Chapter Twenty Four
It wasn’t long before they were pulling into the driveway at Lucy and Paul’s. Parking beside Lucy’s car, Megan opened the door, and Barney jumped out and ran to the front door to wait for them. Before Aiden and Megan got all the way to the front door, Lucy had it open and was giving the puppy the attention he craved. Welcoming Aiden to her home, she motioned for the two of them to go on in. Megan led the way to the living room where Paul was reading the morning paper from Palm Beach.
The four of them talked for a few minutes before Lucy suggested that they walk over to Mrs. Potter’s home. Leading the way, she headed out the back door and over to an iron gate in their back yard that separated their property from Mrs. Potter’s. Once the gate was open, Barney took off … he knew exactly where he was headed: Mrs. Potter was one of his favorite humans and she was always happy to see him. Following behind the puppy, the rest of them walked the path connecting the neighbors. It took a few moments, but Aiden quickly realized that they were actually walking through an old section of a citrus grove. He looked over at Megan in surprise.
“The Potters were one of the first families to settle here and their primary income was from citrus. Most of this area used to be one of the first groves they planted. As they expanded, they moved the operational groves further west and sold off some of this grove to private homebuilders like Paul. Mrs. Potter kept the original homestead and over the years it has been enlarged and updated. She kept as many citrus trees as she could; you should smell it here in February when the citrus is in bloom. You could just about get dizzy from the sweetness of the scent. Come on, Mrs. Potter is anxious to meet you, and you are going to love her.” Grabbing his hand, Megan pulled him ahead of Paul and Lucy and hurried to catch up with her dog.
Barney’s excited barks had alerted Mrs. Potter to their arrival, and she was out by her backyard gazebo waiting for them as they cleared the citrus trees and walked across her lawn over to her. Hugs were exchanged, and Aiden was properly introduced to the town monarch.
“It is a pleasure to meet you Ma’am, I’ve heard a lot about you.” Aiden said politely as he shook her outstretched hand.
“Oh, I’m thrilled to meet you too, Aiden. But I haven’t heard near enough about you. Come, all of you, there is iced tea and some of Paul’s favorite cookies waiting for us.”
Sure enough, Aiden could see the table in the gazebo was set with a tray of cookies, glasses, and a large pitcher of tea so cold that the water had beaded on the sides of the glass pitcher and ran down in droplets. Paul held the chair for Mrs. Potter and the five of them sat down to get acquainted. Mrs. Potter was a master at small talk and soon had Aiden opening up about his FBI career and his life in DC. As they talked, the conversation gradually worked its way to tonight’s party and their hopes for a successful trap to be sprung. Aiden and Megan filled the others in on what they had discovered and how their target suspects were narrowed down to three.
“Mrs. Potter, we are going to ask you to stick close to Paul and Lucy tonight. This way you have some protection and they can be witnesses to all that happens between you and our targets. I will be Megan’s date, keeping her safe and hopefully out of trouble. I have arranged to have agents pose as volunteers, caterers and wait staff to keep the guests confined to the main party areas and off any of the side trails out on the preserve. We have to keep those three targets in sight at all times--”
“Don’t you mean four? I still have a bad feeling about Leslie Black’s involvement, Aiden.” Megan interrupted.
“You’re right, of course, Megan. But somehow I don’t think she is going to stray too far from us … she still wants to know what we found in JT’s office, and she is going to need to be on hand to introduce Mrs. Potter to the men in question. Maybe she will be able to lead us to the connection between all three of our suspects. I agree, she is a loose end, but one that is somehow important to our solving this murder.”
“Well, I must say, it sounds as if you have everything planned out, Aiden. But no matter how well you plan, something may go astray. I want your promise that you will keep our Megan safe no matter what … even if it means letting your suspects slip through your fingers tonight.” Mrs. Potter looked sternly at Aiden and it was easy to see a glimmer of the strict librarian she once was.
“I give you my word, Mrs. Potter, Megan will be my highest concern tonight.”
“Good. Then that settles that. Now we’ve just about talked this thing to death. Gentleman … I’m sure that you can find something to keep yourselves occupied with for the rest of the afternoon. We ladies are going to need time to primp and get our party faces on, so you two take this wonderful little scamp with you and we will all be ready for you to pick us up later this evening. And remember, I’m on the committee for this affair, so I will need to be there early.” Mrs. Potter stood up with Barney in her arms and held the puppy out to Paul as she dismissed the two men.
Megan looked at Lucy, she had not planned on staying here all afternoon. She didn’t even know what she was going to wear tonight, let alone get ready. Lucy just grinned back at her. Paul and Aiden found themselves being hustled out of the way and decided it was better to listen to Mrs. Potter’s directions than to try and fight them.
While the men got in Paul’s truck and left with the dog happily hanging his head out the sliding back window, Mrs. Potter guided Megan and Lucy inside her home. As they walked in through the back door, the doorbell at the front rang.
“Megan, would you be a dear and get the front door? Lucy that package is in the downstairs guest room, if you would run and lay it out, please. Oh, this is going to be fun … I haven’t had one these get-togethers in years. My daddy used to call them hen parties. Go, go, girls. Don’t just stand there.”
Mrs. Potter was grinning from ear to ear and Lucy looked pretty darned happy too. Megan did not know if she should to be afraid of what these two women were up to or what. Opening the front door, she found a group of ladies, led by Dorothy Rice with arms full of fancy dresses and all the accessories needed to complete their look. Megan said hello to each woman as they entered and realized that these were all the ladies that were on the planning committee for tonight’s party. Before she could close the door, another car pulled into the driveway and four more women got out. These women were dressed in a uniform that had the name of one of the larger Spa’s from a well-known resort out of Palm Beach. Megan held the door open for them as they came up the walk, arms full of boxes. Dorothy had also waited for the spa employees and when they entered the house, she led them to the large ballroom as planned. There, Mrs. Potter was waiting for everyone to join her. After all had taken their seats, she clapped her hands for attention and then spoke.
“Ladies, I want to thank you so much for joining me today. I promise you that it will be a wonderful afternoon. I have planned this little surprise for all of you to thank you for all your hard work and time you have given so generously to the preservation of Neptune’s Trident. As you all know, the founder of the preserve was a wonderful woman and a great friend of mine. When Edith Beard and I were young girls, going to a dance was a very special event, one that took a proper young lady all day to prepare for. So, in honor of her and the wonderful memories I have of our dances, I would like to treat you ladies to a proper preparation to this dance with gratitude.
I have informed your ‘dates’ that they will be picking you all up here at my home and getting you to Neptune’s Trident in plenty of time to see to any last minute details that are sure to pop up. Your job until then is to relax and be pampered. These lovely ladies have come all the way up from Palm Beach to give you a wonderful afternoon: Hair, nails, makeup, and of course a soothing massage to loosen those tight knots we have all developed over this task. Lucy has helped me arrange this afternoon and she has a schedule for each of you. There will be food laid out in the dining room for you to nibble on all day and of course some of my special Mimosas. So go ahead, ladies, get your schedule from L
ucy and begin the pampering. Megan, would you please follow me?”
There were cries of ‘thank you’ and squeals of excitement as the women crowded around Lucy and the spa technicians set up their stations throughout the grand ballroom. Megan was in awe of Mrs. Potter’s generosity and creative way to reward those who had worked so hard for Neptune’s Trident. She followed the woman out of the room, smiling at the excited voices, young and old, coming from the ballroom.
Mrs. Potter led Megan to the same guest room that she had sent Lucy to just a moment before. Stepping inside the room, she pulled Megan to the bed where one of the loveliest dresses Megan had ever seen lay. It was a tea-length dress, rather than a traditional formal-length gown. The material seemed to shimmer with multiple shades of greens and teals and the hint of deep purple running in the background. The cut of the dress was a classic Jackie-O style, and Megan knew without even trying it on that it was perfect for her. She turned to Mrs. Potter speechless.
“Megan, I wanted to do this for you, so please do not even think of turning it down. You do so much for all of us, and right now you are placing your life in danger to bring justice to someone you don’t even directly know. I wanted some part of tonight to be a wonderful memory for you, even if it is just this old dress. I had it altered to fit you, Lucy brought over one of your old gowns from last season, and I know that you will wear it with the same pride that I did.”
“Mrs. Potter, this was your dress? I am so honored. Thank you. It is so lovely. I just can’t get enough of the colors. I’ll feel like a queen in it.” Megan spun around and gave the older woman a huge hug and wiped a stray tear from her eye.
“And I can’t wait to see your Aiden get a look at you in it. I’ll let you in on a little secret … that was the dress I wore when Mr. Potter first danced with me. It brought me romance and love, let’s see what it will bring to you. Come on, let’s get our schedule from Lucy and enjoy some pampering.” Arm in arm, the women left the room and returned to join the others.
To say that the women enjoyed themselves would have to be an understatement. There were no age barriers in the house that afternoon, just the universal bonding of sisterhood. The day passed too fast for all and there were actual groans of disappointment when the first of the men arrived to pick up their dates. What the men did that day, the ladies didn’t ask or really care … all they knew was that something very special had been shared between them that could never be taken away. Friendships were stronger because of their time shared and they all knew Mrs. Potter was to be thanked for it.
Chapter Twenty Five
Aiden and Paul were the last of the men to return, as prearranged by Mrs. Potter. By the time Paul pulled up the driveway, followed by Aiden in his own car, all signs of the women’s pampering had been cleared away. The spa technicians had left with hefty tips from Mrs. Potter and the housekeeping staff had cleared away all signs of the food and drinks. Mrs. Potter’s home was as spotless as it had been before all her company had arrived and the three women were dressed and ready for the party. By silent agreement, Lucy and Mrs. Potter had stood back when then men walked through the door, so that Megan was who they saw first. Paul, being no fool, realized what was going on and quickly stepped aside, allowing Aiden to proceed ahead of him.
The look on his face was everything Mrs. Potter had hoped for, and she gave a satisfied sigh as Aiden took in every detail of Megan’s appearance. There was hope for the two of them, and she was pleased that she had a part in getting the ball rolling, so to speak. Aiden cleared his throat and then warmly told Megan how beautiful she looked. Looking over at the other women, he graciously complemented them on their appearance as well. Not to be outdone, Paul step forward and warmly kissed his wife’s lips as he whispered his praise and then gave his cousin and his neighbor a kiss on their cheek and announced that the three of them would surely be the prettiest women at the dance. Holding his arms out for Lucy and Mrs. Potter, Paul escorted them out the door to the waiting car.
Aiden silently held his hand out to Megan, and when she took it he raised it to his lips and kissed the inside of her wrist.
“Remember, no matter what, we will dance tonight,” he told her as they walked out the door.
Aiden held the door for Megan, making sure all of her full dress was inside the car before he closed the door. Nodding over the car’s roof to Paul, Aiden told him that he would follow their car to their destination.
By the time they arrived at the Welcome Pavilion, the volunteers had everything well in hand and the first of the guests were starting to arrive. Handing his keys over to the valet to have the car parked, they were pleased to see that Jake from the Yacht Club was getting in some part-time work on the side. Aiden slipped the young man an extra twenty dollars and asked him to be sure his car would be parked in a location that would allow easy access and exit from the preserve. Promising to do that and to keep his eyes open for anything unusual, Jake happily accepted the money.
Megan and Aiden walked over to join Paul, Lucy, and Mrs. Potter. Reminding the three of them to stick together no matter what during the evening, Aiden pulled out the pictures he and Megan had spent the morning going over. Showing them to Lucy and Mrs. Potter, he asked them to be on the lookout for the three guests that they had narrowed the suspect list down to. He had already gone over everything with Paul while the ladies had been having their spa day, and just wanted the women to be familiar with the faces from the photos. Megan was watching their reaction and was surprised to see Mrs. Potter take a quick breath and bite her lip when she saw the picture of the older woman. Wondering if it was the surprise of one of the suspects being a woman, or something more, Megan watched her friend for any further reaction. But Mrs. Potter quickly covered up her reaction by promising to keep her eyes open.
Deciding to let it pass for now, Megan stepped aside so that the three of them could proceed onto the path to the main party area ahead of them. Giving them plenty of time to get to the beach side and start joining in the festivities before she and Aiden headed up, Megan looked around the Welcome Pavilion enjoying the party decorations and elegant lighting that had been installed earlier that day.
The Welcome Pavilion had been transformed into an object of tropical beauty. A huge crystal chandler had been hung from the center and reworked to hold flameless candles. Fairy Lights had been strung wherever possible and arrangements of orchids and gardenias filled the evening air with their sweet scent. Wait staff, with trays filled with flutes of Champagne, wandered in with the guests. Soft music filled with the sounds of nature filtered softly through hidden speakers. Torches could be seen lining the pathway to the beach, and students from the high school were dressed in white: the girls in flowing skirts and peasant tops and the boys in linen pants and camp shirts, each with a lantern to light the way as they escorted the guests down the path to the beach and the main party area. The effect was magical, and created just the right tone for the start of a wonderful night. Looking closer at her surroundings than most of the guests, Megan notice men dressed in full black at the entrance to the pavilion and around the parking lot. They were politely directing anyone who wandered away from the lighted areas back to the areas being used for the event. Since she did not recognize these men, she assumed that they were the reinforcements that Aiden had brought.
While Megan had been checking out the decorations and security, Aiden had been scrutinizing each guest as they pulled up to the valet parking. It was beginning to get crowded at the entry and the students were encouraging the guests to start down to the beach area. He noted that both Richmore and Barneto had arrived together and went directly down the path to the beach without stopping to mingle with the guests at the entry. Seeing who was in the next car pulling into the lot, Aiden turned to Megan and suggested that they head down the path now before they were noticed.
“I saw Leslie Black just pull up to the entry. Her car is second in line to the valet, so we should get ourselves into position beach side so we can wat
ch what she does when she finds Mrs. Potter. There is someone else in the car with her, but I can’t tell who through the tinted windows. Here, take my arm so you don’t trip in the dark. Thank goodness you were smart enough not to wear high heels. I have to admit watching some of these women walk in them is quite entertaining.”
“Don’t you worry about those women, Aiden. The shoes are just for show as we make our way down to the beach. Some of us are wearing fancy flip flops. You look to the side when we come off the path and you will find that most will have removed their shoes and placed them on a large mat. Kind of like a coat check at a northern party. This is a beach party and it is meant to be fun and carefree, so no shoes. Most of the men will also be in bare feet. I picked these shoes just in case we run into problems tonight and I need to walk somewhere rough. I figured better safe than sorry.”
Aiden laughed with Megan as they walked down the pathway. He was surprised to find that instead of the soft sand that he had walked on the day before; there was now a wooden path. Megan explained that it was brought in by the party planners, just like the dance floor was. Once they had made it to the beach, they visually found Mrs. Potter and positioned themselves close enough to her to see, but not so close as to be noticed by the men they were following.
While they kept an eye on the others, Aiden and Megan were able to enjoy a few moments of the party. It was already getting crowded and everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time. The band was playing mixtures of songs: from the Beach Boys to Jimmy Buffett with some Reggae and Country thrown in for good measure. Tiki Torches were lit along the water’s edge and strings of lights were strung everywhere else, including up the trunks of as many palm trees as possible. Food was set up at the opposite end of where the path had opened up and more of the volunteer students in white were mixing with the crowd with trays of appetizers, while adult wait staff wandered around serving drinks.
Murder For Neptune's Trident...A Citrus Beach Mystery (Citrus Beach Mysteries Book 1) Page 21
