Free Video Kill by Joanne Fluke

particularly acerbic tongue, had actually hiked up her skirt to her thighs and hopped aboard the carousel. Tammara watched in fascination as she rode around and around, sloshing champagne on her expensive hand-beaded skirt, sitting astride a snow-white charger that had been captured forever in the act of rolling his emerald-green eyes.
    Even though her husband was rich, Tammara was still awed by the fact that many of her guests had more money than they could likely spend in one lifetime. Little Shirley Kranowski from Luther, a farm town in the central part of Iowa, had worked all summer at the local Rexall drugstore to earn the money for her high school prom dress. The dress was long gone now, but there was still a lot of Shirley Kranowski left in Tammara.
    â€œHi pretty lady. You look even prettier than you did fifteen years ago.”
    Tammara whirled around and smiled her first real smile of the evening. It was Lon Michaels.
    â€œLon!” Tammara threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She divided the people in show biz into two categories, fake and real. Lon Michaels was real.
    Just then a waiter passed by with a tray of champagne, and Lon reached out to take a glass. “May I buy you a drink? It’s got to be better than that awful stuff we drank at our first premiere.”
    â€œIt is. Avery classy lady ordered this champagne. It’s Taittinger.”
    Lon whistled. “Over fifty bucks a bottle at the discount places. How many cases did you order?”
    â€œI’ll never tell, but I guarantee there’ll be some left over. What are you working on now, Lon?”
    â€œThe last film in the Jubee trilogy, but it’ll only go another week or two. Then, I’m not sure.”
    â€œIf there’s a part in your next one for me, will you put in a good word?”
    â€œThat goes without saying.” Lon touched the rim of his glass to hers. “To our next feature together.”
    Tammara laughed. “A guaranteed blockbuster, where Tammara Welles is brilliant and Lon Michaels makes her look even better.”
    Tammara closed her eyes in anticipation as she took the first sip. She loved champagne. Without thinking, she finished the first glass much too quickly and immediately took another. It was best to be photographed with a full glass. An empty one implied heavy drinking, and she certainly didn’t want to be publicized as a lush.
    â€œCome on, Lon. I’m sick of making the right impression on the right people. Let’s ride to the top of the Ferris wheel and hide from the world.”
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    Tammara awoke from a deep sleep. By the illuminated face of her bedroom clock she saw it was three in the morning. Something had startled her awake.
    She sat up in bed and groped for her glasses. She’d worn contact lenses for years, but her eyes had been allergic to the permanent wear kind and she had to take out her lenses every night to let them soak in their little trays of cleaning solution. As she got out of bed, she staggered slightly on her way to the window. She must have had more champagne than she’d thought. She felt woozy and light-headed as she raised the window and looked out at the deserted grounds.
    The amusement park was still there. The party planners had arranged to come and pick up their equipment in the morning. The stands and booths were illuminated by a string of bare light bulbs, and now, at three in the morning, their shadows were harsh and surrealistic. Tammara watched for signs of movement, but she knew it was impossible for anyone to come over the fence without setting off the alarm. Their security system was the best that money could buy.
    Just when Tammara had made up her mind to go back to bed, the sound she’d been hearing registered in her mind. It was the sound of water running, and it was coming from the east lawn, where the party people had set up the Tunnel of Love. They must have forgotten to turn it off.
    Tammara had