Page 61 of Liar's Point

Something about Alex Breda appealed to her, though, and it wasn’t just his looks.

It was his eyes. They seemed trustworthy. And when he’d mentioned that he had a cousin with special needs, Cassandra was hooked. There was something about that, as though maybe fate had put this man in her path.

Cassandra reached the end of the block and rounded the corner. As she neared the strip center for the Banyan Tree, she spied the blue-and-white awning in front of Dee’s Donuts. Just the sight of it made her stomach grumble. Her lunch today had been a kale smoothie, and a cream-filled doughnut sounded like heaven right about now. But she had to resist. One of her biggest struggles since taking this job was looking the part. People expected yoga instructors to be slender and lithe—like Reese—so cream-filled doughnuts weren’t part of the plan. Cassandra’s natural body type was voluptuous, not thin, and she had to watch her diet, especially now.

The strangeness of it all wasn’t lost on her. Growing up in western Colorado, Cassandra never would have dreamed she’d one day teach yoga classes in a Texas beach town. She’d always wanted to move to a big city—maybe Denver or even Los Angeles. But then her mother had died, and she’d ended up working in the spa at a luxury ski resort, where she’d met her future husband. She would never forget that buzzy, totally-in-lust feeling. He had been so attentive and charming that in just one weekend, he had turned her life upside down.

And now, four years later, he was still doing it.

As Cassandra race-walked past Dee’s, she noticed the people milling in front of the martial arts academy. Several moms stood near the door, along with half a dozen kids in their white tae kwon do uniforms.

A woman looked up from her phone and waved. “Excuse me. Reese, is it?”

Cassandra stopped in front of her. “I’m Cassie.”

“Oh. Sorry.” She removed her sunglasses and rested them on top of her head. “Do you know where Paula is? Our class was supposed to start fifteen minutes ago.”

“I don’t, sorry.” Cassandra eyed the Closed sign hanging in the door. “Did you try calling or—”

“No answer. Just voicemail. Can you check and see what the deal is? If she canceled class, I would have appreciated a text alert. We drove all the way here.”

“Let me see what I can find out.” Cassandra walked around the crowd and tried the door to the yoga studio. It was locked, so she took out her key.

Cassandra let herself in and glanced around the dim lobby. The place should have been open by now. Danielle was very particular about having aromatherapy candles lit and the gift shop open for business as people arrived. Reese had a stretch class starting in half an hour, and Cassandra’s Bikram class began soon after that.

Cassandra glanced down the hallway and spied a light on in the office.

“Reese?” she called.

No answer.

Cassandra switched on the light by the reception desk and made her way down the hallway. Had someone come in through the back? The office door was ajar, and Cassandra looked inside.

Reese’s purple backpack sat on Danielle’s desk.

Cassandra frowned. Where was everyone?

She headed down the hallway and pushed open the door to the restroom.

“Oh!” Reese jumped back.

“Sorry. I didn’t—” She halted as she saw Reese’s tear-streaked face. “What’s wrong?”

“Cassie.” Reese threw her arms around her neck.

“What is it?”

She pulled away. Her eyes swam with tears and her cheeks were splotchy. “You didn’t hear?”

Dread filled her stomach. “Hear what?”

“Paula just called. Danielle was in an accident.”

Cassandra’s blood turned cold. “Oh my God. Is she all right?”

“No, Cassie. She’s dead.”

CHAPTER

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