Fatality Read Online Free Page B

rock cuts, twisted trees, and a real waterfall from a real brook. “Does the house span the brook?” Rose had asked Mr. Lofft, astonished. It was the only thing she had said to him so far.
    “Yup. Glass floor in the living room looks down on the waterfall. It’s a famous house. I’ll be right back. Gotta yell at Frannie.” He slammed his car door and strode toward the house. The landscaping and shadows closed in on him.
    Anjelica lifted her head briefly.
    “Who is Frannie?” asked Rose.
    “Business partner. They’ve been together ten years and they’ve never had a nice conversation. All they do is yell. We can probably hear from here. Want something to eat? There’s lots of food.”
    The girls knelt on the floor to look in a tiny fridge where there were cold soft drinks and some grapes. A wicker basket lined with checked red cotton held fat bakery cookies and triangular pastries. A grocery bag overflowed with chip selections.
    Pipe smoke had settled toward the floor and Rose coughed. “I’m not hungry,” she said, returning to her seat.
    Anjelica, still kneeling, tore open a bag of blue corn chips.
    Rose, did Mr. Lofft go inside the house?
    I don’t know.
    Did you go inside the house?
    No.
    Rose, did you hear the argument between Mr. Lofft and Ms. Bailey?
    I can’t remember.
    Rose, it’s important. Try to remember.
    I think Anjelica and I were having a snack. I think she opened blue corn chips.
    What time did you arrive at the lake estate?
    After dark.
    Did Mr. Lofft stop for any other errands or any other reason?
    Traffic, I think. There was a lot of traffic.
    Did you have dinner with Mr. Lofft?
    I don’t remember.
    It was this answer that made the police so unwilling to believe Rose. The police said that a twelve-year-old could have been so busy giggling with her girlfriend that she paid no attention to the ride; okay, they could live with that. But dinner at so impressive an estate as Milton Lofft’s? It must have been exciting and memorable. She could not have forgotten her welcome dinner at a mansion literally five times the size of her own home.
    But in fact there had been no dinner, just a lot of food laid out on a long counter that gleamed like a waxed car. Cold salads with bright, unusual greens; a leg of lamb, sliced and steaming; beautifully garnished unknown hot dishes; a cold chicken surrounded by lemon slices; hot breads in twists and braids; cheese and fruit in artistic arrangements.
    “Eat whenever you want,” said Anjelica. “Like on a cruise ship.”
    “Don’t you sit down together?” asked Rose.
    “Only if we have guests.” Anjelica apparently did not think of Rose as a guest, just a person who was there. Never glancing at the nutritional food, Anjelica helped herself to a slice of the richest, most lavishly iced and decorated chocolate cake Rose had ever seen, and wandered off with her plate.
    And like a cruise ship, the place featured lots of activities. Rose discovered in the course of the weekend that she could watch a movie in the entertainment room, swim in the heated indoor pool, swim in the heated outdoor pool. Enjoy the game room, the craft room, the book room. Sit in the solarium, visit the orchid greenhouse, ride horses, play with the new litter of puppies in the kennels.
    There weren’t, however, lots of people. Half the time, she couldn’t even find Anjelica or Mr. Lofft. Rose kept feeling that if she just went around one more corner, she would find the party, but she never did.
    Now the cop’s voice tightened. His brittle anger yanked Rose into the present. “Rose, a good kid with an outstanding academic record doesn’t lightly steal a police car. In fact, darn few people, no matter what their grades in school, have ever committed that particular crime. And darn few people actually stay silent, Rose. People love to be at the center of things, talking away, being important. You can’t come up with a single detail about two and a half days at a billionaire’s