4
AFTER GIVING HER statement to the police—no, I didn’t see anything—Elena had stepped out of the VIP room at the rear of Bow-Tie to join Penelope, who was sitting on a sofa with their friends in the bar area. Verena, Scarlett, Fianna, and Dahlia were there commiserating with each other, while Lance and Johnny were seeing to guests.
Crumpled napkins littered the vintage wooden floor of the half-empty restaurant, and the atmosphere was thick with tension as people milled about with worried expressions. The glamour and excitement of the evening had been shattered. Once guests finished giving statements, they hurried out, anxious to leave the scene and move on to other parties. Except for those who had been robbed, who left just as quickly in a state of shock bound for home.
Feeling light-
