Deadly Overtures: A Music Lover's Mystery Read Online Free Page A

They clapped warmly for Sherwin and he bowed twice before shaking hands with Hans. Then Sherwin retreated to the wings and I rose with the other members of the orchestra as Hans gestured to us. The audience applauded for us as well, and moments later the concert was officially over.
    Chatter filled the musicians’ lounge when I returned to the room with my fellow members of the orchestra. Everyone was in a good mood after the successful concert and I spotted Sherwin across the room with Dongmei, a big smile on his face. He had reason to be happy, but what about Pavlina? She should have been basking in the attention and success as well.
    I swept my eyes over everyone present, but there was no sign of Pavlina.
    Strange. I would have thought she’d want to enjoy every minute of her well-deserved attention. Whatever had kept her from her moment on stage at the end of the concert must have been significant.
    Forgetting about the finalists, I loosened my bow and tucked it into my instrument case along with my violin. Leaving my belongings in my locker, I snapped the combination lock shut and headed for the door.
    “Washroom?” Mikayla asked as she fell into step with me. When I nodded, she added, “Me too.”
    “The concert went well,” I commented as we made our way down the hallway and around a corner.
    “It did,” Mikayla agreed. “But it’s weird that Pavlina is missing.”
    “It’s definitely weird,” I said as we arrived at the washroom. I turned the knob and pushed the door open. “Maybe she’s sick or . . .”
    The rest of my sentence died out on my tongue and I came to an abrupt halt.
    Mikayla bumped into me from behind. “Oh my God,” she said as she looked over my shoulder at what had brought me to a standstill.
    Pavlina lay sprawled on the washroom floor, her eyes closed. Her head had lolled to one side and her hair was fanned out around her. Dark blood matted the hair at the back of her head and pooled beneath her on the tile floor.
    Still shocked, I took a tentative step toward her. “Pavlina?”
    She didn’t stir.
    A shrill scream cut through the small room, assaulting my eardrums. Mikayla and I both turned sharply. Janine Ko stood behind us, holding the washroom door open. Her eyes wide and horrified, she drew in a breath and let out another scream.
    The piercing shriek jolted me and Mikayla into action. I took another step toward Pavlina as Mikayla grabbed Janine’s arm and tugged her out of the washroom.
    “I’ll call an ambulance,” Mikayla said to me over her shoulder before the door shut behind her.
    Careful to avoid the pool of blood, I crouched down next to Pavlina and touched my fingers to her throat. I said her name again, but her eyelids didn’t so much as flutter and I felt no pulse against my fingers. A flare of panic set my heart beating faster. I moved my fingers to her wrist, trying once again to detect a pulse. I still couldn’t find one.
    Swallowing the lump of unease and distress forming in my throat, I straightened up and took a step back. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Pavlina and found that I was watching for the tiniest movement, the slightest sign that she was breathing, that she was alive. At the same time I already knew there would be nothing of the sort.
    Pavlina would never draw another breath.

 
    Chapter Three
    I D IDN’T KNOW how long I stood there, staring down at Pavlina’s unmoving form, at the blood on the tiled floor, before the door cracked open behind me. When I glanced over my shoulder, Mikayla was peering tentatively into the room.
    “The ambulance is on its way,” she said.
    The apprehension in her brown eyes told me she feared what I already knew.
    “She’s dead,” I said in a hollow voice.
    Somehow saying the words out loud made the situation more real. I took a step back as Mikayla came into the washroom, letting the door fall shut behind her. She tucked her arm around mine and I was grateful for her comforting presence.
    “Are you