Murder at Sunrise Lake

Zahra sipped her drink and scowled at Harlow over the top of it. “Of course I can. I’m a minimalist when it comes to gear. Each of you has enough gear to open a sports store. Stella, have you ever thrown out one piece of climbing gear no matter how old it is?”

Stella opened her mouth, closed it and then shook her head. “Don’t turn the spotlight on me. I’m not the one saying guns are crude and heavy. What sort of weapon did you bring?”

Zahra gave one of her mysterious smiles. She could easily have posed for an art painting with that beautiful smile that gave nothing away. “An ancient weapon that requires skills but can be quite deadly in the right hands.”

“You had to practice to be able to use it?” Shabina asked.

“As in you actually lifted one of your beautifully manicured nails in order to learn?” Vienna sounded doubtful.

“She didn’t say she could actually wield said weapon,” Raine pointed out. “Only that she had it on her.”

“Oh, ye of little faith.” Zahra gave a haughty little indignant sniff. “I’m fairly accurate and I enjoy the challenge, much better than if I was trying to shoot someone.” She lifted her arm and shot back her oversized sweater to show the rows of small beads on the bracelet on her wrist. The beads were small and highly polished, looked to be black onyx, or a stone such as that.

“Can you really use that as a weapon?” Stella asked.

Zahra touched the beads and then pulled down her sweater. “Yes. I’m getting better every single day. It took a while to get comfortable with it on my wrist, but I wear it every day and practice with it. I’ve been doing so since I lost Elara. It gave me something to do while I debated whether to get another dog.”

“You’re getting another dog,” they all said simultaneously.

Zahra rolled her eyes again. “I suppose I am. I just don’t know when. I keep thinking I’ll make inquiries, but then I don’t. I don’t want to put expectations on a new puppy. That wouldn’t be fair to the little girl. I want the same breed, so right off the bat, I think it might be hard for both of us. I mean, how do you get the same mix?”

“The Pyrenean Shepherds have different looks, Zahra,” Raine said. “I researched them thoroughly. Different colors and coats. And there are rescues that have mixes. They won’t be exactly the same, but you don’t really want the puppy to be the same.”

The women all nodded in agreement.

“You all researched?” Zahra asked.

“Of course. We were going to get you one for your birthday. We tried rescue places, but they didn’t have any available.”

“You’re going to make me cry. That’s so sweet.” Zahra did look like she might cry. “It would be nice to have a little companion, although that running was a pain. I’d have to teach it to want to walk at a mild pace.”

The laughter was genuine at the thought of that particular very energetic breed walking when it could run. Zahra was well aware of the breed’s need for exercise and she really didn’t mind at all, as much as she liked to complain.

“How in the world did you ever get into playing poker for a living, Vienna?” Zahra asked. “I tried to practice not showing any expression on my face when I was coming over here and I knew we’d be talking to Stella about Sam, but the more I practiced, the worse it got. If I was playing a high-stakes poker game with a bunch of mean men who wanted to see me fail, I’d be sweating bullets.”

Vienna shrugged. “I needed money and I was good at cards. I didn’t really know about counting cards so much as I don’t forget cards. I don’t forget much of anything I see, so playing cards is easy enough as long as I get the right cards. Sometimes it isn’t always about skill. I also study people. That helped too. And my opponents tend to underestimate me. The most difficult part was getting started. Getting enough money to buy into the game.” She gave them a little half smile. “Then once you start winning, it’s all about figuring out how to keep your winnings. Everyone’s out to take it from you.”

“Do you enjoy it?” Raine asked.

Vienna nodded. “Very much. I’m careful though. I’ve seen too many people get addicted to gambling. It isn’t winning money that’s thrilling for me, although it’s always a rush. It’s taking down the bullies. I guess when you were the one that got pushed around all the time, you get so you can spot the ones who enjoy doing the pushing. I can see them a mile way.”

“Like Bale,” Shabina said.