gritted teeth.
“You’re right,” Maya said. “It’s not funny. It’s hilarious.”
Analisa stepped between us, always the moderator. If this
whole dance thing didn’t work out, maybe she could be a judge. “Let’s just keep
going.”
Bev plopped down on a rock. “We need to take a break. I’m
tired.”
“Good call—what the?”
My question was cut off as I tripped. But not over my own
two feet. And not Maya’s, Analisa’s, or Bev’s either.
Over someone else’s feet. Someone who was lying facedown in
the dirt.
One quick glance at her shoes made short work of explaining
how she got there. Or rather, the red soles did. Loubies instead of hiking
boots? Dude. No wonder she fell.
And unless they were the knockoff Oh Deer kind, I had a
sneaking suspicion those telltale red soles also explained who she was even
before turning her face up.
Analisa leaned over. “Oh my God!” She gulped. “It’s –
it’s a person.”
“And she’s not moving.” Yes, that’s me. Captain Obvious for
the win!
“Is she dead?” Bev asked.
“I…don’t think so,” I said, although I had to admit that
despite my previous adventures in amateur sleuthing, I’d never seen a dead
person before.
I bent down to check for a pulse and realized I wasn’t sure
where to find one. I turned her head to the side.
Yup. Those red soles were for walking the red carpet, not
hiking the Red Rocks.
Amber Alexander.
Maya kneeled next to me, cradling Amber’s head in her lap as
I placed two fingers against Amber’s neck. I don’t know. I guess I felt a pulse
– a sort of shallow thump-thump-thump.
Unless that was mine. My heart was beating pretty fast. Maybe Analisa
was right. We should have stayed back at the hotel. I had this really
unfortunate habit of trouble following me wherever I went. You couldn’t take me
anywhere.
Although, with Amber Alexander out of the picture…
Analisa swatted my hand like a fly. “Here, let me see.”
And that’s when I spotted it. Two small round punctures in
the side of her neck. Apparently her shoes weren’t the reason for her fall.
I jumped. “Ohmygodohmygodohmygod vampires!”
“Someone call 911!”
My friends all started talking at once, a melee of
confusion, excitement, and fear as they gathered around the unconscious
actress. I kneeled next to her and tried to remember the CPR I’d learned in my babysitting
certification course a couple of years ago but my hands were so shaky that I
couldn’t perform the chest compressions. I leaned over and felt a faint hot
puff of air on my cheek. Thank goodness.
“She’s breathing!”
“Are those fang bites?” Maya asked.
Bev shrugged. “I told you. It’s not like that. She must have
provoked him if he bit her.”
Analisa shook her head in exasperation. “She wasn’t bitten
by a vampire.”
Was she for real? I pointed at the wounds. “Look.” How could
she ignore the evidence?
“She’s making a movie about vampires,” Analisa insisted.
“That’s just makeup.”
An itching sensation spread all over my body, and I
scratched my elbow trying to get rid of it. Could fear manifest itself in
hives? I had no idea, but I had a feeling it was just my imagination. “No, it
can’t be makeup. Jackson never bites Robyn’s neck in the book, so unless they
changed it for the screenplay, that bite is not for the movie.”
“It looks pretty real to me,” Maya agreed.
Bev shoved a chunk of dyed black hair behind her row of
piercings. “That’s because vampires are real. Why do you think Bethany set her
book here in Sedona?”
“ Cualquiera que sera .” Analisa pulled her phone out of her pocket.
“What matters is that we get her medical attention. Now.”
While Analisa dialed, the rest of us heave-hoed Amber off
the ground and started to carry her back to the street, struggling despite her
light frame. She was all dead weight. Okay, bad word choice.
Analisa ran up to us. “The EMTs are coming. They’ll meet us
out in
“You’re right,” Maya said. “It’s not funny. It’s hilarious.”
Analisa stepped between us, always the moderator. If this
whole dance thing didn’t work out, maybe she could be a judge. “Let’s just keep
going.”
Bev plopped down on a rock. “We need to take a break. I’m
tired.”
“Good call—what the?”
My question was cut off as I tripped. But not over my own
two feet. And not Maya’s, Analisa’s, or Bev’s either.
Over someone else’s feet. Someone who was lying facedown in
the dirt.
One quick glance at her shoes made short work of explaining
how she got there. Or rather, the red soles did. Loubies instead of hiking
boots? Dude. No wonder she fell.
And unless they were the knockoff Oh Deer kind, I had a
sneaking suspicion those telltale red soles also explained who she was even
before turning her face up.
Analisa leaned over. “Oh my God!” She gulped. “It’s –
it’s a person.”
“And she’s not moving.” Yes, that’s me. Captain Obvious for
the win!
“Is she dead?” Bev asked.
“I…don’t think so,” I said, although I had to admit that
despite my previous adventures in amateur sleuthing, I’d never seen a dead
person before.
I bent down to check for a pulse and realized I wasn’t sure
where to find one. I turned her head to the side.
Yup. Those red soles were for walking the red carpet, not
hiking the Red Rocks.
Amber Alexander.
Maya kneeled next to me, cradling Amber’s head in her lap as
I placed two fingers against Amber’s neck. I don’t know. I guess I felt a pulse
– a sort of shallow thump-thump-thump.
Unless that was mine. My heart was beating pretty fast. Maybe Analisa
was right. We should have stayed back at the hotel. I had this really
unfortunate habit of trouble following me wherever I went. You couldn’t take me
anywhere.
Although, with Amber Alexander out of the picture…
Analisa swatted my hand like a fly. “Here, let me see.”
And that’s when I spotted it. Two small round punctures in
the side of her neck. Apparently her shoes weren’t the reason for her fall.
I jumped. “Ohmygodohmygodohmygod vampires!”
“Someone call 911!”
My friends all started talking at once, a melee of
confusion, excitement, and fear as they gathered around the unconscious
actress. I kneeled next to her and tried to remember the CPR I’d learned in my babysitting
certification course a couple of years ago but my hands were so shaky that I
couldn’t perform the chest compressions. I leaned over and felt a faint hot
puff of air on my cheek. Thank goodness.
“She’s breathing!”
“Are those fang bites?” Maya asked.
Bev shrugged. “I told you. It’s not like that. She must have
provoked him if he bit her.”
Analisa shook her head in exasperation. “She wasn’t bitten
by a vampire.”
Was she for real? I pointed at the wounds. “Look.” How could
she ignore the evidence?
“She’s making a movie about vampires,” Analisa insisted.
“That’s just makeup.”
An itching sensation spread all over my body, and I
scratched my elbow trying to get rid of it. Could fear manifest itself in
hives? I had no idea, but I had a feeling it was just my imagination. “No, it
can’t be makeup. Jackson never bites Robyn’s neck in the book, so unless they
changed it for the screenplay, that bite is not for the movie.”
“It looks pretty real to me,” Maya agreed.
Bev shoved a chunk of dyed black hair behind her row of
piercings. “That’s because vampires are real. Why do you think Bethany set her
book here in Sedona?”
“ Cualquiera que sera .” Analisa pulled her phone out of her pocket.
“What matters is that we get her medical attention. Now.”
While Analisa dialed, the rest of us heave-hoed Amber off
the ground and started to carry her back to the street, struggling despite her
light frame. She was all dead weight. Okay, bad word choice.
Analisa ran up to us. “The EMTs are coming. They’ll meet us
out in
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