Murder in the Tea Leaves

Finley sat in the cool, marbled lobby waiting for her sister and looking from the front door to the oceanfront skyline behind her. Whitt’s flight from Tbilisi had arrived in Colombo at 3:10 p.m. If traffic delays didn’t foil the timetable, Whitt would make it to the hotel just in time for sunset. Finley had just shifted to look at the sky across the grass terrace when she heard footsteps. She turned to see a tall, young, board-thin woman in her signature black crop pants, crisp-white button-down, and Kate Spade flats. She was carrying her every-present black tote bag and a weathered leather duffle.

Though close sisters, physically Finley and Whitt were polar opposites. Both were tall, but where Whitt was that swimmer-straight physique, Finley was slim with curves. Where Whitt was classically pretty with delicate features, Finley had an aquiline nose and full perma-pink lips—an odd combination. Both had green eyes, but Whitt’s took after Daddy’s unnervingly clear green ones. Finley’s were a dark alligator-green like none ever seen before. Whitt’s hair was lighter than Finley’s chocolate tresses, and where Finley had a mass of heavy waves when her hair got long, Whitt’s was shoulder-length and straight.

“Drop your bag at the desk and follow me.” Finley said, getting up quickly and grabbing her sister’s hand, almost dragging her outside.

“Hello to you, too!”

“I can say hello to you once we get outside.”

Finley was walking quickly through the arched passageway that ran from the lobby to the outdoor terrace bar. When she descended the stairs, she stopped, right in the middle of the walkway. The view of the vibrant sunset was framed by two large coconut palms, one on each side, and grounded by matching terra-cotta urns. It was picture-perfect. Finley whipped out her camera and took a shot, and then backed up to put her sister in the frame, backlit by the burnished rays of the sun.

“Now, I can say hello. Hello, how was your flight?” Finley kissed her sister on both cheeks and then gave her a big hug. “You hungry or just want a drink?”

“Drink right now and food later.” The two headed toward a table the bartender had pointed to. They turned their chairs toward the sun and sat silently soaking in the last rays of warmth before it sank into the sea.