Stars (The Butterfly Trilogy)

"A steamy story of violence, sin and corruption."

—
San Francisco Chronicle

"Sizzling!"

—
New York Daily News

"Glamour, wickedness, and passion . . . A vivid, imaginative tale . . . Builds to a dramatic and unexpected conclusion."

—
Publishers Weekly

"Pacing that hurtles you through the pages."

—
Washington Post Book World

"Erotic . . . An immensely readable yarn."

—
Chicago Tribune

"Gripping . . . Builds in intensity until the dramatic denouement that is not easy to forget."

—
Rave Reviews

Other Books By

KATHRYN HARVEY

Butterfly

Private Entrance

Books By

BARBARA WOOD

Virgins of Paradise

The Dreaming

Green City in the Sun

Soul Flame

Vital Signs

Domina

The Watch Gods

Childsong

Night Trains

Yesterday's Child

Curse This House

Hounds and Jackals

The Divining

Turner Publishing Company

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Stars

     Copyright © 2012 Kathryn Harvey. All rights reserved.
This book or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Cover design by Gina Binkley
Interior design by Mike Penticost

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Harvey, Kathryn.
Stars / Kathryn Harvey.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-59652-873-4
1. Businesswomen--Fiction. 2. Palm Springs (Calif.)--Fiction. I. Title.
PS3573.O5877S73 2012
813'.54--dc23

2012006387

Printed in the United States of America
12 13 14 15 16 17 18—0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

For Harvey Klinger, the best agent in the world.
And a real sweetie-pie.

Too low they build, who build beneath the stars.
EDWARD YOUNG (1683-1765)

     Special thanks go to some special people: Kate Medina and Jonathan Karp at Random House; at Avon Books, Carolyn Reidy. For support above and beyond the call of duty, thanks to Ginny Pope, and, as always, to my husband, George.

     P.S. Secret message to niece, Amy: Chapter 32 is just for you!

F
ROM THE
L
OS
A
NGELES
H
ERALD
, J
ULY
4, 1932:

     Palm Springs, California—Early this morning famous movie director Dexter Bryant Ramsey was found dead at Star's Haven, the Mount San Jacinto home of glamorous film star Marion Star. Discovered by a servant just before dawn, in what has become known as the Obscene Bathroom, the body of the slain Ramsey was naked, with a single bullet through the head. Police have launched a massive search for Miss Star, who, according to witnesses at the scene, vanished mysteriously during the night. While a motive for the murder has not yet been established, speculation is that Marion Star, who is known for her flamboyant lifestyle and sexual excesses, may have carried out a brutal act of revenge...

F
ROM THE
"U
NIQUE
O
FFERINGS" SECTION OF THE
P
ALM
S
PRINGS
R
EALTOR
, 1984:

     Located near summit of Mount San Jacinto: forty-two room mansion, plus outbuildings, on 92-acre property known as Star's
Haven, built 1927, electricity added 1930, unoccupied since 1932. Access: Fire road from Highway 111, one mile past the Windy Creek turnoff. Sell or trade, best offer.

E
XCERPTED FROM
S
UE
C
OOK'S COLUMN IN
P
ALM
S
PRINGS
L
IFE MAGAZINE
, 1988:

     Who is the anonymous buyer, at last, of the mystery-shrouded Star's Haven, which has stood empty in its mountain solitude for nearly sixty years, site of the sensational Dexter Bryant Ramsey murder, which is still unsolved after all these years? What are his or her plans for the supposedly haunted mansion? What is contained in the steady stream of unmarked trucks and vans that are making the long drive up the fire road to the top? And is it true that the work going on around the clock at the base of the mountain is preparation for a tramway that will climb six thousand feet to the property? One can only speculate...

     The invitation to the Christmas ball at Star's on Mount San Jacinto went out weeks ago.

     They were printed with the resort logo: an elegant silver star against a dark blue background, and the resort's slogan underneath: "Star's—Explore the Fantasy..." Black tie only.

I
HAVE A SURPRISE FOR YOU," HE SAID, AND SHE MOANED
softly as she felt him enter her one more time. They had been making love for what seemed like hours; he had remarkable staying power, and he had been very inventive. And now he had a surprise for her?

     "What is it?" she said breathlessly, stirring beneath him on satin sheets damp from their afternoon of passion.

     When he rolled away from her onto his side, she gave him a questioning look. She had thought they were going to start again. "Keep your eyes closed," he whispered, and when he caressed the inside of her thigh, she was startled by the sudden electricity of his touch. It amazed her that, after all this time, she was still sexually aroused. Was there no limit to her appetite? Not with Sanford, she thought, laughing softly, deep in her throat. Not with the greatest lover in the world. "What's my surprise?" she said.

     "A going-away present, so that you will remember me while you're gone. I wrapped it specially," he said softly, his lips brushing her ear as his hand
moved in teasing circles inside her thigh. "In the most beautiful package I could find, just for you, my beautiful movie star."