“Doesn’t sound like murder being planned,” Peabody commented.
“Not yet.”
“Okay.” Marlo moved back, let out a deep breath. “Action.”
“Exterior scene, night,” Matthew murmured as they walked out on the roof terrace. “God, it’s gorgeous out. I liked it better when we came up before, just sat out.”
“We’ll do it again. When this thing’s settled.”
“It’s a date. Okay. K.T.!” he called out. “You wanted to have this out. Let’s do it.”
“I don’t see her. Maybe she didn’t come up yet.”
“She wasn’t in the theater. Damn it, K.T., stop screwing around.”
They continued to walk. Lights played off the surface of the corner of the pool as they entered the dome.
“Maybe she’s—”
“Oh God!”
“Marlo, what—oh Jesus!”
The image tilted, tipped, showed Matthew racing toward the pool, jumping in fully dressed, turning over the floating body to reveal K.T.’s face.
Marlo let out a choked scream, and the view slid and blurred as the purse fell to the pool skirt. Eve saw her legs and feet, running, watched her drop to her knees, reach out to help Matthew pull the body to the side. Their voices, their words, mixed and jumbled.
“What happened?”
“Help me get her out.”
“Is she dead? Oh God, is she dead?”
“Give me room, give me room. She’s not breathing.”
She watched Matthew perform CPR, try mouth-to-mouth while Marlo rubbed K.T.’s hand between hers as if to try to warm it.
“Come back, come back! Come on!”
“She’s cold. She’s so cold. Should I find a blanket?”
“She’s gone, Marlo. She’s gone.”
He sat back on his heels, pale, dripping. His breathing sounded raw, labored, while Marlo knelt, shuddering.
“We should call for an ambulance. My ’link.”
But Matthew took her hand. “She’s dead. She’s dead, Marlo.”
“But, she can’t—how? There must be something.”
“I can’t get her back. She’s dead. She’s... she’s cold.”
“Oh, Matthew.” With the body between them, they leaned toward each other, all but fell on each other. “What do we do? What should we do? Dallas and Peabody. We have to go down, tell them.”
“Yeah. Jesus, I’m shaking. Some hero. I need a minute. I just need a minute.”
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” She held him, then jerked back. “The recording. We have to get it.” She scrambled to her feet.