Red Leaves

Red Leaves
Paullina Simons

From the internationally bestselling author of The Bronze Horseman, the tale of an Ivy League campus devastated by the intractable mystery at the heart of a student’s deathFour students and their relationships lie at the core of this dazzling novel of mystery, murder and suspense, set in a snowbound Ivy League college. Their focal point is brilliant basketball star Kristina Kim – apparently happy and stable, but soon revealed to have hidden secrets.When she is found dead in the snow, it falls to local detective Spencer O’Malley, a man who had half fallen in love with her, to investigate the crime. The spotlight falls on her three closest friends… and a story as gothic and intense as a modern-day Wuthering Heights begins to unravel.

PAULLINA SIMONS

RED LEAVES

Copyright (#ulink_823b6aa6-3ad5-5be9-ae2c-f43c3dff305f)

Harper

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain by Flamingo an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1997

Copyright © Paullina Simons 1996

Paullina Simons asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.

Source ISBN: 9780006550570

Ebook Edition © MARCH 2015 ISBN: 9780007396689

Version: 2015-03-09

For my Kevin,

and for Bob Tavetian, you’re in our hearts

Contents

Cover Page (#ue7d9f42e-21a2-56b6-bc97-32df867463fc)

Title Page (#ue96a435b-21dd-5f88-84f0-c56857be220a)

Copyright (#ueaf668ff-c491-546c-a03b-a458d6f9a4ac)

PROLOGUE (#ufeaab333-d2ce-5196-b197-4fed981c48a5)

I THE GIRL IN THE BLACK BOOTS (#ue930e351-7ae6-5054-8760-5cec19432feb)

CHAPTER ONE: Sunday (#uddaed6ce-9974-571e-81f4-26eb46558352)

CHAPTER TWO: Monday (#u5c06c8ce-40a6-582f-986f-6b7940af2d9c)

CHAPTER THREE: Tuesday (#litres_trial_promo)

II SPENCER PATRICK O’MALLEY (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FOUR: In the Woods and on the Wall (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER FIVE: Close Friends (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SIX: Disposition of the Estate (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER SEVEN: Constance Tobias (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER EIGHT: Once Upon a Time in Greenwich, Connecticut (#litres_trial_promo)

CHAPTER NINE: Red Leaves (#litres_trial_promo)

EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)

Keep Reading (#litres_trial_promo)

Acknowledgments (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)

Also by the Author (#litres_trial_promo)

Tully (#litres_trial_promo)

Eleven Hours (#litres_trial_promo)

Road to Paradise (#litres_trial_promo)

Paullina’s Website (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

PROLOGUE (#ulink_52dcb849-f732-53a4-8434-a1d80f00784c)

At Greenwich Point Park, where the saltwater air from Long Island Sound fused with the earthy smell of fallen leaves, two children climbed stairs leading to what once was a castle. They were alone.

Earlier they had walked past the parking attendant, who seemed to know them well and waved them on with a smile. The park was large and it was a long walk to where they wanted to be, but the sun shone and it was still warm. The girl carried a white-and-red paper bag, while the boy carried his baseball cap and a kite. They walked around the western end of the bay and found a picnic table near the beach. The girl immediately wanted to take off her shoes and feel the smooth stones under her feet, but the boy said no. He wanted to eat first. She sighed and sat down. They ate. The girl didn’t sulk for long; she was happy to be here.

Afterward, she kicked off her white canvas shoes, stood, and happily headed for the water. Many of the stones were covered with slimy moss, but she didn’t mind. She picked up some of the scattered mussels around the beach and inspected them. She threw down the open ones, remembering what her father had told her: ‘If they are open, it means they are dead and no good.’ She put the closed black shells in her bag. The boy brought over some crabs, and she put them in her bag also.