Free Knot Guilty by Betty Hechtman Page B

over the eastern San Fernando Valley. It was just getting dark and the sky was a soft pastel lavender. The lights were just coming on in all the houses and buildings below. Off in the distance the Verdugo Hills and the San Gabriel Mountains looming behind them were a darker shade of the color of the sky.
    The room was lit with recessed lighting and had a coffee table between two small couches. A bucket with a green champagne bottle sat on the coffee table next to some balls of yarn and other stuff. I wanted to step closer to have a better look, but Delvin pointed me toward the open door to the bedroom.
    â€œWould you mind? In case she’s undressed.”
    â€œK.D., it’s Molly Pink from the bookstore,” I said, taking a tentative step into the bedroom. The bed was made but strewn with clothes. I saw that the bathroom door was ajar. Delvin had come in behind me and glanced around the room. I heard him swallow as he touched my arm and urged me to check the bathroom.
    It was too quiet, and I knew there had to be something seriously wrong. I took a deep breath and crossed the room to the open door. I didn’t step in but rather leaned in tentatively. I was going to call out a greeting, but the room appeared empty.
    I stepped in all the way to get a full view of the room. It was a luxury bathroom with an oversize tub in front of a window. At first all I saw was a mound of white bubbles and a champagne glass on the ledge. When I looked closer, I saw that some of the light color was actually hair. K.D.’s iconic silvery hair. I started to rush in, but then I saw some water on the floor and the black cord that went from the tub to the wall socket.
    â€œYou better come in here,” I said.

Moments after Delvin called the hotel operator, there was a flurry of activity as two hotel security men rushed in and pushed us back, letting a pair of paramedics pass by. I trailed behind them as they went through the suite to the bathroom. The action stopped when they reached the doorway and saw the black cord still plugged in.
    â€œI think it’s a hair dryer,” I said, pointing out that it seemed the most likely appliance, since all hotels provided them. The group turned and glared at me.
    â€œWe can handle it from here,” one of the security men said, taking my arm and leading me back to the living room. Delvin was standing in front of the window with his back to me. This had to be a terrible shock to him.
    A man in a gray uniform came through, and when he met up with the others, I heard some conversation about making sure the wire was dead. A man in a suit with furrowed brows came in followed by a bunch of uniformed cops. The security man who’d grabbed me came into the room and conferred with the man in the suit, who I assumed was the hotel manager. A moment later all eyes turned to Delvin and me.
    I started to say something but was shushed by the officer who had taken charge. He directed another officer to take charge of me. I saw he did the same with Delvin. The next thing I knew we were both being led out of the suite as yellow tape was strung across the double doors.
    It was weird the stuff I noticed. I’d passed right through the small alcove on the way in without a thought, but now it occurred to me that this area set apart from the rest of the hall was a deliberate attempt to give the suite an entryway and make it seem more exclusive. There were a couple of chairs and a cabinet that seemed to be for decoration.
    My cop took me into the main hall, and we stopped against the wall. Delvin’s cop apparently thought the sitting area was for real and had him sit on one of the chairs. I watched, wondering if the chair would collapse when it was actually used. It only wobbled a little. It was hard to see Delvin’s face in the shadow of his hat, but the color seemed to have drained from it. I imagined I probably looked about the same.
    I knew the drill. They always wanted to keep