I was right next to Claudine and saw every one of her face muscles clench. In the movie version of this story, the glass drops in slow motion—the shattering a metaphor of how her and Henry’s lives were about to explode the same way.

Then Henry called the five-minute break and the two of them left the room. The rest of us went to the bar. By this time the snow was coming down so hard, it felt like the entire house existed inside a snow globe. Like some child had taken the world and shaken it so hard, it was impossible to tell which way was up or down. As I was staring out the windows, Steve came up to me.

“You think Aspen is beautiful now,” he said, “you should see it in the spring and summer. That’s the favorite time of the year for us locals. Every hillside is a blanket of wildflowers, and the rivers are fast and strong from all the melted snow. Everything is green and lush. Even the breezes are sweet. Actually, there’s a listing I represent that just came on the market. A gorgeous five-bedroom that overlooks the Roaring Fork River. You should come take a look before you head back to California. I think you’d love it.”

He gave me his business card, then walked away. He was a good salesman. I mean, his tan was out of control but he wasn’t pushy the way Claudine was. There wasn’t the same air of desperation about him. And, honestly, I was a little more receptive to his pitch than I would have been just a half hour earlier, walking out of the screening room with Henry. Once Natalie unwrapped the statue and Claudine dropped her glass, a weird energy infiltrated the house. I almost opened up my ghost hunter app to scan the room. But instead, I headed to the bar to grab a drink. The other guests had been really quiet toward me so far. I figured Claudine told them to keep their distance. Polite, but not nosey. But with her and Henry out of the room, they started to get more brave.

“Where do you write your songs?” Louisa asked.

“What’s your favorite venue you’ve ever played?” Rashida asked.

“How do you protect your vocal cords?” Kevin asked, then Jerry asked again.

“What’s the fastest quick change you’ve ever done during a show?” Intense John.

“Are you still in touch with Liam?” Wow. Jules was brave.