Deadly Reunion (4 page)

“No, I've lost my appetite.
” Hope stood up and looked around the room. “I see some of my cheerleading squad. I think I’ll go visit with them for a while.”

“I'll go with you.”

“No, you stay here. I want to know everything that Crystal and Tom say.”

“I'm a fake
detective, not a fake spy, Hope. Get someone else,” Grace whispered as Hope turned and walked to the other side of the room.

Grace
debated between following her sister anyway, or going to the buffet. The reunion was in full swing now. Couples were swaying to the music. Almost every table was full, and people were just starting to line up at the buffet table. The food did look excellent, and smelled even better. Melodie spared no expense on tonight: stuffed mushrooms, beef wellington, herb roasted chicken, and garlic-mashed potatoes lined the tables. Grace took a deep breath, and felt one of her back buttons pop off.

Well
, this is just great, she thought. Grace carefully turned around in her seat. With one hand, she felt around her back. Please don't be a top button. Her hand reached the middle of her back and continued down. There, near the ribbon. Good. Hopefully, it's not too noticeable. She twisted around and looked on the floor behind her. With any luck, the button can be reattached. Where is it? Grace turned back around, and carefully looked under the table. Spotting the button a few inches away, Grace leaned under the table and reached out a hand.

“Grace
, what are you doing?” Adam asked from somewhere above her.

Startled
, Grace banged her head on the table. Seconds later, she felt Adam’s hand wrap around her arm and pull her up.

“Clearly living up to her name.” Grace heard Crystal say.

Everyone was slowly returning to the table, plates full of food in hand.

“I’m sorry
, Grace. I was just having some fun earlier.” Steve said, appropriately conciliatory. He must have gotten an earful from one of the others. “Who knows maybe we can work together in the future.”

Beth sat down
, holding a drink with a plate balanced on top with one hand, and the video camera in the other. Well, at least this time the video camera was pointed at Beth and away from everyone else, Grace thought happily.

Beth placed the
camera on the table, taking care to point it directly at Grace. “Grace, you still haven’t told me about what happened with your case? Was Mr. Bankcroft Moneypenny really murdered while skydiving and was it his wife or his nephew who killed him? And which one had the gambling problem?”

“
Moneypenny?” Grace chuckled. So, it wasn’t Lily Straker’s death Jeff had been discussing with his friends; it was the mystery board game Grace had been developing. She shook her head. None of the board game suspects had a gambling problem. Now, Louisa Straker had a gambling problem, she thought, becoming more confused by the minute. “I’m not sure—”

Beth nodded, “
I didn’t quite understand what Jeff was talking about. He kept saying something about someone rolling the dice over and over again.”

Thankfully,
Melodie interrupted Beth. “No one has said anything about all of my wonderful decorations. I’ll have you know, this didn't happen overnight. I struggled over picking the right color of gold streamers for weeks now.”

“It's beautiful,
Melodie,” Diana said warmly. “You did a great job!”

“Thank you,
but I didn't do this alone. I had a wonderful reunion committee, and I had a lot of help from my favorite Aunt.” Melodie pulled Diana into a hug.

“Do
n't forget your favorite sister,” Crystal reminded Melodie, placing her hand over Melodie's trembling hand.

Melodie
's smiled faltered. “How could I forget you Crystal?” Melodie slid her hand from underneath Crystal's and picked up her cup. “You were a big help, too,” she added. Grace felt Adam's knee brush against her own and wondered if he was picking up the sudden tension around the table, as well.

“We have a lot of fun things planned for tonight,” Crystal said
, tapping a black binder she had picked up off the floor and set on the table.

Grace felt Adam
shift in his seat next to her. She slightly turned her head to see what had captured his attention. To her surprise, Adam’s face was turning red.

“What is that?” Steve asked.

“This?” Crystal asked, pointing to the binder in front of her. “Just the schedule for tonight.”

“Can I see it?” Adam asked
, holding out his hand.

Eyes fixated on the gym door, Melodie suddenly asked in a breathless whisper,
“Who is that?”

Crystal placed the binder down on the ground at her feet
and looked toward the gym door. “Who?”

“
That man standing there,” Melodie said, biting her lower lip.

Crystal sat up straighter in her seat, craning her neck to see
whom Melodie was referring to. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. “Wasn’t he in our calculus class?”

“No,”
Melodie said. “You’re thinking of Travis Shaw. I saw him a few minutes ago dancing with Becky. No, I don’t remember graduating with this guy.”

Grace turned to look, but
a large group heading to the buffet table blocked her view.

“You think he
may be a party crasher?” Steve pushed his chair back and stood up. “You want me to bounce him?”

Adam rolled his eyes. “Yeah, tough guy
, go try to bounce this guy. Just who do you think would want to crash our reunion?”

“
Excuse me for a moment. He looks lost, and as head of the reunion committee, I should probably help him.” Melodie pushed back her chair and adjusted her dress. Grace watched as she deftly navigated her way around the dance floor, sashaying lightly as she headed towards the entrance, with Steve following close behind her.

Adam smiled ruefully.
“There goes our class president. Always there to help.” To Grace, he whispered, “Larry’s not even cold, yet.”

CHAPTER
THREE

G
race ripped another
rose from her dress. She had managed to make it to the bathroom without tripping over her skirt, which she decided was nothing short of a miracle. It had taken her thirty minutes to remove the rest of the slip and finally, the hoop. After she had stuffed the remnants in the trashcan, she started removing the tulle, only stopping when the dress began to come apart at the seams. Now, she was busy removing the little roses attached across the bust. Staring at herself in the bathroom mirror, Grace sighed. No matter, how much tulle, roses, or ribbons she removed, there still seemed to be plenty left. Maybe if she made her hair bigger, the dress would stand out less, she thought, reaching for her purse.

“Oh my God!
Isn’t he gorgeous?”

Grace looked up as two women she barely recognized walked into the room and stood next to Grace. Both were
laughing, clearly enjoying themselves. Obviously freaks. The taller woman, she recognized from Hope’s cheerleading squad. Janet something or other, she thought, as she dumped the contents of her purse onto the counter.

The
y nodded politely at Grace, who was still staring at her reflection, wondering if she could get away with taking the dress completely off and running around in her slip. It worked for rock stars. Besides, it couldn’t be any worse than what she was wearing right now, she reasoned.

“I
’d still be out there if it weren’t for Dennis, glaring at me. He can be so jealous sometimes.”

Grace reached for her
fingernail clippers. If she could get the straps off, perhaps it wouldn’t look so bad.

“I really wanted to stay and listen to him,” Janet said
, pulling out a compact and lipstick. “He’s just so fascinating.”

“I know
. I was seriously considering hiring him.”

“What do you need a detective for?”

Startled, Grace stopped what she was doing. They were talking about Steve? Fascinating? Gorgeous? Sure, physically Steve had improved since high school. His face had cleared up; he had lost around seventy pounds; he was no longer wearing novelty t-shirts depicting comic book characters (usually scantily clad females), but gorgeous?

Grace, r
ealizing she was making a face, smoothed her features out and went back to hacking away at her straps.

“I figured I could use him to check up on Dennis.
Make sure he isn’t cheating.”

Janet put her
lipstick down. “He’s not—”

“No
! But that doesn’t mean I can’t do a little checking up on him.”

They both laughed.

“Why didn’t you stay and listen? Your husband doesn’t seem like the jealous type?”

“He isn’t.
I just can’t stand
him,
” Janet said grimacing.

At her friend’s questioning glance
, she clarified, “Adam Phelps. He’s just so sleazy. My husband says he’s been running around town trying to dig up dirt on people.”

Grace finally
managed to tear one strap off, which she threw in the trashcan. What was Adam up to? she wondered.

Both women stopped to stare.

Smiling at them, Grace began working on the second strap.

Shrugging their shoulders the
women went back to refreshing their makeup. “I heard that rumor. I don’t believe it. What’s there to dig up? Nothing ever happens here.”

Grace silently nodded her head
as she tore off the second strap. She had to agree with Janet, what could Adam hope to find here? Dropping the nail clippers back into her purse, Grace reached for her lipstick.

The smaller woman sighed and l
ooked pityingly over at Grace. Catching Grace’s eye, she said, “Pretty dress,” while shoving her makeup back into her purse. “Come on, let’s go back out. I want to make Dennis crazily jealous tonight. Where did he say he was from?”

Janet
opened the restroom door. “New York. I think he said he worked for the Straker Detective Agency in New York City.”

Grace dropped the lipstick.

“No, I thought he said he left that agency and created his own. I really wished he had brought a business card with him,” the other woman said as the door closed behind her and her friend.

Grace glanced at her reflection in the mirror.
A streak of red now stained the front of her dress. Uncaring, she shoved the lipstick into her purse and headed for the bathroom door.

*  *  *  *

The Straker Detective Agency? In New York? Grace opened the door to the gym, her heart beating faster with each second. She had never heard of the Straker Detective Agency. She shook her head. Of course, she wasn’t familiar with every detective agency in New York, she thought, trying to shake the gnawing feeling of dread forming in her stomach. The only Straker she knew was her old boss, Franklin Straker, and the only business he was in was the toy business. It’s probably just a strange coincidence, she told herself, hoping that she was right.

She
passed by the buffet tables and made her way to the back of the room, dodging classmates left and right. She noticed that most of her classmates had left their tables, and were now on the dance floor or milling around reconnecting with old friends. With any luck, her table will be empty, and she’ll be able to eat in peace.

Unfortuna
tely, Grace’s luck had run out. As she came closer to her table, she noticed that her friends were back in their seats. She also noticed that her seat was now occupied.

Her
heart dropped. She’d recognize that blond, wavy hair and broad shoulders anywhere. It can’t be, she thought. He wouldn’t come all this way. Why would he be here? Why right now? Why, when she looks like a reject from
Gone With the Wind
set?

Grace wondered if she had eno
ugh time to run away and hide. She could call him from the parking lot. Better to threaten him with bodily harm over the phone. No witnesses that way.

He turned in his seat suddenly.
A happy grin spreading over his face when he saw her standing behind him. “Ms. Holliday! I have been looking for you all day.”

Grace walked forward and squeaked out
, “What are you doing here?”

Standing up
, he ushered her to her seat. “Well, I needed to talk to you about one of our clients. I’m afraid,
Her Majesty
,” he said in a stage whisper, “is in desperate need of our help. Those jewels aren’t going to find themselves.”

Grace groaned.
He can’t be serious. “Uh huh.” She reached for his hand. “Let’s talk about it outside,” she said not giving him a chance to object.

“Grace, don’t be rude,
Mr. Drake was just telling us about his last case,” Crystal snapped.

Grace glared at
her former assistant.

Melodie, completely enthralled by whatever lies Kyle had been telling, reached out her hand and touched the edge of his sleeve. Smiling seductively, she asked,
“How did you find out the murderer was hiding in the old clock?”

“Who cares about that?” Crystal
asked annoyed. “How in the world did you get off the ship in time?”

“Well, let me tell
you, it wasn’t easy, but luckily Ms. Holliday was here to save me at the last minute,” he said, pulling another chair up to the table.

Before he could sit down, Grace hopped up and grabbed him by the arm, knocking over several cups in the process.

“What about the twins?” Beth asked, as she helped pick up the empty cups that had turned over onto the table. “Were you able to free them?”

“Yes, of course,” Grace said
, as she dragged Kyle away from her friends. “They’re free. Everyone’s free.”

“Sorry
all, I will be right back,” he shouted, as Grace propelled him past the dancers and toward the gym door. “We just have some important business to attend to. I promise we won’t be long.”

As soon as they were out and away from everyone, Grace
said, “What are you doing here?”

“I came to apologize for getting you fired.”

“What was all of that?” she said, angrily pointing back to the gym.

“I was helping. When I told your friend that I worked with you, she
asked me if I was a detective too. Naturally, I said yes.”

“
Naturally.” Grace rubbed her hands across her face. “What was that story you were telling in there?”

“Have you ever
read
The Mystery of Mary Price
?” When she shook her head, he added, “Neither have your friends. It’s an old mystery book I read when I was a kid.”

“You were describing a
book?”

“Don’t worry. I changed things around.
There weren’t any twins in the book. They’re from an old movie.”

“Are you crazy? Wait,” she said holding up her hand. “I already know the answer to that. What exactly did you tell them?”

“I kept it real simple. I’m a private detective from New York.”

“The Straker Detective Agency?”

“Well, I wasn’t sure what you had told them. I started out telling them that I was with the Straker Detective Agency but then when I realized that you hadn’t told them much, I changed the story. I told Melodie that I left Straker, branched out, and created my own agency. It was only natural. I mean, after I saved the President and all,” he said chuckling.

“
Oh, of course,” Grace said, shaking her head. “What did you tell them about me?”

“Not much.”

Grace sighed in relief. “Good.”

“Just that you
joined my agency a few months ago.”

“I work for you?”

He shrugged. “I thought it would be a nice change of pace.”

“And that’s it?”

Kyle nodded.

Grace briefly considered her options. “Well, that’s not too bad.” She could tell her friends Kyle was just joking or perhaps she won’t have to say anything. If Kyle left now, her friends might forget about the whole thing. After
all, if Kyle just told them that she worked for him briefly then they might lose interest and move on to another topic.

Kyle smiled proudly at her.
“I also told them that you were my best detective and the Mayor of New York was planning a parade in your honor after you foiled a plot on his life a couple of weeks ago.”

Realizing her mouth was hanging open, she snapped it shut. “What? Why? What?
How?” she asked, momentarily incapable of forming complete sentences.

He lifted his hands up. “Calm down. It’s okay. You’re supposed to exaggerate at reunions.”

“You’re not exaggerating
, Kyle. You’re flat out lying.”

His smile fell from his face.
“I didn’t start it,” he said defensively. “You’re the one who told them you were a detective. I’m actually surprised at you. Telling a lie like that. After all of your lectures on honesty.” Kyle shook his head in mock disappointment. “Why did you tell them that?”

“I didn’t!
” Grace caught the eye of a few classmates walking down the hall. She took a deep breath. He did have a point. He didn’t actually start this misunderstanding. He’s just gleefully keeping it going, she thought ruefully. She couldn’t blame him. This situation is far too tempting for a born performer like Kyle. Which is more than enough reason to get him out of here, she decided. “It’s a long story,” she said, leading him out the door and to the parking lot. “How in the world did you find me, anyway?”

“I'm a detective, remember?
”

“Funny
.”

“Why did you leave wit
hout saying good-bye?” Kyle asked, suspiciously sounding hurt.

“
I did say good-bye. The day we were fired. There was no point in sticking around there any longer.” Grace said, as she dragged Kyle across the parking lot, narrowly avoiding tripping over her dress. When she finally realized that she had no idea where he was parked, she stopped and faced him. “Why are you here? I thought you had some sort of show lined up?” In addition to being her former assistant, Kyle had a somewhat lucrative career as a performing magician. Somewhat being the operative word.

Kyle hung his head.
“It didn’t quite pan out.”

“What happened?”

“People really take their magic seriously today.”

“What did you do?”

“I
accidentally set one of the tables on fire. They freaked out,” he said. “There’s always a bit of danger. That’s what makes magic so much fun.”

Grace nodded sympathetically, remembering the time he set the office copier on fire.
The microwave. The paper wastebasket. His coat. “You really need to take fire out of your act.”