second. While she vowed not to interfere, Chloe couldn’t keep her heart from going out to Paige.

  “Do you want to tell me what your problem is with Ryan Foster…besides the fact that he blew up the party tonight?” Chloe asked.

  Paige bit the corner of her lip, looking as uncomfortable as could be.

  “Maybe I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

  The more secretive Paige remained, the more curious Chloe became. She couldn’t help it. That was just her nature. Chloe was also especially concerned because Paige just looked so broken up.

  “That’s all you’re going to give me?” Chloe asked.

  “I’ll just say this. Some people never change, and Ryan Foster is one of them.”

  That was the least satisfying answer Chloe had received all night, mostly because it only led to more questions. Judging by the look on Paige’s face, Chloe wouldn’t be receiving any more answers, at least not tonight.

  Chloe decided to respect her friend’s privacy and let it be, as much as it went against her nature to do so.

  “Alright. Well, get yourself some rest. The world is much easier to tackle on a full night’s sleep.”

  “Let’s hope so.”

  Chloe gave her friend a big hug. “You did a great job tonight onstage. I was really impressed by your acting.”

  Paige managed a smile after hearing that compliment. “Thanks.”

&n
bsp; Chapter Seven

  While Paige called it a night, Chloe was too wired to hit the sack. If anything, after the conversation with her friend, her thoughts were even more restless. The natural puzzle-solver that Chloe was, she hated staring down so many question marks.

  What Chloe needed most was to take her mind off things, or least be able to discuss her concerns with someone. Keeping her thoughts bottled up would only put her more on edge.

  This was the kind of moment when Chloe would normally lean on Dylan for comfort. After all, that was one of the perks of a good boyfriend. Unfortunately, she knew that wasn’t an option.

  One of the amazing things about dating a doctor was the wild rush of knowing that they had the ability to perform life-changing surgeries. The flipside was that all surgery had inherent risks. There was always the chance that a podiatric surgeon could make a crucial mistake, even if they were at the top of their game. The chances of slipping up only increased when that surgeon didn’t have a full night of sleep the evening before.

  Chloe knew that Dylan needed his rest in order to be nice and refreshed for surgery in the morning. She didn’t want to risk throwing him off his game. Instead, she decided to go with her backup plan.

  Like all dessert lovers, Chloe knew one thing to be true. When all else failed, pie always came through.

  Shannon McGraw, the owner of ‘Pie Paradise’, wasn’t used to seeing her good friend at such a late hour. She knew trouble must have struck, and she was ready to dish out whatever flavor of pie was needed to bring a smile back to Chloe’s face.

  “This must be serious,” Shannon replied.

  Chloe didn’t mince words. “It is.”

  Shannon furrowed her brow. “Please tell me it’s not boyfriend trouble.”

  Chloe shook her head.

  Shannon breathed a sigh of relief. “Phew. You finally landed yourself a doctor; it would be a shame to have to send him to the doghouse.”

  “Don’t worry. My relationship with the doctor is still in tip-top shape. Surprisingly, there was some trouble after the play.”

  “Surprisingly? Are you kidding? Where there are actors, drama isn’t far behind,” Shannon joked.

  “It’s just a shame that it’s happening to Paige O’Doul.”

  “What’s the matter exactly?” Shannon asked.

  ***

  Chloe dished the dirt to Shannon, what little of it she had. That was the problem. Chloe felt like she was trying to solve a giant puzzle even though she didn’t have all the pieces.

  Apparently, Shannon felt the same way. When Chloe was done sharing all the details she had, Shannon couldn’t help but look perplexed.

  “I’m confused,” Shannon said.

  Chloe polished off the last bite of her slice of pumpkin pie. “Join the club. I’m almost at a loss for words here.”

  Shannon laughed. “You’re so chatty, your version of a vow of silence is going five minutes without talking someone’s ear off.”

  “I said I’m almost at a loss for words. The thing is, I can’t help but feel like there’s something really big that I’m overlooking here.”

  “If the sleuth master extraordinaire is at a loss, what chance do I have of figuring this out?” Shannon joked.

  “You’re really going wild with those zingers tonight, aren’t you?”

  “I zing because I love.”

  Chloe laughed. “If I wasn’t so out-of-sorts from the party tonight, I’d zing you back.”

  “Wow. You really are shaken up. And I thought I had a bad night.”

  “What happened to you?” Chloe wondered.

  “Just a couple of really rude customers. It’s nothing compared to the drama at that party you went to. Suddenly my night doesn’t seem so bad after all,” Shannon commented.

  “It’s amazing how that works, isn’t it?”

  Shannon nodded. “There’s nothing like perspective.”

  “I was about to say there’s nothing quite like pie.”

  “I guess it’s safe to say you’re feeling better.”

  “Dessert has a way of doing that. Although I’m still baffled by this situation with Paige.”

  “Do you know what my advice is?” Shannon asked.

  “Let me guess. You want me to skip going to the gym tomorrow and come here for another slice of pie instead?” Chloe replied.

  “Well, naturally. After all, I’m not just your friend. I’m also a business woman too. And as your ‘pie tender’, this is my advice--let the answer come to you in your sleep.”

  “I think there’s a reason people usually turn to wise bartenders for advice instead of pie tenders. That’s a little too ethereal for me.”

  Shannon playfully disagreed. “Get back to me after you’ve had a good night’s rest. I’ll bet when you wake up in the morning, everything will be crystal clear.”

  Chapter Eight

  Morning came armed with surprises. The first was an abrupt and unwelcome wake-up call. The idea of sleeping in sounded so enticing when Chloe went to bed the night before. With a feisty Welsh corgi running around the house, that was impossible. Rufus arose with a natural boundless energy that would take Chloe two cups of coffee to achieve.

  He was no fool. The little guy knew the dog park beckoned with plenty of open space to explore, and ample furry little buddies to roll around with. Even so, Rufus managed to be even peppier than usual. He was zipping back and forth, doing wind sprints in and out of the bedroom. Chloe hadn’t seen him this worked up since she’d taken him to Yappy Hour at Cobley’s restaurant in Brewster. That was a banner day for canine enthusiasm, mostly because Rufus stumbled upon another corgi that enjoyed peeing on fire hydrants just as much as he did.

  “Want to go to the dog park?” Chloe asked.

  Rufus wagged his tail. It was more of a rhetorical question. If Rufus was strong enough, he would have dragged her out of bed and down the street hours ago. Chloe often wondered what it would be like to wake up every morning with a level of enthusiasm so off the charts that it made a kid on Christmas morning look low key in comparison.

  “Alright, cutie. Just give me a couple of minutes,” she continued.

  Chloe instinctively reached for her phone to see if she’d gotten any messages overnight. She thought maybe she’d have something from Paige. That wasn’t the case. What she did have was a text from Dylan.

  It read: ‘I had a great time last night. Can’t wait to see you later. Call you when I get out of surgery.’

  Chloe couldn’t help but swoon. She was starting to have some serious feelings for Dylan. When he first asked her out, she told herself to take things slow, to let things unfold at their natural pace, and most of all, not to get too wrapped up too soon. With each date they had, it was hard not to feel like they were building something special.

  Just as Chloe’s head was drifting into the clouds, Rufus barked, bringing her right back to reality. When she turned to him, he almost looked like he was smiling. Chloe knew her daydreaming could wait. In the meantime, Rufus deserved his walk.

  To be fair, Rufus wasn’t the only one excited about a trip to the park. Chloe could use the cardio as well. She did have an unscheduled slice of pie to burn off from the night before. Unlike her furry friend, Chloe didn’t have a natural reservoir of morning energy. She needed some caffeine and fast.

  “One cup of coffee first, then we’ll go,” Chloe insisted.

  Rufus wouldn’t listen to reason. He was one motivated pup, and there was no deterring him. He barked again. Then another time. And another.

  Chloe started to become concerned. Rufus wasn’t like himself this morning. She wondered if this was one of those times when her pup knew of trouble on the horizon. Animals had a way of sensing things. Chloe always knew when a storm was about to hit because Rufus would run around like crazy, then hide behind the toilet in the bathroom hours before the first crack of thunder.

  Judging by her pup’s behavior this morning, another storm was coming. Only this time, it was a differe
nt kind. Unfortunately, since she couldn’t speak K9 and lacked any pet psychic powers, Chloe could only guess the specifics of what her dog was trying to tell her.

  Chloe got up to make a cup of coffee, but her doorbell rang before she had a chance to reach the kitchen. How odd. She wasn’t expecting anyone. Why would she be? If it was up to her, she wouldn’t even be awake right now.

  She approached the door and peered through the peephole. What she saw made her jump backward. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Part of her wondered if she was seeing things. After all, it was early, and she hadn’t had her first cup of coffee yet.

  The doorbell then rang again. She looked into the peephole once more, with the same result. There was no denying the truth now. The fact was, two police deputies were standing on her doorstep.

  Chloe had a feeling her question would take a backseat to theirs. What a way for deja vu to strike. She hated to delay opening the door, but she knew only bad news was waiting for her. It wasn’t like those police officers had been sent to deliver a big foam check worth millions of dollars. No, when the boys in blue were at someone’s front door, it meant trouble.

  Even though Chloe had done nothing wrong, she still got nervous around law enforcement officers. Her gut was also acting up on her. A sense of dread came over her. Finally, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

  The deja vu continued. It turned out the same two deputies were at her door as the last time she’d been approached by the police. Chloe quietly prayed that the circumstances would be different this time. During their last encounter, the deputies had come to her place with questions about the murder of Marty Diamond.

  One thing was different than their previous conversation. The cops had gotten burlier. These guys must book it straight to the gym the minute they got off duty. Talk about some serious guns.

  “Yes?” Chloe said.