Dying for a Dance Read online

  -----------------------------------

  Dying for a Dance

  by Cindy Sample

  -----------------------------------

  Mystery/Crime

  * * *

  LEBOOK_PUBLISHERL Dreamspell

  www.lldreamspell.com

  Copyright ©2011 by Cindy Sample

  First published in London, Texas, 2011

  NOTICE: This work is copyrighted. It is licensed only for use by the original purchaser. Making copies of this work or distributing it to any unauthorized person by any means, including without limit email, floppy disk, file transfer, paper print out, or any other method constitutes a violation of International copyright law and subjects the violator to severe fines or imprisonment.

  * * *

  CONTENTS

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY-ONE

  TWENTY-TWO

  TWENTY-THREE

  TWENTY-FOUR

  TWENTY-FIVE

  TWENTY-SIX

  TWENTY-SEVEN

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  TWENTY-NINE

  THIRTY

  THIRTY-ONE

  THIRTY-TWO

  THIRTY-THREE

  THIRTY-FOUR

  THIRTY-FIVE

  THIRTY-SIX

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  THIRTY-NINE

  FORTY

  FORTY-ONE

  FORTY-TWO

  FORTY-THREE

  FORTY-FOUR

  FORTY-FIVE

  FORTY-SIX

  FORTY-SEVEN

  FORTY-EIGHT

  FORTY-NINE

  FIFTY

  FIFTY-ONE

  FIFTY-TWO

  FIFTY-THREE

  ABOUT AUTHOR CINDY SAMPLE

  * * * *

  * * *

  Dying for a Dance

  By Cindy Sample

  Published by L&L Dreamspell

  London, Texas

  Visit us on the web at www.lldreamspell.com

  Copyright 2011 by Cindy Sample

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright holder, except for brief quotations used in a review.

  This is a work of fiction, and is produced from the author's imagination. People, places and things mentioned in this novel are used in a fictional manner.

  * * * *

  ISBN- 978-1-60318-428-1

  * * * *

  Published by L & L Dreamspell

  Produced in the United States of America

  Visit us on the web at www.lldreamspell.com

  It takes a village to write one of my books. Many thanks and hugs to my critique group for their astute observations and unfailing support: Kathy, Norma, Pat, Rae and Terri. Thanks to friends who were willing to read the early drafts and provide excellent suggestions: Bonnie, Jaci, Julie, Kelly, Liana, Liz, Matt, Nora and Peggy. Also thanks to those experts in homicide investigation who shared a few helpful tips: D.P. Lyle, M.D. and Wayne Farquhar. Thanks also to Sisters in Crime (Sacramento and Northern California) Sacramento Valley Rose, California Writer's Club and NCPA for their support. My editor, Cindy Davis, has to be the most patient editor in the world, as are publishers, Lisa Smith and Linda Houle.

  Thanks also to Matthias Mengelkoch and Tom Novi for their generous donations to the Sacramento Opera and the El Dorado Women's Center. You both make great characters.

  Special kudos to Tony Nguyen, Jim Clark, Tania Chegini and Ricardo Salazar, the instructors who have spent countless hours attempting to mold me into a graceful and competent ballroom dancer.

  And last but certainly not least, thanks to those fans from around the world whose emails make this journey so much fun.

  * * * *

  This book is dedicated to my mother, Harriet Bergstrand, the best mother a daughter could ask for, and my children, Dawn and Jeff, who have turned into the most amazing adults.

  * * *

  ONE

  I didn't think my night could get any worse. But when I stumbled on a dead man with my broken shoe heel stuffed in his mouth, I realized it definitely could.

  I was valiantly attempting to learn the choreography for my best friend's New Year's Eve wedding. Although Liz envisioned a bridal party version of Dancing with the Stars, after tripping my instructor for the third time in ten minutes, I decided the routine looked more like Dancing with the Dorks.

  My twenty-one year old Vietnamese instructor, Bobby Nguyen, epitomized a ballroom dancer—tall and slender, graceful and flexible. Despite his attentive coaching, I remained cardboard stiff and clueless.

  “C'mon, Laurel, remember what I told you,” he said. “Bend your knees and make your thighs do the work.”

  I glanced down at my thighs. Obviously work wasn't included in their job description.

  The mirror-lined walls of the Golden Hills Dance Studio reflected my image multiple times. Shoulder length reddish brown hair grazed my aqua V-neck sweater. Black tummy tuck jeans provided much needed slenderizing, and my brand new silver shoes almost made me look like a dancer. Presentation is everything, especially when you have no clue what you're doing.

  Frank Sinatra's version of “It Had To Be You,” wafted from the speakers. Dimitri and Anya, a pair of instructors, glided by us, their synchronized movements mesmerizing to watch. I eyed them with envy. If I wanted to look as graceful as a gazelle, I had to stop charging around like a rhino on roller blades.

  Bobby positioned himself with his head held high, shoulders down, right arm resting in the middle of my back. Per his instructions, I thrust out my chest, sucked in my stomach and tightened my butt.

  “Let's do it,” I said.

  Bobby's soft tenor intoned the fox trot count in my ear. “Slow, slow, quick, quick.”

  I repeated it to myself...slow, slow, quick, quick... ACK!

  The heel of my right shoe suddenly slipped out from under me and I slid across the waxed floor, crashing into Dimitri and Anya with all the grace of a defensive linebacker. Bobby rushed over to assist me as I attempted to extricate myself from the tangle of arms and legs.

  “Sorry.” I shot an apologetic smile to the instructors.

  As they rose to their feet, I overheard Dimitri refer to me as a “klutzsky.” I had a feeling the words Anya muttered in Russian didn't translate into “nice dancing.” The couple disappeared from the dance floor, probably in search of safer terrain.

  My thirty-nine year old body hadn't done the splits in at least thirty-six years. With Bobby's assistance, I struggled to my feet.

  “Are you okay?” My teacher's eyes had darkened with concern. Dance protocol recommends that you keep your partner upright, at least most of the time. I swayed to the right and discovered that my heel was no longer connected to my right shoe. My one hundred fifty dollar investment in dance footwear had just gone down the proverbial drain.

  “I'm okay, but my shoe isn't.” I glared at the offensive heel lying a few inches away. “Bobby, this just confirms I'm not meant to dance the wedding routine.”

  “No, all it confirms is that we need to practice more. Remember, you've only been dancing for a couple of weeks. Do you have other shoes you can wear to
finish our lesson?”

  I nodded. “I came right from work so I'll change into my black heels.”

  Bobby gave me a sympathetic hug and I waltzed—okay, I still didn't know how to waltz—so I clumped through the enormous dance studio toward the back of the building where the cloakroom and the studio owner's offices were located. As I walked past the office, I heard raised voices from behind the closed door.

  Crack! The sound of a slap reverberated from the room.

  Dimitri, the dance teacher I'd crashed into earlier, stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him. His elegant hand didn't quite cover the scarlet mark on his high Slavic cheekbone. He scowled at me then rushed away.

  This studio was proving to be more drama-filled than the daytime soaps.

  I entered the cloakroom, dropped my broken overpriced shoes into one of the small cubicles assigned to footwear, slipped into my black faux leather pumps and headed back to the main dance floor for more foxtrot torture.

  Forty uncomfortable minutes later, my private lesson with Bobby was over. My bunions ached and my toes hurt from being stomped on multiple times—by me.

  I entered the cloakroom and exchanged smiles with an attractive dark-skinned student named Samantha. She zipped up her jacket, picked up her shoe tote, and exited the room. I buttoned my black leather jacket and grabbed my purse. That's when I discovered my dismembered shoes had disappeared. I looked inside every one of the tiny cubicles and pawed through the oversized gray wastebasket outside the door, in case someone had accidentally thrown them away. Nada.

  My silver shoes had danced off without me.

  I couldn't believe someone had taken them. Liz's wedding was only three weeks away and now I would have to buy a new pair instead of merely repairing one shoe. At this rate, I would need a second job to pay for the honor of serving as matron of honor.

  As I left the studio and walked through the parking lot, my mind rapidly calculated my additional wedding expenses.

  I barely noticed the pink and lavender cotton candy clouds stretched across the twilight sky.

  I did notice the man lying on the ground, a pool of blood under his head.

  My silver heel jammed into his mouth.

  I definitely noticed him.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  * * *

  TWO

  * * * *

  Screams erupted and I swiveled around to find Samantha and her friend Nanette standing behind me. Samantha's screams subsided to a whimper although her dark eyes remained huge and frightened.

  “What happened?” asked Nanette, an elderly woman who also took private dance lessons with Bobby.

  “I don't know. It's Dimitri. He's um, I think he's d-dead,” I stammered.

  “Are you sure? I'm a nurse. Let me check.” The short, fireplug of a woman marched over to Dimitri, placed her fingers on his carotid artery, waited a few seconds then shook her head. “You're right. He must have hit his head. Hey, what the heck is this thing in his mouth?”

  I reluctantly joined her for a better look. Although I had hoped to find my missing shoes, the last place I expected my broken heel to turn up was stuffed in a dead dancer's mouth.

  “Do you think we should remove, um...it?” asked Samantha. She leaned forward but before she could touch anything I placed a hand on her arm to hold her back.

  “Leave everything alone until the rescue people get here,” I said.

  “I'll go inside and get help.” Samantha ran back into the studio. I rummaged through my purse, grabbed my cell and dialed the emergency operator.

  The dispatcher and I were still in conversation when a horde of dancers erupted from the studio. Within seconds, they surrounded the body. A tall slender woman I recognized as Anya pushed through the crowd. Her turquoise satin halter-top bared sculpted muscles. When she crouched next to the body, her short black skirt bared almost everything else.

  “Dimitri, darling,” Anya shrieked. Tears coursed down her cheeks as she lifted her arms to the darkening skies. The dancer extended the palms of her hands as gracefully as if she were performing in front of an audience.

  In reality she was. At least fifteen people were now gathered around the body listening to Anya's lamentations as she rested her head on her dance partner's chest. The crowd pushed closer and I worried about getting trampled by the spectators. Suddenly the onlookers moved aside, making way for a short fair-haired woman whose T-shirt covered a bowling-ball sized belly, indicating she was at least ten months pregnant.

  “Let me through,” shouted Irina, Dimitri's wife and former dance partner.

  Anya impaled the recent widow with a gaze so hostile the hairs on my arms stood up like rows of dominoes. The tall svelte dancer rose and slid gracefully to her feet. Pivoting on one very long bronzed leg, she glided back in the direction of the studio.

  Irina knelt next to her husband and placed her right palm on the victim's pale cheek. As she leaned in, my heart skipped a beat. How tragic. She was about to kiss her husband for the last time.

  Or maybe not.

  “You son of a...” she screamed. She plucked the silver heel from his mouth and threw it across the parking lot with the force and speed of a professional shortstop. It arced through the air, ricocheted off the lid of the dumpster and landed in front of Nanette, who scooped it up and stuck it in the pocket of her jacket. Irina continued to berate her dead spouse in unintelligible Russian phrases, punctuated by an occasional American expletive.

  Bobby, with the help of a dark-haired instructor named Marcus, finally dragged her away from Dimitri's body. Her diatribe against her dead husband grew fainter as the men forced her back into the studio.

  The shrill cry of sirens announced approaching vehicles. A dirty white El Dorado County Sheriff's Department patrol car squealed to a stop alongside the curb on the main road. Two uniformed men jumped out of the car and hurried in our direction. Seconds later, an ambulance whizzed around the corner, its brakes working overtime. Two paramedics jumped out of the back and raced over to our gathered throng.

  “Stand back. Give him some air,” shouted the older short-haired deputy, a heavy set guy whose face resembled a bulldog but without the charm. Nanette marched up to the officer, the gray bun on the top of her head not quite reaching his armpit.

  “He doesn't need any air,” she proclaimed. “I'm a nurse and I already checked. He is one dead dancer.”

  One of the paramedics crouched next to Dimitri. After a brief examination he nodded to his coworker, evidently agreeing with Nanette's determination.

  “Who called the dispatcher?” the deputy asked, his platinum buzz cut gleaming under the lights of the parking lot.

  I slowly raised my hand.

  “Did you see what happened?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “He was lying on the ground when I first spotted him.”

  So it could have been an accident. But the odds of my heel accidentally landing in his mouth seemed on the low side.

  “Okay, people, I'm Deputy Katzenbach.” Buzz Cut introduced himself then pointed to his younger, slimmer and cuter companion. “This is Deputy Montana. We'll be taking statements from every one of you. Wait inside the studio until we're ready.” Groans and mutters ensued from the spectators.

  “You. The one who found the body.” Buzz Cut pointed his index finger at me. “Stay here by me.”

  I gulped and nodded. Montana, the young black-haired deputy, shepherded the rest of the audience back into the studio. Some of the dancers grumbled, while others trudged slowly and silently back into the building.

  I gazed at their retreating backs and wondered if any of them were acting suspiciously.

  How would I know if they were?

  Deputy Katzenbach conferred with the rescue workers then gestured for me to follow him into the studio where pandemonium reigned and the noise level exceeded that of two three-ring circuses.

  I contemplated the impact of the dancer's death on the studio. Dimitri was their star, the man
who garnered first place dance competition trophies by the dozens. Not to mention the new clients he brought in by the droves. His alluring topaz eyes, broad shoulders and muscled thighs attracted more female dance students than the other teachers combined.

  Not that I'd noticed. Much.

  I was taking lessons for one purpose only, to learn Liz's perfectly orchestrated wedding routine. She had commanded each member of her wedding party to first learn the foxtrot routine with a professional instructor. Then one of these days the entire bridal party would attempt to dance it together.

  Hopefully before the wedding day.

  The reality of Dimitri's death suddenly hit me. I blinked back tears and thought about the students who would be devastated by his loss. As I glanced around the room, I noticed one of his more accomplished students, Paula, a middle-aged brunette, sitting on the lobby sofa, attempting to comfort the pregnant widow.

  Paula caught my eye and motioned me over. I tapped Buzz Cut on the shoulder. “Excuse me, Deputy Katzenbach. Can I—” My words were cut off by the crackle of his radio. The deputy turned and stepped a few feet away. He glared at me but didn't stop me from joining Paula and Irina. I walked over, perched on the couch's maroon crushed velvet arm and leaned in. “How's she doing?” I mouthed.

  “She's in shock and so am I.” Paula gently massaged Irina's back. The widow hunched over, her hands twisting a sodden handkerchief.

  “I can't believe Dimitri is dead,” Paula said in a low voice. Her eyes traveled up to a two by three foot framed photo which hung on the wall behind us. It displayed Dimitri and his dance partner locked in one of those intimate embraces evocative of the rhumba, the sexiest of all the Latin dances. The pose was so suggestive, steam practically radiated from the photo.

  Irina followed our gaze; her body stiffened. The widow had danced professionally with her husband both before and after they wed, but once she became pregnant the doctors insisted she stay off her feet, and specifically off the dance floor.

  The man and woman in the erotic pose were none other than Dimitri and Anya, his new professional partner. Irina struggled to her feet. She attempted to climb on the sofa, but her enormous belly interfered with her ascent. She knelt on the soft cushions, grabbed hold of the padded back, and pulled herself up.