Lavender Lipstick Lies: A Mystery of Makeup & Mayhem (10 page)

Chapter 23

During the next hour, as we sipped
wine, nibbled on canapés and talked to a few of the other conference attendees,
I kept checking my watch. When Bree finally rejoined us, she seemed unusually
animated. She didn’t say much, but I could see a twinkle in her eye every time
she looked at me.

“What are you so giggly about?” I
asked at one point.

“Oh, nothing,” she said, tossing
her hair. “I’m just in a good mood because it’s going to be such a fun night!”

At eight o’clock, the doors to the
Venice Ballroom opened and the crowd slowly trickled in to find their assigned
tables.

“We’re up there on the left,” Emma
announced. “I think Gillian Smart’s at our table, Abby.”

“Who’s that?” asked Bree.

“Gillian handles public relations
for Splendora,” I answered. “We met her earlier when she and Felicia Gold
stopped by our suite.”

“Why did they come by?” Bree asked
suspiciously. “And where was I?”

Before I could answer, we reached
our table and a chorus of excited voices greeted our arrival. The Saturday
night banquet was always the highlight of the three-day conference, so everyone
was in a festive mood. I noticed Bree scowling at me as we took our seats with
the other women. When Gillian Smart arrived, she nodded at me across the table
before turning to the woman sitting in the next chair.

“So, Abby?” Bree said. “What’s the
deal?”

I smiled at her. “Deal?”

“Yeah, why are you being so
secretive?”

“I’m not.”

She smirked. “Oh, really? You just
told me that the CEO of the company came to our room, but you won’t tell me
why. I’d call that being secretive.”

I laughed and put my hand on hers.
“It’s nothing of the sort,” I said. “Felicia and Gillian were following up
about something related to Achiever of the Year. It was kind of like a courtesy
visit, you know? It was no big deal, sweetie.”

When I added the term of
endearment, Bree’s face went blank. Then she quickly recovered and murmured a
few words of apology. “I’m just not feeling like myself,” she said. “I’m sorry
if I seem jumpy.”

“You’re fine,” I said. “We’ve all
been going a mile a minute this weekend. It’s no wonder that the pace is
catching up with you.”

The lights in the room dimmed to a
soft glow as an announcement informed the group that the banquet would start in
five minutes. I nudged Emma gently under the table and she leaned toward me.

“Are you ready?” she whispered.
“Only an hour left before the fireworks!”

“I’m more than ready,” I said. “I
can’t wait to see the look on you-know-who’s face when she sees what I’ve got
in store for her.”

As vibrant dance music began
pouring from the speakers, late arrivals hurried to find their seats. The room
was packed to capacity and an army of uniformed servers stood along one side
waiting to deliver the first course. Lush floral decorations were placed in the
center of each table, and I took a moment to appreciate the delicate blend of
white roses punctuated by vibrant lavender blossoms.

“What are you smirking about?” Emma
asked softly.

“Nothing,” I said.

“Spill it,” she whispered. “You’ve
got that look on your face again.”

“What look?”

“That sneaky, cagey look,” she
said. “Like when you and Robert got engaged, and you didn’t tell anyone until the
next day when we met for lunch.”

I giggled. “Yeah, okay,” I said.
“It’s the centerpiece.”

She looked at the abundant display
of fresh flowers. “Ah, the irony,” she said. “Lyrical, luscious lavender can
have so many uses and meanings.”

“Absolutely,” I murmured as a
spotlight suddenly swept across the stage and Felicia Gold stepped to the
podium. “I think it may be my new favorite color from now on.”

Chapter 24

As the hotel banquet staff cleared
our dinner dishes and began serving dessert and coffee, I checked my watch and
saw that it was nearly nine o’clock.

“Will you all please excuse me?” I told
the other women at the table. “I’ll be right back.”

Bree raised one eyebrow. “Where are
you off to?” she asked warily. “They’re going to announce Achiever of the Year
in a few minutes.”

I grinned at her. “Just a quick
dash to the little girls’ room,” I answered. “Want to join me?”

She shook her head and reached for
her wine. “Tempting,” she said in an icy tone. “But I’ll pass.”

I caught Emma’s eye as I pushed
back from the table. “Somebody’s cranky,” I said under my breath.

“I noticed that,” she whispered,
covering her mouth with one hand. “What’s up with her anyway?”

I shrugged. “Maybe she’s feeling
guilty about spending so much on clothes she doesn’t need.”

After leaving the table, I moved
quickly through the crowded ballroom. Between the tapestry of voices raised in
conversation and the clinking of dishes, it was a relief when I pushed through
the doors into the less hectic corridor. A few other conference attendees were
heading for the restroom or one of the sumptuous sofas tucked into alcoves that
lined the passageway. I noticed a couple of other women from St. Louis.

“Good luck, Abby,” one of them
shouted. “We voted for you for Achiever!”

I gave them a quick wave as I moved
swiftly toward the staircase leading to the lobby.

Walking through the expansive space
toward the wing housing the spa and fitness center, I saw Trevor Cole talking
to the woman behind the concierge desk. He nodded and smiled before heading
across the lobby to join me.

“How’re you doing, Ms. Edison?” he
asked as we met near the middle of the entrance hall.

“Fantastic!” I exclaimed. “I’m
looking forward to finding out once and for all who’s behind the anonymous
threats.”

“I can imagine,” he said. “I’ve got
two guards in position. And one of my most trusted associates is monitoring
everything from the CCTV cameras near the spa and fitness center.”

“And you found the envelope that I
left for you at the front desk?”

Cole smiled. “I did indeed,” he
said. “I taped it to the spa entrance myself about fifteen minutes ago.”

“I hope nobody pulls it down before
we can carry out my plan,” I said, suddenly concerned about a detail that I
hadn’t anticipated.

“Don’t worry about that,” Cole
assured me. “The spa closed at seven. And since it’s located at the end of the
corridor, anyone walking in that direction would be very obvious to the guards
monitoring that level.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” I
breathed a sigh of relief as we reached the elevator for the spa. “I just hope
this works.”

“I think you’ve got a foolproof
plan,” Cole said as the elevator arrived. “It’s as simple as cheese in a
mousetrap, but it sounds like whoever is taunting you isn’t exactly Einstein.”

My brow creased with concern. “What
do you mean?”

Cole shrugged. “Just that they’re
not really running a very slick con,” he explained. “From what you’ve already
told me, they sent a woman to your house driving a car that could be easily
traced. And the fact that you found the red hat and caftan in your friend’s
room means that either the perpetrator is lazy and arrogant, assuming they’ve
got all the bases covered, or it’s—”

“One of my best friends,” I
blurted.

Cole nodded. “Exactly. So, in the
grand scheme of things, they’re attempting to intimidate you into dropping out
of the contest without really doing much to disguise their identity.”

“Well, it’s only a matter of time
before they show their true colors.”

Once we reached the floor that
housed the spa, I walked beside Trevor Cole down the empty hallway. During the
day, the area was a lively swirl of hotel guests heading for a massage or a
workout in the fitness center. But after hours, it was a ghost town. The
overhead lights were even dimmed, creating a somber, eerie atmosphere that made
me grateful I wasn’t alone.

“Okay, Ms. Edison,” Trevor said
when we reached the spa entrance. “My two guys are just across the hallway,
watching from inside the storage closet and the auxiliary power room.” He
indicated two doors that were slightly ajar. If you didn’t know anyone was
watching, you wouldn’t give them a second glance. “From their vantage points,
they can see and hear everything in the vicinity of the spa.”

I thanked him for the explanation
before checking to see that my envelope was taped to the glass doorway leading
to the spa. I’d done my best to imitate the lettering from the original
anonymous note I’d received by the pool the other day. A spotlight directly
above the entrance clearly illuminated the packet, which was addressed TO WHOM
IT MAY CONCERN in lavender lipstick.

“I guess we’re all set then?” I
asked.

Trevor Cole checked his phone for
the time. “It’s about five minutes before nine. We should get into position in
the alcove.”

He was pointing across the corridor
at a loveseat positioned between two huge potted palms. The area was designed
for guests who were waiting for their spa appointments, but it would be a
perfect hiding place to watch for whoever arrived to retrieve the envelope.

“After you,” Trevor said, gesturing
with his hand. “We should get ready in case our mystery guest arrives early.”

Once we were huddled against the
wall behind the leafy plants, I listened intently and took one short, shallow
breath after another. Jittery butterflies jostled in my stomach and it seemed
like time had begun to crawl as slowly as chilled molasses dripping from a
spoon.

“Maybe they’re not coming,” I
whispered.

“Be patient, Ms. Edison,” Cole
replied in a hushed voice. “They’ll do this on their own timetable, not yours.”

Another five minutes passed
excruciatingly slowly. I checked my watch every few seconds until it was nearly
ten past nine. Just as I was getting ready to tell Trevor Cole that the idea
wasn’t going to work, I heard the elevator doors open around the corner.

“I’ll bet this is them,” Cole said
quietly.

I held my breath and strained to
see if I could detect voices, but the only thing I heard was heels
click-clacking on the tiled floor. I leaned back into the shadows, feeling my
heart pounding in my chest. Who was it going to be—Bree? Amanda Woodworth?
Delia Broome? Someone that I hadn’t even suspected yet?

As I concentrated on the sounds
echoing through the shadows, I suddenly realized that there were two people
walking down the empty corridor. They weren’t saying anything, but I could
definitely hear two distinct sets of footsteps. I shifted forward slightly,
just enough so I could get a glimpse of the area.

“There it is on the door,” a voice
said harshly. “At least that idiot did the right thing.”

I could see a pair of legs now,
slender and sleek, gliding toward us with a precise and measured cadence.

And then, as another person came
into view, I felt my heart slam to a stop when I realized who was walking
toward the spa.

It was Gillian Smart, Splendora’s
director of public relations, along with Amanda Woodworth.

“Well, Abby Edison may not be the
sharpest knife in the drawer after all,” Gillian said, reaching for the
envelope taped to the spa entrance. “But at least she’s making it easier for
you to be named Achiever of the Year. With her out of the top nominees, you’ll
move up one spot. Then I’ll rig the final announcement before it goes out on
the stage to Felicia.”

Amanda snickered. “This is so
exciting!” she said. “And I owe it all to you, Gillian. I guess being college
roommates with you all those years ago is paying off for me now!”

The other woman laughed, filling the
empty corridor with a chillingly brittle sound. “Actually, Amanda,” she said.
“You owe it all to Abby and her friend. If Bree hadn’t bought the story you
told her about the red hat and caftan that you left in her room, then I don’t
see—”

“Good evening, ladies!” I blurted,
stepping from the shadows so the two women could see me. “Thank you for walking
right into my little trap.”

They were both stunned into silence
for a moment or two. Amanda’s head swiveled back and forth between my smiling
face and Gillian Smart’s horrified scowl. But then, as I walked toward them,
they both seemed to shift back into predatory mode. Their expressions of dismay
were replaced by equally unnerving grins.

“Your little trap?” snapped
Gillian. “What on earth are you talking about, darling?”

I took another step closer. “First
of all,” I said in a calm, even tone. “Please don’t
ever
call me darling
again.”

Gillian sneered. “Oh, don’t worry,
darling
,”
she hissed. “I wouldn’t dream of it!”

“And second of all,” I continued,
“I’m going to truly relish the look on your faces when you confess all of this
to Felicia Gold in a few minutes.”

Amanda burst into a high-pitched
giggle. “Confess?” she jeered. “To what, Abby?”

I pointed at the envelope in
Gillian’s hand. “To showing up here to retrieve what you thought would be my
letter withdrawing from the Achiever competition.”

“What are you blathering about?”
asked Gillian.

“Are you really going to deny
everything
now
?” I said. “When you’ve been caught red handed?”

Gillian glanced at Amanda as they
both tittered loudly.

“Red handed?” Gillian said. “Are
you feeling quite alright, Abby?”

“Yeah,” Amanda taunted. “Maybe
you’ve had one too many glasses of wine or something.”

I shook my head and lifted my chin.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Especially now that I know you two were behind the scheme
to scare me out of the Achiever contest. I’m not sure how you did it exactly,
but I know you’re responsible for the anonymous notes and the messages on the
mirrors and the woman at my house the other—”

“Save your breath, darling,”
Gillian said, her eyes narrowed into a hair-raising sneer. “And stop being a
stupid child. Your reputation is in the gutter. Nobody will believe you. I
mean, even if anything you’ve just said was true, there are no witnesses.”

“Yeah!” Amanda said, glaring at me
with disdain. “So what? Yes, I wrote those notes! And yes, I snuck into your
suite to leave that hat and caftan so you might suspect Bree! It was all my
idea. I
need
to be Achiever of the Year, Abby. My marriage just fell
apart. I’m in debt up to my chin. And there’s a chance Felicia Gold will offer
me a great job at the headquarters in Dallas if I get the award.”

Gillian walked slowly toward me.
“And my friend Amanda is going to cut me in on the prize money,” she said.
“Which will help repay the loan I took out when my investments tanked.”

I watched them both grinning with
delight as they slithered closer. I felt a chill down my back, but then
realized there was nothing to fear. I gulped in a breath and gestured over my
shoulder at the shadowy alcove.

“Well, what if I told you there
are
witnesses to your confession?” I asked.

Gillian Smart heaved a sigh. “I’d
say you’re more bonkers than I imagined, darling.”

Trevor Cole stepped into view. “And
what about me, ma’am?” he said evenly. “Would you say that I’m bonkers, too?”

The look on Gillian’s face was
priceless. And when the two hotel security guards joined us in the corridor, I
thought both Amanda and her snooty ally were going to faint right there on the
spot.

“Well, well,” I said as the two
guards approached. “What do you have to say for yourselves now?”