"At last," Zelda said and turned the door handle. "It's locked."
"What?" I shifted the bus tray to my hip. "Knock on the door, somebody must be inside."
Zelda knocked but no one came to our rescue and I felt the first raindrops plunk onto my head. "Oh come on, God. This isn't funny!"
We set the bus trays down by the kitchen door, then went looking for another back entrance. As we hooked around the kitchen, we passed another set of French doors with drapes drawn over them. I pointed. "Maybe there?"
The door opened when I turned the handle but we heard voices. I stopped and put a finger to my lips.
"I don't understand why you have to do this." It was a woman's voice but not one I recognized.
"You don't have to understand. I don't owe you any explanation." That was Maggie Manston.
"It's a waste of time and money," the other woman said.
"It's my money and I can waste it if I please!"
"Daddy wouldn't want this!" It had to be Lauren Manston arguing with her mother. What was Maggie wasting her money on?
"You haven't any idea what your father would have wanted!"
"Like you even cared," Lauren yelled back.
One of them groaned, then a door slammed and silence followed. While we waited the rain trickled down our backs and on our heads. Zelda nudged me to go inside but I shook my head.
"We're getting soaking wet," Zelda whispered.
"What if they're still in there?"
"Then we'll tell them we got locked out."
I wasn't sure.
"It's the truth isn't it?"
It was the truth and we couldn't stand outside in the rain forever. I opened the door and we stepped inside.
"Who's that?" Lauren Manston said.
I glared at Zelda then smiled at Lauren. She sat in a large leather club chair, a glass of red wine in her hand.
"Sorry, we're with the caterers. We got locked out of the kitchen and we're trying to find our way back in."
Lauren held my gaze for a moment, sipped her wine from a beautiful crystal goblet then put it down on the side table. "Locked out of the kitchen? You weren't eavesdropping then?"
I fidgeted under her deep blue gaze. "Eavesdropping?" I shook my head. I nudged Zelda toward the door. "Again, sorry to disturb you."
"Wait a minute." We froze. Lauren studied us a few seconds more and pointed an unsteady finger at us. "Don't I know you?"
I shook my head and Zelda shuffled her feet. "No, I'm sure we never met."
She squinted at us. "You're all wet."
"Excuse me?"
"You were out in the rain. You're all wet. Let me get you a towel." She struggled to get out of her chair but couldn't manage it.
I stepped toward her with my hand out. "Please, don't bother. We'll be fine. I'm sure there are towels in the kitchen."
"I'm Lauren." She looked at me expectantly.
I cleared my throat. "Scotti and Zelda, nice to meet you. Sorry about your father."
Lauren reached for the bottle of wine on the side table and refilled her glass. "Oh yes, everybody is so sorry about Dad." She started to cry. "But what about me?"
Zelda stepped forward. "What about you?"
I grabbed Zelda's arm and muttered. "Don't encourage her."
But it was too late, Lauren was already encouraged. "Everybody thinks George Manston was such a wonderful man. So kind, so honest. But if he was so honest why didn't I know that I had a sister until six months ago?"
So, Lily appeared on the scene six months ago? I made a mental note but neither of us dared to respond to Lauren.
Lauren's tears disappeared. "Oh Lily's all right. It's not her fault that Dad didn't tell us. Or that he waited to tell us that she was family." She smirked. "He said she was the daughter of an old friend." She slapped her knee like that was wildly funny. "What he failed to mention was that the old friend was his high school sweetheart. After whom, I apparently was named."
She waited for a reaction from us but when she got none, she shrugged and downed her glass of wine. Then she refilled her glass, leaned back in her chair and tucked her legs underneath her. "Isn't that the kind of detail you'd think your father would have told you before your twentieth birthday?" She took a healthy gulp of wine and waved a hand. "Never mind, never mind — don't answer that."
I wanted to bolt from the room but felt anchored to the spot where I stood. I was dying to know the details that Lauren was freely spilling but terrified Marsha or Maggie would burst through the door any minute. Lauren fluttered her hand. "Then a couple months ago, we had a come-to-Jesus meeting and Dad spilled the whole story. He'd gotten Laura pregnant when they were teenagers then moved away without ever knowing." She stabbed a finger in the air. "But miraculously, Lily found him these many years later and father and daughter were reunited. Or should I say, united because he never knew Lily existed before then." She made a face. "Or so he said."
"Wow, that's quite a story," I said.
Lauren nodded. "Isn't it though?"
My gaze shifted to the door. "But I'm sure they're wondering where we are..."
Lauren grinned. "I like you girls. I don't know why but I do. What are your names again?"
"Mona and Lisa," Zelda piped in.
"But the best part of the story is that Laura, Lily's mother, died. Cancer. Sad, right?" Lauren made a pouty face. "Then suddenly Lily found Dad. And she wasn't an orphan anymore. Just like a TV movie, huh?"
Zelda, entranced by the story walked toward Lauren. "But why did he wait so long to tell you?"
Lauren shrugged. "He said he wanted to be sure."
"Sure of what?" Zelda asked.
"That's exactly what we wanted to know." Then she looked confused and lost in her own story. She chewed on her lip and glanced around the room. "He was checking her out. Making sure it wasn't a trick or con..."
"What kind of trick?" Zelda said.
Lauren chuckled and snorted. "You're not familiar with rich folk, are you?" She sighed deeply. "It's like this: we have lots of stuff, not just money, but stuff. And we spend an enormous amount of time and money protecting our stuff, you understand? So when people show up out of the blue — especially people who claim to be family — we assume their interest is in our stuff and not us."
My head spun with the new revelations but we had to get out of that room before we were discovered. My eyes darted to the door again.
"What's the matter?" Lauren asked. "You look like you made a wrong turn into a bad neighborhood."
Lauren wasn’t wrong. That's exactly how I felt but I said, "Nothing."
"No, really," Lauren said and studied me. "What? Tell me."
"We need to get back to work."
Lauren laughed. "Too much information, am I right? My bad. I've broken the rules. Don't air the family's dirty laundry." She lowered her voice. "Fuck it. I don't care." She glanced around in confusion then shrugged. "Maybe that's the end. He finally told us, then Lily moved in. He bought her a car, and clothes and whatever she wanted. Now I have a big sister."
Then Lauren's head lolled back against the chair and she went still. We waited but Lauren didn't move. "Oh damn it all to hell."
Zelda whispered, "Is she dead?"
"No, drunk as a skunk but definitely alive." I looked at the door. "Do we alert the staff or slip out and let somebody else find her?"
The moment the words came out of my mouth, Maggie came through the door – like magic. She frowned at the sight of her daughter. "What's this?"
"Sorry ma'am, we came in for dirty dishes and found her there in the chair."
Maggie wasn't interested in us and went to Lauren. She lightly patted her face. "Lauren, wake up. Lauren?"
Lauren stirred. "Mommy?"
"That's right, darling, Mommy's here. Stand up, sweetheart." Maggie got Lauren to her feet. "Come on, darling let's get you upstairs."
Lauren groaned. "I want Daddy and he's dead, Mom. He's dead." She cried like a little girl. "Why is he dead?"
Maggie held onto Lauren and walked her to the door. "I know darling. Everything will be all right."
As though on cue, Marsha came through the door and without a word, flanked Lauren's other side. Quickly, they escorted Lauren out of the room — but not before Marsha glared at us.
"So much for a bonus," I said and pushed Zelda toward the door.
"That poor kid," Zelda said.
Stepping into the hallway, we came face to face with Daniels and Davis.
"Well, well, well, look who we have here." Daniels opened the library door and backed us into the room.
Chapter Thirteen
Once again, we were trapped in the library with no escape to hand. Daniels stood in front of the door – his giant body as immovable as a mountain. Davis stood to his right, scowling. They were both armed. Hardly a fair fight. I paced in front of them, exasperated. "How many times do I have to say this? We're part of the catering crew."
"Yeah," Zelda said. "That's our excuse, what's yours?"
"Rest assured, we're here on police business," Daniels said.
I glared at him. "Then why are you picking on us?" I jabbed a finger in the air. "This is harassment!"
Davis leaned against the wall by the door, arms crossed over her chest. The woman had an unnerving habit of staring through you. "Nobody is harassing you."
I backed away a few steps. "Then we're free to go? We're supposed to be working, not chatting it up with the police." I smirked. "Or are you worried we're going to steal the silverware?"
Daniels glowered at me just like one of my foster fathers used to do before he went for his belt. "This is the second time now that we've run into you here."
I threw up my hands. "It's a coincidence. If we'd known this job was for George's wake, we wouldn't have taken it. But we didn't know. It was a last minute thing."
Davis said, "You two don't know what you're getting tangled up in."
I wagged a finger at Davis. "The only thing that’s tangling us up is your intimidation tactics. Don't you have anything better to do than to hassle a couple of hard-working waitresses?" I held up a hand. "No, don't answer that. We have to get back to work before Marsha blows a gasket."
Daniels put a smile on his big rubbery face. "Will you two relax? We're not trying to get something on you. But there's stuff we can't share.” He held out his hands in supplication. "Truth is, we're looking out for you. You hear what I'm saying?"
I took Zelda by the arm and steered her around Daniels. "I hear you but I don’t believe you."
"You need to listen to us," Davis said quietly.
I shook my head. "No, we don't. We need to get back to work and you two can do whatever it is you're doing. Which by the way, please don't tell me."
Daniels stepped aside and I pulled the door open then came face to face with Maggie — still no recognition in her eyes. "You can go back to the reception now. My daughter is fine. Thank you for your assistance." She frowned at Daniels and Davis. "What's this?" She stepped inside and closed the door. "The police?"
"Afternoon, ma'am," Daniels said. "We were conducting a quick interview."
Maggie backed them further into the room, pointing her finger. "Interrogating my staff? In my home? Who do you think you are?"
Daniels opened his mouth to respond but Maggie didn't give him the chance.
"That was a rhetorical question, detective. To be perfectly honest, I don't give a damn who you think you are. When my husband was murdered, you didn't have the time of day for me. Now it's your duty to follow me, shove your way into my husband's memorial uninvited, and accost my staff to satisfy your curiosity?" She pointed to the door. "Get out!"
Davis cut in, "But ma'am if we could explain..."
"What you don't seem to understand, detective, is that I'm not interested in your explanations. I want you off my property now or I'm going to call my friend the Mayor."
While Maggie distracted the cops, we quietly backed out of the room and closed the door. I grabbed Zelda by the arm. "Back to work, roomie."
And then we walked right into Marsha. "Yes, let's get you back to work, shall we?"
All the way to the kitchen I tried to explain to Marsha. "We got turned around and were trying to get back inside. Then Lauren Manston wanted to talk and she'd had too much to drink..."
Marsha waved her big floppy hands at me. "Fine, fine. Enough." She bent her head and lowered her voice. "It's a good thing Maggie Manston was grateful that you were discreet about her daughter."
I nodded but kept my mouth shut. Marsha let out a hissy sigh and put on a toothy smile. "Okay ladies, time to wrap it up. Go help Adrianne in the great room." She waved us out of the kitchen. "We have to be out of here in less than an hour."
On our way to the great room, my cell phone chirped and Zelda glared at me. "You snuck in your cell phone? I could rat you out to Marsha."
I shushed Zelda and answered the call, keeping an eye out for Marsha. "Hello?...You're kidding?...Now?...We won't be back for an hour...Try to stall them... try, okay?" I turned the phone off and put it in my pocket. "Crap."
Zelda whispered, "Who was that? Stall who?"
Keeping my voice down I said, "Debbie. The other buyer is in the diner. Right now, talking to Manny."
Zelda grabbed me by the arm and rushed me toward the great room. "Okay roomie, chop chop.”
<<>>
The rest of crew were as anxious to go home as we were. And we got everything cleaned and broken down in under an hour. Then we waited. Marsha wanted to settle up with everybody on site so she wouldn't have to go back to her office. But before she paid us she wanted a word with Maggie Manston.
The other servers sat in the back of the van bitching and moaning while I stood on the parking pad, shivering. Better to be cold than squashed. I sighed and groaned as I watched Maggie and Marsha chatting it up in the solarium. They were in no hurry.
Zelda climbed out of the van and followed my gaze. "What's taking so long?"
I hugged myself against the cold. "You know Marsha. She's probably setting up the next ten events in Maggie Manston's calendar."
"We're going to miss the secret buyer."
I puckered my lips. “He or she is long gone by now."
Though it was barely five o'clock, it was already dark and the temperature had dropped ten degrees. More rain was coming too because the clouds gathered overhead and the air smelled of ozone. I checked Marsha and Maggie and saw them hovering at the door. For a few seconds I was hopeful, then Marsha pulled out her phone and started scrolling through it.
The sound of a slow moving vehicle turned my attention back to the parking pad. A red Mini Cooper pulled in front of the van and parked.
Lily got out of the sports car and smiled. "Well, hello."
Now she recognized us?
I shuffled my feet to keep the blood circulating. "Hi."
Her expensive dress was too skimpy for the weather but she seemed comfortable and in no hurry to get inside. "Have you been here the entire time?" Lily asked.
"Yeah. We worked the entire event."
Lily smacked her forehead. "So that was you?" She giggled. "I wasn't sure and I didn't want to say anything." Her eyes flitted to the solarium where Maggie still chatted with Marcia. "Hmmm."
Zelda was dying to make a crack, but I cautioned her with a look. "Well, thanks," I said.
"Anyway, I'm glad you're here," Lily prattled on like we'd run into her at a favorite cafe. "I wanted to talk to you the other night, but well, inappropriate, right?" I nodded but said nothing. Lily smiled sweetly. "I was wondering what you're going to do now?"
"We're going to leave as soon as Marsha gets the lead out," Zelda said.
"No, not that." Lily leaned in and lowered her voice. "George told me your plans. But I guess you're kind of stuck now that George is gone, huh? It's a shame. It sounded like you had great ideas for the place."
Zelda joined the huddle and smiled. "You think so?"
Lily nodded. "I do."<
br />
"Then maybe you could talk to your step mother. Ask her to help Scotti because it's what your father George would’ve wanted."
Lily laughed like Zelda had told her a great joke. "If you think Maggie values my opinion, think again." She made a sad kitten face. "With George gone, I wouldn't be surprised if Maggie kicked me out tomorrow. I might be asking you for a job soon."
Coffee & Crime Page 8
