“No, ma’am. I’m highly regarded. Your daughter’s in excellent hands,” Paul assured her. It was a wonder he hadn’t excused himself, never to see me again.
“Fantastic,” my mother exclaimed, turning to face my dad. “Charles, do you have any questions for this nice young man?”
My father inhaled, shuffled his feet to bring himself in line with Paul. “Just one … do you like to fish?”
“I love to fish,” Paul answered in an excited voice.
“He’s perfect,” my father told my mother. Paul could have possessed an extended string of flaws, possibly including being a mass murderer, but if he fished, then he was okay in my dad’s book.
My mother nodded. “Okay then, when do you think you’ll ask Paige for her hand in marriage?” my mother boldly asked. “We’d like to have grandchildren before her baby-clock runs out.”
“Mom!” I yelped. “My God,” I muttered in complete embarrassment. “Let me show you the ice sculpture,” I offered as a distraction. I herded them back to the front with Paul graciously keeping step beside me. Leaning against him, I whispered, “I’m so sorry.”
He chuckled. “I’m still not scared.”
I was. I was trembling all over, hating how blunt my mother could be. But just when I thought she would be the worst of the night, in walked Lidia, with her mother beside her in a motorized wheelchair.
My mother turned her steely gaze at Ethel and firmly announced, “If you need some extra napkins, you’ll find them in the breakroom next door.”
Quickly I wiped the cringe from my face and turned my gaze to our first guests. “Ethel, it’s wonderful to see you. How are you feeling?” I approached them, and for whatever reason, I zeroed in on her legs, looking for misaligned bones, feet healed in weird formations, anything to let me know she was reliant upon her powerchair. But her black, billowy dress dipped below her knees, and I couldn’t make out any abnormalities.
“I’m feeling fine. How are you enjoying my daughter’s job?” she immediately mouthed off, giving Lidia a sympathetic look, like I had bullied her daughter out of the position. My mouth clamped shut and my eyes went to Lidia.
Lidia offered no relief, her dark coal eyes cutting through me like knives. “Rumor has it that Paige has stolen a large sum of money from the company,” Lidia accused, giving me a seething look.
“How dare you! My daughter would do no such thing. She is not a thief,” my mother bellowed, turning her harsh gaze toward Ethel. “Rumor has it that your daughter’s ineptness was what kept her from getting the promotion. You’re just jealous of my daughter being more qualified.”
“Ellen, perhaps we should take our seats,” my father urged, noting I was swallowing fast and my hands were shaking. I may have trumped Lidia, but I didn’t like confrontations and I wasn’t one to flaunt my achievements, especially to someone I had surpassed.
“Yes, we’re over there.” I pointed to the left side of the main table where Mr. Harrington, his family and few of the higher-up executives would be seated. My gaze focused back on Lidia. “You two are at the employee table reserved for the Accounting Department.” I pointed to the table behind where I had directed my parents.
“The employee table,” Lidia growled, adding a hateful smirk. In years past, Ethel and Lidia had been seated at the mid-executive table, where I now had every right to be. Each of the smaller tables held eight guests, each marked for the different divisions within the company. I had seated myself at a secondary accounting table, placing myself with Paul, Amy, Jeff, my mom and dad and Detectives Sutton and Andrews.
“This way,” I said, leading Lidia and Ethel forward, pausing on arrival to ask, “Will you be moving from your powerchair?” I gestured to the high-back, linen upholstered seat.
“I can’t walk. You’ll have to remove the extra chair,” she said, casting a frown down at her own legs.
“Yes, of course,” I agreed, thinking she could walk. I had seen her. Was she wanting sympathy, or covering up something?
Paul was quick to remove the chair for her. “There you go,” he said, placing the extra alongside the far wall in front of the windows overlooking the northeasterly view of the Trinity River.
The next guests to arrive were Detectives Sutton and Andrews, along with the two undercover officers. I showed them to their tables, placing the detectives beside Paul and the undercovers closer to the back of the room. We chatted briefly, but as more and more guests entered, as the hostess, I left everyone at the table to greet a few of the arrivals. In parting, I gave my mother a reprimanding look, hoping she’d behave herself.
As the room filled with mumbling and laughter, I kept an eye out for the birthday boy’s appearance while intermittently directing guests to their tables and answering questions from the servers.
“Oh, my goodness,” Mr. Harrington gasped when he and his wife, Louise, stepped inside. He immediately rushed over to me, giving me a hug and then smoothing his tuxedo jacket. “How is it possible for you to top yourself every year?”
“It’s truly lovely,” Louise agreed, her hand aimlessly fiddling with a long strand of pearls resting between her bosom and against her champagne-colored dress. “I can’t get over the ice sculpture. It’s amazing.”
While we chatted about the decorations, I saw Lisa and Angela entering. I couldn’t believe Lisa had the nerve to show her face, let alone invite Paul’s ex-girlfriend. Lisa looked behind her and said, “Come on, Carter. Stop lagging behind.”
Carter slowly appeared beside her, pulling at his tie and shifting around in his dress shoes. He gazed around the room and then his eyes landed on me. His expression said it all … get her gone because I can’t stand her any longer.
Lisa hooked an arm through Carter’s, and marched them forward. She and Angela shot me a smug look and then headed in Lidia’s direction.
While still absorbing the idea of Lisa and Angela’s attendance, I let out a gasp and tried to keep my eyes in their sockets when I saw David coming through the door. “Holy shit,” I muttered, still standing next to Mr. and Mrs. Harrington.
“What is it, dear?” Louise questioned.
“I … I just didn’t think David would come.” I nodded toward the door, simultaneously moving to the other side of Mr. Harrington. He was a large man and suddenly I was using him to block David’s vision. In my mind, I pictured that bloody bat and mangled bear. Peeking around Mr. Harrington, I looked to make sure his stalker-condoning mother wasn’t with him, though she’d never attended in the past.
“It’s certainly ballsy,” Mr. Harrington agreed. “I thought he was the shy and silent type.”
“I don’t know what to think about him anymore,” I professed.
Pressure forced my shoulders to slump. Tension twisted at my insides. My mouth wanted to scream. All signs pointed to one thing … tonight was not going to end well.
Chapter Sixty-Four
Unable to withstand the weight of my own two feet, I left the welcoming task to Mr. and Mrs. Harrington. On returning to my table, Angela shot me a look as if she wanted me dead and then she smiled at Paul. With great force, I ignored her presence and strolled past her as if I didn’t have a care in the world.
Paul stood upon my arrival and assisted my seating by holding out my chair and then scooting it under my butt. I smiled, first at him, then at Angela. She gave me the evil eye in return.
Gazing around the table, I was greeted with seven frowns from the others, including my mother who said, “Some people have a lot of nerve, don’t they?” She gestured over her shoulder at the table behind us, now filled with Ethel, Lidia, Lisa, Carter, Angela, James, James’s wife Sue, and now David … with, of course, the empty chair for what David had told me would be for his mother. He had requested a seating for her before the shit had hit the fan, expressing to me how excited she was to meet me.
“Paige, may I speak with you?” David asked, coming over to my table and standing beside my chair.
“What do you want?” my mot
her grouched, staring up at him. “You’ve invaded my daughter’s personal living space, you’ve tapped into her work computer, and you owe her a teddy bear,” she hatefully growled.
“Mother,” I groaned. She was truly on a tear tonight.
“Well, he does,” she insisted. “You owe her an apology, too,” she added with a hateful smirk on her face.
Reluctantly I stood from my chair and followed David over to the windows. The evening sun had already dipped below the horizon, allowing the city lights to twinkle across the landscape.
“What is it, David?” I asked, noting everyone from my table had their eyes on us, along with the two undercover agents.
“I was only setting up your office computer … but I’d like to apologize for invading your apartment. I know I shouldn’t have ever taken your key. If it counts for anything at all, I had never used it before … and was only trying to see what Lisa and that other girl were up to.” He waited a beat, expecting me to accept his atonement. When I remained silent, he continued. “I’ve always liked you … a lot. I know my feelings are not reciprocated by you. I know you like that attorney. But when I saw the bear, I lost it. I’m sorry for that too.”
“Amy gave me the bear,” I said in a sharp tone.
“Oh, uh … well it shouldn’t have happened either way. Again, I’m sorry.”
“Thank you for the apology David. I know that must’ve been hard for you. But please understand, you’ve destroyed my trust in you.”
“Yes, I figured as much.” He rubbed his hands across his face. “Before you fire me, or even have me transferred to another department, I wanted to let you know, I’ve accepted another job. I’m giving you my two-week notice.”
“The police still have your computer. I think it might be best if you packed up your things. I’ll let Mr. Harrington know of your new job. I’m sure he’ll understand and be willing to do a waiver of notice.”
David sighed and stared down at his shoes. “Yes, okay, if you think it’s best.”
“I do. Good luck with your new job. I wish you the best.” I turned away from David, taking a few steps toward my table.
“Paige, one other thing … I don’t know if it means anything, but Ethel can walk. I only mention it because she’s trying to collect disability. There’s also a rumor going around that she might be behind the embezzlement. I even heard she and Lidia took a cruise down to the Caymans.”
“Thank you, David.” My mind was jumping to all kinds of conclusions, starting with the idea of Lidia being about the same height as me. With a wig and a pair of blue-tinted contacts, and maybe some fake ID, it would have been easy for her to have withdrawn the money from the Cayman bank account. And now that David had mentioned it, I remembered a time when Lidia came back to work having a deeper tan than normal. I’d bet my bottom dollar she had been in the Caymans, and for certain, I felt it was the reason why the Kansas story didn’t jive.
“What did he have to say for himself?” my mother grilled before I could plant my butt back in the seat, again with Paul’s assistance and another sneer from Angela.
“You’re not going to believe it,” I began, looking straight at Detective Sutton.
“Paige,” Mr. Harrington called over to me before I could relay any information about Ethel and Lidia. When our eyes met, he gave me the go-ahead nod to get the show underway.
“Excuse me,” I said, pushing back in my chair and making my way up on the stage. In the ten years I had been greeting guests, you’d think I’d be used to this. But no, I still absolutely hated speaking in public.
Taking my place behind a podium, I pulled the microphone down to meet my short stature. “Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming.” I introduced the band, pointed out the bar provisions, went through a briefing on the menu and discussed the night’s entertainment. Finally, I worked my way up to introducing Mr. Harrington. “As you already know, tonight our leader is celebrating his sixtieth birthday. Please, let’s all give a warm welcome to Mr. Walter Harrington.”
Mr. Harrington stood from the grand table and made his way up the three steps to the stage while everyone clapped and whooped. “Thank you, Paige,” he said taking over the microphone.
After a few kind words to me for my hard work and planning, I returned to my seat while he thanked his lovely wife, wonderful family, close friends and his dedicated employees. “Let’s get this party started,” he said, causing another round of clapping and cheering.
As parties went, this wasn’t even remotely considered to be anything wild. I was more the subdued type and Mr. Harrington was a refined gentleman, but a man who liked meat and potatoes. I too, wasn’t much of a fancy eater, so it was no wonder he had placed me in charge of his yearly birthday bashes.
The itinerary was to include a catered, five-course meal, ending with cake and singing Happy Birthday. My plan was for the hypnotist to perform while everyone enjoyed dessert and sipped coffee. In years past, after the entertainment, a majority left, while a few guests lingered for more drinks and some slow dancing. Hopefully, tonight would be more of the same. But even as I hoped, I felt multiple eyeballs staring into the back of my head from everyone seated behind me, save and except for possibly James and Sue.
By the time welcoming speeches were over, everyone had munched on the hors d’oeuvres, consisting of grapes, cheeses, cubed vegetables, and various crackers. We worked our way through the appetizers, a selection of stuffed mushrooms, bruschetta with peach salsa and melted brie, and fried calamari.
“Well, what did David say,” Detective Sutton prompted me while we enjoyed the soups, a choice between potato, French onion, or lobster bisque, or alternatively either a fruit salad, dinner salad, or a shrimp cocktail.
“He apologized for entering my apartment and destroying my bear. Then he announced he has a job somewhere else.”
“Well, good,” my father interjected. “It’ll be better if he’s out of the picture.”
I nodded, appreciating the company wouldn’t have to fire him.
“He may be arrested first … his bat with your blood on it doesn’t bode well for him,” Detective Sutton said. “We’re waiting to talk to the security guard.”
“The other thing he mentioned,” I peered over my shoulder and lowered my voice to a mere whisper, “was Ethel is trying to get disability … remember I told you she could walk,” I reminded him.
“Interesting,” he murmured under a bite of shrimp cocktail.
“But this is the big thing … he said Ethel and Lidia had taken a cruise to the Caymans.”
“Do you know if they did?” Detective Sutton asked.
I shrugged. “From my understanding, Ethel was in the hospital, and then rehabilitation. It seems unlikely for her to have been able to have taken a cruise. But then again, I remember Lidia suddenly had a tan around the same time.”
“Hmm, if she could walk…” he trailed off, pressing his lips into a thin line. “Well, it’s something that certainly needs to be investigated.”
“Did you find out about the Kansas accident?” I asked.
“Monday. We’ll know something on Monday. And, we’re also supposed to receive the Cayman’s bank video showing the cash withdrawal.”
“Good,” I said, hoping the recordings would clearly prove it wasn’t me withdrawing the funds.
By the time the main entrées arrived – a selection between beef or chicken enchiladas, pasta samplers, or steak and lobster – I was beginning to relax, thinking David had apologized, and nothing else was going to happen.
Once the dishes were cleared, the birthday cake was rolled out on a cart next to Mr. Harrington’s chair. The huge black “6” and “0” burned at the top of a giant, four-tiered creamy cake, dripping with golden icing. Offkey voices sang Happy Birthday at the top of their lungs. Mr. Harrington grinned from ear to ear, raised his champagne glass in a toast, thanked everyone once again for coming and then blew out the candles. More handclapping and shouts of hurray followed.
While the servers sliced away at the cake and passed out servings, others topped off drinks or filled coffee mugs. This was my cue to head back to the stage and introduce the hypnotist. After a brief background on his abilities, I introduced him. “Please everyone, let’s give a warm welcome to Spellbinder.” His given name was Lester Pruitt, but it didn’t have quite the ring to it.
“Thank you, Paige,” he began, giving me an appreciative nod. Dressed in a black tuxedo and white shirt, the only other notable clothing was a wide, red cummerbund. He scanned over the crowd, waiting for the applause to stop, then he zeroed in on Mr. Harrington and smiled. “Happy birthday, sir,” he addressed. “I hope you find tonight’s entertainment enjoyable.”
Mr. Harrington smiled in return, lifted his champagne glass to him, but didn’t openly respond.
Spellbinder inspected the crowd and then pointed at Carter. “I’d like to begin by inviting you, sir, up on the stage.”
Carter furiously shook his head and protested, “No, no, no.”
“Go on,” Lisa curtly insisted, which resulted in Carter’s hands clenching into fists. “Get up there, now,” she urged.
Carter shot me a loathing look but begrudgingly plodded up the steps and next to Spellbinder.
Spellbinder went into a corny setup for hypnotizing someone. “I want you to concentrate. Look into my eyes,” he said, capturing Carter’s attention. “Gently close your eyes and focus on something serene and tranquil.” As he went through his spiel, Carter swayed back and forth on his feet to the point I feared he might fall. “Picture your muscles becoming loose and limp. You’re completely relaxed. Let yourself become immersed in the most exquisite peacefulness you’ve ever experienced.”
For tense moments I hoped he didn’t trigger something to cause Carter to lash out at Lisa, announcing his true feelings for her when the whole room could hear. If he did, I imagined her coming unglued, causing a ruckus and ruining the party.
A Deadly Promotion Page 26
