The house on the hill stood like a quiet queen overlooking the ocean, its white walls glowing under the warm brush of the late afternoon sun. Waves rolled lazily against the shore below, the rhythm of the tide blending with the cries of distant gulls. She sat on the edge of her wide cedar deck, one long, toned leg folded beneath her and the other stretched out, her toes painted a deep, glossy red. The hem of her loose lin...