Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz

Author:Lauren Muñoz [Muñoz, Lauren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2023-09-05T00:00:00+00:00

23

LOGAN HOLIDAY SOIRÉE

Six Months Ago

Kassidy handed her glass to a woman in a caterer’s tuxedo who stood behind a makeshift bar in the tented pavilion Kassidy’s parents used for winter parties. The pavilion was decorated with fresh garlands and fairy lights and a dozen Christmas trees strung with bright-gold tinsel.

“Another punch, please,” said Kassidy.

The woman frowned. “Virgin?”

Kassidy smiled sweetly. “Not since I was sixteen.”

The woman’s eyebrows disappeared into her widow’s peak. “I—I meant the punch,” she stammered. “Do you want the virgin punch?”

“Yes,” replied a stern voice behind Kassidy. “She’s underage.”

Kassidy whirled around. Had her dad heard her joke? When his face didn’t flush, she breathed a sigh of relief. He might suspect what went on between her and Blaine, but he would be devastated if she confirmed it.

Her dad took a sip of his own virgin punch. “I hope this party helps everyone forget the economy’s in the tank,” he said, gazing at the guests as they milled around the pavilion, accepting appetizers from waiters dressed like elves.

Kassidy’s dad was paler than usual, and there were circles under his eyes, hollow and bruised, like he hadn’t been sleeping. “Are you feeling okay?” she asked.

He shot her an irritated glance. “Stop worrying about me all the time,” he said, puffing out his chest. “I’m healthy as a thoroughbred.”

Kassidy’s dad and mom were older than her friends’ parents; it had taken them a long time and lots of fertility shots to have her. So it wasn’t surprising that the silver at her dad’s temples was more noticeable than it had been at the last holiday party. It still made Kassidy’s heart hurt. He would get older and older until he wasn’t there anymore.

“You know I hate horses,” she said, smiling a little.

“Healthy as a Galápagos tortoise, then,” he said. “They live forever, right?”

Kassidy laughed at the idea of her lean, restless dad pulling his slow bulk along the ground. “Maybe Ecuador should be our next vacation destination,” she said. “You can visit your tortoise cousins.”

Her dad’s gray eyes—almost identical to the ones Kassidy saw in the mirror every day—lit up in his face. “Speaking of trips,” he said, putting an arm around her shoulder and guiding her into a little nook behind a giant Christmas tree. “I have an early gift for my favorite daughter.”

“Your only daughter.”

“There was no reason to try for another baby,” he said. “You can’t top perfection.”

Kassidy bounced on the balls of her feet in anticipation. Even though she swore off presents every Christmas, her dad always managed to get her something special that changed her mind.

“What is it?” she asked.

He dug into his pocket and pulled out a black fob attached to a key ring shaped like an anchor.

Kassidy’s mouth dropped open. “A boat?”

Her dad smiled and tossed her the fob. “Not just any boat,” he said. “A yacht.”

Kassidy caught it and gasped. “A yacht? But how? The economy . . .”

Her dad shrugged. “Our portfolio is recession-proof,” he said. “Besides, one of my contacts in Portugal sold it to me for a good price.

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