Free Murder in Vail by Judy Moore Page A

about it,” Sally began. “I’d like for you to take my bedroom while you’re here. I have a huge balcony and also an enclosed porch where you can smoke if the weather is too bad during the storm to go outside.”
    Rachel eyed her cautiously. She didn’t seem to believe that Sally was telling her the truth. “You’d give up your master suite with the canopy bed and the Jacuzzi? For me?” she asked skeptically.
    Sally nodded. “That way, everybody will be happy. You’ll have a place where you can smoke, and Lance can have his room back. You know how finicky he is about his things. He isn’t going to let it go, Rachel. He’ll be pounding on your door all day tomorrow.  I just want some peace and quiet. Please take me up on my offer.”
    Rachel’s eyes started to light up, but she hesitated. “This isn’t a trick, is it?”
    “No trick. Girl Scout’s honor.” Sally smiled, holding up three fingers. “In fact, let’s go ahead and switch rooms right now while everyone else is asleep. That way, Lance can have his room back first thing tomorrow, and we can avoid arguments. I just want to have a peaceful Christmas, and this is the only way I can think of to solve the bedroom problem.”
    The muscles in Rachel’s face moved into the closest semblance of a smile that Sally had seen since she arrived. “Ok. I’ll do it.”
    Rachel finished making her sandwich, and Sally poured her a glass of orange juice. Rachel carried them with her, following Sally upstairs.
    “Shhh,” Sally whispered, placing her forefinger to her lips. “We don’t want to wake anybody up. Let’s get your stuff and get you moved into my room.”
    To be sure Rachel didn’t change her mind and lock herself back in, Sally stayed in the room while she quickly repacked the few items she had taken out of her suitcase. Sally picked up the suitcase and carried it down the long hall to the other side of the staircase to the master bedroom.
    Rachel set the sandwich and orange juice on the end table and bounced a couple of times when she sat down on Sally’s bed. “I’ve always wanted to sleep in one of these,” she said, looking up at the laced canopy hanging over the king-size bed. “This is so much nicer than Lance’s weird room. Thank you, Sally.”
    “My pleasure, Rachel,” Sally said, as she walked into the bathroom to get some toiletries. “I just wish I’d thought of it sooner.”
    When Sally came back into the room, Rachel was holding a photograph from Sally’s bureau of her in a bathing suit during a synchronized swimming meet when she was twenty.
    “Is this you?” Rachel asked.
    Sally smiled at the old photograph. “It sure is. You probably wouldn’t believe it now.”
    “You were beautiful,” Rachel said, touching the glass of the framed picture. “And so fit and suntanned.”
    “I lived in the pool back then.”
    Rachel looked up at her. “Stephen told me you were a champion.”
    “Yes, well, my team won the world championship. We represented the United States all over the world in competition.”
    “Wow. That’s pretty cool. You must miss it, huh?”
    “I do. But it was such a long time ago. Now, it’s just a nice memory. I still like to swim though. I swim every day.”
    Rachel set the photograph back down on the dresser. “Where did you learn how to do it?” she asked.
    “When I was growing up in San Diego, my mother put me in swimming lessons. I also took dance classes—ballet—and liked it a lot. So, when my swim club offered lessons in water ballet, I wanted to sign up because it seemed like a combination of both. I was only seven years old. Once I started, I never stopped.”
    “It’s nice your mother put you in those lessons. I never had any classes like that. My mom was always too busy working to take me to any lessons.”
    Rachel roamed around the large master suite, looking at the paintings on the walls of scenes of Colorado nature. She stopped at an easel Sally had set up near the bay window.