Hotel South Dakota by Kathleen Taylor

Author:Kathleen Taylor
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: murder, mystery, small town, waitress, reunion, south dakota, homecoming, prarie town, homecoming queen, highschool reunion
Publisher: Kathleen Taylor

Chapter 19

Now You See Her

If she was aiming for a memorable entrance, Ms. J. Ross Nelson calculated correctly with her loud and fashionably late arrival on the banks of the James River, in her spiffy little collector car.

However, if she was looking for favorable attention for herself, Janelle Ross proved that she had been gone too long from the prairies of South Dakota.

The women, who congregated around Stu's pickup, were irritated by her willingness to be the center of attention, her fame, and her high, firm bosom.

And while the men certainly appreciated all of the above, they were far more interested in the car.

"Must be nice," Gina Adler muttered, watching Ron edge shyly over to the 'Vette, as if drawn by a magnet.

"Told you they were fake," Del said. Hugh had also joined the male throng.

"Who does she think she is?" Junior asked, glaring at the men, the car, and Janelle.

"The 1969 homecoming queen," Debbie Fischbach said nastily. "The most popular girl in school. Don't you remember?" Doug had trotted over to the convertible even before the engine died.

Like Janelle, former cheerleader Lisa Franklin Hauck-Robertson seemed to have the ability to materialize at will. I had not seen her arrive—she was just suddenly there, in the middle of the crowd at the river, looking even less well-preserved in the flickering firelight than she had at the football game. She sipped from a plastic water bottle but said nothing.

The women watched resentfully as all the men, except Stu, gathered in an admiring circle. Occasionally one would reach out and stroke the car softly, but mostly they stood, hands in back pockets, a small but reverent distance away. A couple of them asked polite questions, which Janelle answered from the driver's seat with a laugh.

Doug watched the others with a smirk, then sauntered around to Janelle's side, leaned down, and said something in her ear. In the fading light of the bonfire it was difficult to gauge her expression. He laughed loudly, then gave her neck a squeeze. Or a caress, I couldn't tell.

I heard a small, sharp, intake of breath, and out the corner of my eye, saw Debbie stiffen. Then suddenly she was in motion, patting her hair, pulling down her sweatshirt, grabbing a beer from the six-pack on the tarp. Anything but watching the circle of men.

Lisa stepped out of the circle of women and said something to Debbie, who laughed quietly and bitterly.

From the center of her admiring crowd, Janelle perched herself on the back of the seat, swung her long legs over the side, and stood up, stretching. She mimed a shiver and pointed at the fire. Everyone nodded and followed. "Hey you guys," she called to us, on the way past. "What are you waiting for? Come on over and get warm."

Gina hesitated. "What do you think?" she asked quietly.

"It beats standing around with our thumbs up our butts," Del said. Used to an exclusive hold on the male attention in Delphi, she was not sharing the spotlight easily.

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