Free Gossip Can Be Murder by Connie Shelton

with a sense of peace and contentment.
    “I’m not calling Ron at all today,” I told Linda as we sat in a bubbling hot spa an hour later. “He and Drake are just going to have to work out their own stuff on that helicopter case. I’m not getting into it. I’m here to enjoy myself.”
    “Live in the moment, Charlie,” she said. Her voice sounded drowsily happy.
    “It sounds sensible, doesn’t it?”
    “It is sensible. All this worrying takes its toll on your body, you know.”
    “Yes, doctor.” I grinned as she squinted at me.
    She was right about that and I knew it.

    Dinner consisted of a big salad with a wonderful variety of greens, dotted with spicy chunks of tofu. More of that stuff. I’d never found anything appealing about it, but had to admit that the chefs here knew what they were doing. Everything was delicious. Dessert this time was a warm fruit cobbler with a crispy topping. I couldn’t spot any tofu in it, but you never knew.
    After dinner, Celeus Light gave an inspirational talk in the courtyard. Everyone bundled up in sweaters and sat on cushions around the glow of an open fire pit. Beyond the plantings of bright chrysanthemums and the low adobe wall, everything was velvet black. Light’s talk was about letting go of anger and stress in our lives. His charismatic voice flowed in soothing tones, softly coaxing us to shed negative feelings, switching them for an attitude of joy. He glided among the participants, his flowing long jacket brushing at shoulders as he passed through the group.
    I sat cross-legged on my cushion, as did everyone, with my hands lying in my lap. With my head slightly bowed and eyes nearly closed I checked out the rest of the group. Once again, Gerald Mayhew didn’t seem to be taking the class very seriously. He clearly was here at Nicole’s wishes, although I couldn’t help but remember her comment in the hallway, about his health being their reason for attending. Rex Storm, surprisingly, was very much getting into the mood, eyes tightly closed, body swaying slightly as Light talked. Trudie, his forty-something groupie, sat close and timed the swaying of her own body so that she could occasionally bump shoulders with Rex.
    Pat and her two doctor friends formed a tight little group on the opposite side of the fire pit. They were all clearly enthralled with Dr. Light. Dina listened closely, but kept her eyes open and hadn’t yet fallen under the power of the swaying bodies around her.
    Light was in his element. Clearly, as I listened to his cadence I could tell that he picked up the mood of the audience and fed back from it. The longer the talk went on, the more they swayed. The more they swayed, the richer his voice became. I felt myself being pulled in, yet I held back. There was just something too cult-like about it.
    I glanced over at Linda. Her eyes were closed but she must have sensed my gaze. She peeked at me and puckered the dimple at the side of her mouth. Well, at least she wasn’t lost completely in the trance.

    Wednesday morning dawned clear and chilly, with that special brightness that New Mexico autumn mornings have. I groaned and looked at the bedside clock. Six. The sun had not cleared the mountains yet, but I needed to move.
    “I think I’d like a walk before starting the day’s festivities,” I said to Linda, who yawned widely and groaned. “Want to come?”
    “Yeah, I’ll make myself get moving.”
    We dressed in jeans and sweaters and put on our walking shoes. The chill morning called for jackets, so we grabbed them and headed out.
    “I’ve wanted to explore the grounds ever since we got here,” she said, once she’d stretched her muscles a little. “Gotta balance classroom time with some physical activity.”
    We headed down the long driveway, planning to turn around once we got to the main road, then walk along the hillside past the parking area and back up to the dining room in time to catch some breakfast. The morning air felt crisp,