Chapter 1
           
            Eva swung the door of the lounge open and rushed over to her sister. “There’s a body in the pool!”
            “Sure,” Sharon said. “And it’s a dark and stormy night.” She continued eating her breakfast and reading the newspaper.
            “I’m serious. There really is a body in the pool.”
            This time, her tone got Sharon’s attention. She set the bagel down she’d been devouring, and looked up at Eva. “Whose?”
            “I don’t know, but the pool’s closed and a bunch of cops are down there.”
            “That’s scary,” Sharon said. “I hope it’s not a bridge player. Help yourself to breakfast, and then we’ll go see what we can find out.”
            Eva Kaplan and Sharon Price were having their conversation in the concierge lounge of the hotel hosting a National Bridge Tournament in Miami. Thousands of bridge players filled their hotel and several others nearby. For the next ten days, players would compete in events that ranged from novice to expert level.
            For once, they were happy with their accommodations. They usually had trouble getting the rooms they wanted, because hotels seldom paid attention to their requests. But this time, they'd managed to get large connecting rooms on the concierge level. They were even far away from the elevators and ice machines. They couldn't believe they didn’t have to go back to the registration desk and hassle the clerks. In fact, Sharon was a little disappointed. Creating a scene when she checked into a hotel had become part of her routine. She was convinced that those battles gave her a psychological edge for the upcoming games.            
            “How did you hear about the body?” Sharon asked after Eva had helped herself to juice and fresh fruit.
            “I ran into Jason Stone when I was browsing in the gift shop this morning. Do you remember him?"
            "Sure. You dated him decades ago--before you got married. What's he doing here? Is he a bridge player?"
            "Of sorts. According to him, he recently graduated from the novice stage. He considers himself an intermediate player now."
            "I haven't seen him at any tournaments before. How come he decided to come to this one?"           
             "When he read the ad for the fall Nationals in The Bridge Bulletin, he saw that the tournament was being held at a spa. He liked the idea of exercising every morning and then playing bridge for the rest of the day. It appealed to him, just like it did to us."
            "It's been years since you've seen him. What's he like?" Sharon asked.
            “His hair has turned a beautiful silver color, and he finally got his teeth straightened. His smile is gorgeous."
            "Okay. He's a knockout. But is he single? Divorced?"
            Eva eyed her sister. "You sure cut to the nitty-gritty."
            "Well?"
            "He's single--but engaged. He was weird about it though. First he asked about my status. When I told him I was a widow, he started to flirt with me. Then he suddenly stopped and told me he was engaged. But he looked embarrassed. When I asked him about his fiancée, he actually blushed."
            "Why?"
            "She's 19, and her name is Muffin."
            "What's her real name and age?"
            "Muffin. And she is 19."
            "No wonder he blushed."
            Eva sighed. "I don't know how a 50-something lump of dough can compete with a 19-year-old named Muffin," she said.
            "You look at least ten years younger, since you decided to cover the gray in your hair," Sharon said, in a rare moment of benevolence. "The dark brown color your hairdresser mixes is very becoming. Jason's lover may be a muffin, but you could be his 'sweet-tart'."
            Eva rolled her eyes.            
            Sharon looked at her watch. “We’d better get moving if we want to find out about the body and get an exercise class in before the game starts.”
            “I’m done,” Eva said. They left the lounge and took an elevator down to the spa.
             As they entered the corridor leading to the pool and exercise rooms, they could see yellow tape around the pool through the glass doors. There was no one around.
            “Phooey,” Sharon said. “I’d hoped we see a cop or someone here so we could find out what happened.”
            “Maybe someone in the class will know.” They reluctantly continued on to the locker room where the attendant gave each of them locks and locker numbers.
             Sharon put on her exercise clothes, and sat down on a bench to tie her sneakers. She gazed at her sister critically. From her point of view, their two-year age difference was barely noticeable. Since Sharon was the older sister, that pleased her. If she would stop eating desserts every time she did a restaurant review, they'd look almost like twins, with their round faces and curly hair.

Paperback, $14.95
ISBN: 978-159858-520-9
204 pages

Available at fine bookstores everywhere