other places that Gia was," I mused.
"Maybe he decided to take things from stalking to something more violent. It's possible he snuck backstage and, in some obsessed fan moment, attacked her."
It sounded entirely possible. "I wonder if Gia knew about him," I said. "I mean, you think maybe she noticed him hanging around a few times?"
Ava glanced at the array of Gia's selfies. "I don't know." She pointed to one photo of Jada and Gia with their arms wrapped around each other, posing at some red carpet event. "But it looks like Jada and Gia were close. Maybe she'd know?"
CHAPTER FOUR
Twenty minutes later, Ava and I parked my Jeep in the lot behind the Sonoma Valley Inn, where the models and designers were staying the weekend. As we made our way through the lobby and past the bar, it looked largely deserted, the weekend guests already out on winery tours or enjoying the perfectly sunny weather of the mild summer we were having this year.
A middle-aged woman with a soft face and pleasant smile sat behind the check-in counter. "May I help you?" she asked as we approached.
"Yes, we were hoping to speak to one of your guests. Jada Devereux. Do you know what room she's in?" Ava asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman—whose nametag read Judy—said. "We can't give out room numbers of our guests. You know, for security reasons."
"Oh." Ava frowned and sent me a look.
"But I could call up to her room and let her know you're here," Judy offered.
"Could you?" Ava asked, perking up. "Oh, that would be great."
Judy sent her a pleasant smile again, picking up an old corded style phone from behind the desk. "Happy to. And who may I say is waiting for her?"
"Ava Barnett, from Silver Girl jewelry."
Judy nodded then typed in a number from her computer screen. After a short beat, we heard her mumble something into the phone before hanging up.
She shook her head. "Sorry, she wasn't in. I left a message."
Ava let out a long sigh. "Thanks."
She looked so dejected that even Judy seemed to feel a little bad, as she asked, "Is Jada by any chance one of the models in town for that fashion show?"
"Yes," I answered.
Judy's eyes darted from one side to the other. "Look, I don't know if your model was with them, but I did just see a group of them go to the pool." She pointed down a hallway to our right. "It's just out the back."
"Judy, you are a peach," Ava said, giving the woman a winning smile before she quickly grabbed me by the arm and steered me down the hallway.
It ended in a glass double door leading to an outdoor courtyard. We pushed through, revealing a crystal blue pool at the courtyard's center. Lounge chairs surrounded it, and a large rock waterfall at one end provided some shade and a breathtaking cascade of shimmering water. A couple of families sat near the shallow end, enjoying the break from the heat with their children, and near the decorative waterfall I spied four slim women in bikinis, soaking up the sun's rays.
Luck was with us. The exotic looking Jada sat on the farthest lounger, her chair pulled a bit away from the rest of the girls, her head down, as if she were napping.
"Jada?" Ava said as we approached.
The model flipped over onto her back and propped herself up on one arm. "Yeah?"
"Hi. Ava. From the fashion show?" she supplied. "And my friend, Emmy."
Jada pushed her sunglasses up onto her head. "Sure. I remember you." Up close I could see that her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. I felt my heart go out to her. I wasn't sure how close she and Gia had been, but even the thought of losing Ava made my chest clench.
"I'm so sorry for your loss," I told her, honestly meaning it.
Her eyes misted, and she sniffed loudly. "Thanks."
"How are you holding up?" Ava asked, gingerly sitting on the edge of an empty lounger beside her.
Jada shrugged her bare shoulders, shifting to a seated position. "It is what it is, you know?" She sucked in a deep breath, letting it out on a sigh. "The police asked us to stay in town for the weekend." She glanced over at the other models, who were largely ignoring our private conversation as they looked at something on the middle woman's phone. "But I guess it's better to grieve together than alone, right?"
The other three women didn't look to be particularly