Bossa Novas, Bikinis, and Bad Ends Page 20

  I hesitated. Oh, why not? “Sure,” I said. I didn’t have to dance or drive.

  “How was Rio?” he asked when the waiter went off to get our drinks.

  “Except for a murder or three it was beautiful,” I said. “Have you ever been there? I forget.”

  “My wife and I went there on our honeymoon,” he said. “We stayed at the Copacabana. Gorgeous hotel.”

  “That’s where we were,” I said. “And it’s still gorgeous.”

  The waiter brought our drinks and asked if we had decided on lunch.

  “What’s good here, Mike?” I asked.

  “Everything,” he said. “Why don’t you get an omelet or their quiche, which is excellent, or a salad? They have a great lobster salad here.”

  “I love lobster,” I said. “That’s what I’ll have.”

  Mike raised his glass. “Here’s to lunch with you every day of my life when I’m not delivering a baby,” he said.

  I clinked my glass against his and took a sip. It was lovely.

  My phone vibrated. I usually don’t answer my phone when I’m with another person. I think it’s rude. But something made me answer this call.

  “Mary Louise?” Tina said. “You won’t believe this, but Glenna—you know, the Rockette we met this morning—she’s dead.”

  “What do you mean she’s dead?” I said. “What happened to her?”

  “They found her under the stage, mangled in the machinery.”

  “My God,” I said. “What are we supposed to do now?”

  “The woman who called me—remember Marlowe, one of the Rockettes—said we have to return to the theater immediately. The police are there and the captain wants to talk to all of us.”

  “How soon?”

  “As soon as you can get back here. Where are you?”

  “At The Boathouse,” I said.

  “With Mike?” she asked. Tina knows everything.

  “As a matter of fact—” I started to say.

  “Never mind,” she said. “Just get back here as soon as you can.”

  “What’s the matter?” Mike asked when I put my phone back in my purse.

  “You won’t believe this,” I said. “But one of the Rockettes—the one we met this morning—is dead.”

  “You guys have got to stop performing,” he said. “She’d probably still be alive if you hadn’t shown up.”

  “It’s not funny, Mike,” I said.

  “I know, honey,” he said. “I didn’t mean to make fun of this. Come on, I’ll take you back to the theater.”

  He took a sip of the Kir Royale, left money on the table, and led me out to the street where there were cabs waiting.

  Acknowledgments

  Once again, I want to thank Michaela Hamilton for her superb editing of this book and all the books in the Happy Hoofer series. She has been unfailingly supportive and enthusiastic as I took my dancers through four countries and countless murders. And again, I’m grateful to everyone at Kensington Publishing Corp. for making my books so readable and attractive.

  Photo by Susan Hamovitch

  Mary McHugh graduated from Wheaton College

  in Norton, Massachusetts, with a B.A. in

  English Literature and studied at the Sorbonne

  in Paris. She is the author of three previous

  books in the Happy Hoofers series: Chorus Lines,

  Caviar, and Corpses; Flamenco, Flan, and Fatalities;

  and Cancans, Croissants, and Caskets. She has also

  written nineteen nonfiction books and two other

  novels. She was a contributing editor for Cosmo-

  politan, an articles editor at Woman’s World, Travel

  Holiday, and Bridal Guide, and has written articles

  for the New York Times, Good Housekeeping, and

  Family Circle. She loves to tap dance and to

  travel—two passions that inspired her to write

  the Happy Hoofers series. She lives in the New

  York area. Visit her at marymchugh.org.

  To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

  KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2016 by Mary McHugh

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  Kensington and the K logo Reg. U.S. Pat & TM Off.

  ISBN: 978-1-4967-0374-3

  First Kensington Mass Market Edition: May 2016

  eISBN-13: 978-1-4967-0375-0

  eISBN-10: 1-4967-0375-8

  First Kensington Electronic Edition: May 2016