He put his finger to his lips and stepped inside. I followed and closed the door behind me. The library was quiet, the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner the only sound. I scanned the room. It was empty. My gaze went to the spot where I’d found Dooney’s body. The carpet was pristine, there wasn’t even a depression in the thick nap to show that a dead man had lain there. It was hard to believe that just two days ago, Dooney Portis had been murdered.

Harry gestured with his hand for us to move forward. I followed him. We walked across the room silently. We looked down the aisles between the short bookcases to see if anyone was hiding. There was no one. Disappointment weighed my shoulders down. I really thought we’d find Sunny here.

I did a visual sweep of the room just to be sure. I glanced at the chairs in front of the fireplace. They were empty. The settee faced away from us, and just to be thorough I walked around it. And there, curled up like a child, was Sunny fast asleep.

Chapter 14

I turned toward Harry, put my finger to my lips and pointed. He moved close enough to see her, and his eyes widened. He was as surprised as I was that we’d actually found her. I pantomimed that I would approach her and that he should stay out of sight. I didn’t want to freak her out. He nodded. I waited while he moved to crouch behind one of the nearby freestanding bookcases. He was close enough to hear everything, and to help me if I needed it.

Tiptoeing so as not to make any noise, I approached the small couch. I don’t know why it didn’t occur to me earlier, but given that I had found Dooney in a similar position in this very room, it hit me suddenly that Sunny could be dead.

I sucked in a breath. I stared at her chest, trying to see if it was rising and falling. I couldn’t tell. I felt woozy. If Sunny was . . . well, I didn’t think I could handle that. But the possibility was very real. If Dooney was murdered because he’d had an affair with Sunny, then didn’t it stand to reason that Sunny could be murdered for the same thing?

As I drew closer with dread in my heart, Sunny shifted. I jumped and almost yelped, but I managed to keep it in. Phew.

I squatted beside her so that I wasn’t looming over her. I gently put my arm on her shoulder and said, “Sunny, you need to wake up.”

She jumped, but mercifully didn’t yelp. Instead she shoved back from me, pressing herself into the couch. Her eyes were huge and I knew she didn’t recognize me.