Adele stepped in-or, more correctly-overstepped her boundaries. “I’m sure the crocheters will figure out a way to come up with something.” Izabelle and the Wolfs glared at her. I quickly asked if anyone else had any announcements, and when there were none, the group broke up. Dinah and I hung behind to finish our coffee and cake. At least, she ate cake. I just had coffee.

“You did great,” she said in a true best-friend encouraging voice. “No disasters, no dead bodies.”

“Just a few bumps in the road, thanks to Adele,” I replied. The kitchen crew was clearing the tables, and I was about to suggest that Dinah and I leave when someone else came into the dining hall. My mouth fell open when I realized who Mrs. Shedd had gotten to teach tai chi.

CHAPTER 5

“HI, SUNSHINE,” MASON FIELDS SAID AS HE crossed the empty dining hall to our table. “I’m guessing by your open mouth that you weren’t expecting me.”

The cleaning crew was beginning to put the chairs on the tables and sweep the floor. Mason’s expression clouded over. “Looks like I missed dinner, huh?”

“You’re right on both counts,” I said, still looking at him with disbelief. Dinah greeted him with a nod and a smile, and he gave her a wave.

“How come you never told me you do tai chi?” I asked, feeling a little unsettled.

Mason laughed. “You never asked. Sunshine, there’s a lot you don’t know about me. Tai chi brings balance to my life, though I’m not quite a master at it. Your boss made me sound better than I am. My teacher, Master Riki, was supposed to do the weekend, but he broke his leg. Nothing to do with tai chi, something about a slippery waxed floor. I was already coming up to Santa Cruz this weekend for my aunt’s eightieth birthday. I heard you were going to be running this workshop weekend, and I didn’t want to leave you hanging.” He glanced at Dinah and me and the empty table around us. “Where’s the detective?”

“Barry didn’t come,” I said. We were getting looks from the two men doing the chair moving and sweeping. Who could blame them? They wanted to be done and go home. “Maybe we ought to take it outside,” I said.

Besides his apparent skill at tai chi, Mason was a well-known criminal lawyer. Well-known because he was the one celebrities in trouble turned to. He was known for keeping them out of jail. He also had a self-deprecating sense of humor that was endearing.

We had sort of a flirty friendship. Mason had wanted it to become something more, and during the time Barry and I had broken up, it almost had. Mason and I seemed to be on the same page relationship-wise. We both wanted something casual. Only his definition of casual turned out to be too no-strings for me. Even so, we had stayed friends. And since I seemed to find myself mixed up in murders, it was handy to have a criminal attorney around just in case.

Outside, the air was so thick with moisture that it had a texture. And it was dark. I asked Mason if he’d checked in; he nodded and mentioned his room was in Lodge. “I think my room is right down the hall from yours,” he said with a devilish smile. Did I mention that Mason was still hoping for more than friendship?

“Sorry I’m so late, but my flight got diverted to San Jose because of the fog, and then I had to drive from there. Are there any restaurants in this place?” He gestured toward the grounds that were mostly invisible thanks to the fact we seemed to be in the middle of a cloud.

“No, and there’s no room service. Have you been to your room yet?” I asked.

“Yes. I noticed there was no television, no telephone, and not much in the way of luxurious amenities. Personally, I like it for a change. When I come here, I usually stay at one of the resorts in Pebble Beach,” he said. “Now, there must be some place to eat in the area.”

I suggested we check with the registration desk, and we headed up the walkway to the administration building. As we were climbing the stairs to the deck, Nora Franklyn appeared out of the darkness, pulling a white windbreaker around her.

“Have you seen Bennett?” she said with an edge in her voice. She glanced past us toward the empty dining hall.

“Last time I saw him, he was walking out with the others. Why don’t you call his cell phone?”

Nora appeared dismayed. “I would, but he left his cell in the room.” She looked around the dark area. “This place is impossible at night with all those winding paths.”

I wanted to say it was her idea to move to a building at the edge of the grounds. I wanted to, but didn’t. It would only irritate her more.

Instead, I tried acting sympathetic. “I’m sure he’ll show up. Maybe you just missed him.” I gestured toward the path ahead that disappeared into the fog. “If we see him, I’ll tell him you’re looking for him.” Nora didn’t fly into a tirade, but she didn’t seem pacified either, and I thought I heard her mutter something about leaving in the morning.

“She doesn’t seem happy,” Mason said, watching her go.

“I hope she’s not serious about leaving in the morning. What am I going to do if they go? I have people arriving who’re expecting an acting workshop with a known actor.”

“It’ll be okay,” Mason said. “She’s just upset. I’ve had clients like Bennett. You see these people on TV shows acting like they can run the world, but in real life they’re clueless. She probably has to take care of everything all the time. He gets to be the nice guy and she has to be the hammer.”

“Do you think I should help her look for him?” She was almost out of sight. Dinah grabbed my arm.

“Snap out of it,” she said. “He’s not that helpless. He’ll find his way back to their room even without his phone and in the fog. And she won’t leave in the morning. It seems to me she’s been threatening something since the moment we first saw her.”

“Dinah’s right, Sunshine,” Mason said. “Let’s get back to finding some food.”

We went inside the administration building and Mason talked to the redheaded clerk. Meanwhile, Dinah and I checked out the long table set up for morning registration. Sheila and Adele had left the boxes of folders under the table along with a check-in list. I opened a random folder and was glad to see it had a schedule, map, name tag, and meal ticket.

“Apparently there’s only one option,” Mason said, leaning against the pool table as I put the folder back and pushed the box under the table. “The nearby restaurants are already closed, but there’s a market still open.” As we headed toward Mason’s rental car, which was parked near the gate, Commander Blaine caught up with us, and when he heard where we were going, he asked if he could tag along.

“I need to get some things for my session tomorrow,” Commander said. Dinah didn’t join in as Mason and I invited him along. I was really going to have to find out what was up with her. The street outside was very dark, and we followed the clerk’s directions. A few blocks up, we passed some businesses and a restaurant. All closed for the night. I was relieved to see cars in the grocery store parking lot. At dinner I had been too busy being concerned about everybody to eat, and I was very hungry.

We each got a basket and started going through the aisles. Mason headed off to the prepared foods, Dinah and I went on a cookie hunt, and Commander headed for parts unknown.

I pulled Dinah into the aisle with the toothpaste and cat food. “Okay, what’s with you and Commander Blaine? He brightens up like a three-hundred-watt halogen bulb every time he sees you, and you look at him like he’s dust. What’s the problem?”

Dinah shook her head so vehemently that her dangle earrings began to jangle. “There’s no point in encouraging him. He’s not my type. Did you look at his jeans? And the shoes! And did you listen to him?”

I had to admit I hadn’t been paying attention to his pants or footwear. We slipped around the aisles until we looked down and saw Commander reading the labels on the olive jars. At first I thought Dinah had lost her mind, then I got it. His jeans had creases so sharp you could probably cut butter with them. The shoes were tasseled loafers that were polished to perfection. The kind I called party shoes.