Page 101 of Kill Your Darlings

The first officers arrived and the scene was secured.I was separated from Finn and very briefly interviewed: What’s your name?What were you doing in the pool?Did you touch the body?Did you see anyone else?

To my relief, they did not ask if I recognized the dead man, and, remembering Finn’s instructions (and the thousands of mystery novels I’d edited) I volunteered nothing.

After about fifteen minutes and more conferring, the decision was made to call for a detective supervisor.

My heart sank, but it wasn’t really a surprise.

It was still unclear—or at least, I was still unclear—as to whether Colby’s body had visible injuries.But a sudden unexplained death at a mystery conference?

No chance in hell was there not going to be a complete and thorough investigation.

About ninety minutes after I’d discovered Colby’s body floating in the Horizon Pool, Homicide Detective Robert Olivares strolled into the crime scene, and I finally caught a break.

Olivares was perhaps fifty, handsome, genial, and clearly experienced.He wore a gold wedding band and a small golden stud in his right ear.

“Mr.Chandler?”he asked.His voice was warm, conversational.“Detective Robert Olivares, Monterey PD.”

I said automatically, “How do you do?”

“Better than you, I imagine.Anybody offer you coffee?Something to warm you up?”

“Yes.Thanks.My stomach’s a little off.”

He offered a brief sympathetic smile.“Understandable.”He pulled a small notepad from his jacket.“I understand you discovered the body.Mind walking me through what happened this morning?”

I took a breath, trying not to glance back at the far end of the pool, where Colby’s still floating body was currently being photographed behind crime scene tarps.

“I was swimming laps,” I said.“Early.Around six thirty?Maybe a little after.I noticed something in the water at the deep end.I wasn’t sure what it was at first.”

“You were the only one using the pool?”

“At that time, yes.”

“You enter through the east gate?”

I nodded again.“I used my key card.”

“Did you see anyone else around?Anyone entering or leaving?”

“No.”I hesitated.“I wasn’t really paying attention.I took my glasses off when I got to the pool.I was focused on swimming.”

Olivares jotted something down, then looked back at me.“So, you saw something in the water—what made you realize it was a body?”

“I didn’t, at first.But as I got closer… The way it moved—didn’t move, actually.The shape.Then I saw it—he—had a face.”I shivered convulsively, seeing that face again.

“You touch the body?”

“No.I could tell he was dead.His eyes were…” I swallowed, admitted, “I couldn’t jump out of the pool fast enough.I got to the nearest phone and called the front desk.”

He watched me for a moment, then asked, “Did you know the victim?”

I hesitated.“I didn’t get a close look at him, but I think it’s Troy Colby.He was a writer attending the conference.”

“Then you did know him.”

“Only in passing.”

It was alarming how easy it was to say too much.

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