by Jessica Beck
I was certain that Hazel was referring to her emotional state of being, but I had more immediate concerns than that. “Answer one thing for me. Do you feel safe here?” I asked her.
“Of course I do. Suzanne, this building can withstand just about anything short of a direct assault,” Elizabeth said.
“That’s not what I meant,” I said. It was as delicate a way as I could put it, asking her if she was at all worried about the huge life insurance policy her husband had recently taken out on her. Given the state of their finances and their marriage, my inquiry was justified, at least as far as I was concerned. Apparently she was going to make me say it out loud. “I’m talking about the life insurance policy.”
“Jason would never lay a finger on me,” Elizabeth said, clearly upset that I’d even brought it up. “How did you even hear about that?” She looked at Hazel then and scowled. “You’ve been talking, haven’t you?”
“Suzanne is right,” Jennifer said, stepping in. “We’ve been worried about your safety lately.”
“This conversation is ridiculous, and I’m disappointed in all of you for even considering the possibility.”
As Elizabeth walked over to the window and looked out, I took some time to think about where things stood now. Was she right? Were we stirring up trouble where there was none? Should I just drop it and assume that everything was going to be all right? I couldn’t just let it go, though. Evidently Jason needed serious money, and it appeared that the only way he was going to get it would be with Elizabeth’s demise. Then another thought occurred to me. What if Jason wasn’t the one who had wicked plans for her? If it was the only way for Bernard Mallory to get his investment back, might he do something to expedite his repayment? Then again, it might not even be about the money. What if one of the Jacksons wanted to hurt Jason by eliminating the one person in the world who had his back, no matter what? Then again, could Cheyenne have her own plans for Elizabeth’s murder? If she thought that my friend was the only thing standing between her and happiness with Jason, she might do something to accelerate matters. I was getting more worried about Elizabeth’s safety than ever before, and then I realized something else. Could that note have been meant for her instead of Joan?
Evidently I was lost in my dark thoughts a little too long. When I looked up, I saw that all three women were suddenly looking at me with more than a little curiosity.
“Suzanne, are you okay?” Jennifer asked me softly.
“Sorry, I spaced out there for a few seconds,” I said, trying to make light of the dark possibilities I’d just been considering.
“It’s more than that, and we know it,” Hazel said.
Did I really want to get into all of that right now? I wasn’t sure that I was ready to admit any of my thoughts openly without having more proof. After all, I knew better than anyone that my imagination had a way of taking some twisted turns on occasion.
Elizabeth would probably be fine.
The key word was probably.
Still, I had to wonder if I should say something.
I never got the chance, though. I had taken too long to make up my mind.
The elevator door opened, and a moment later, Jason and Jake stepped out together. They’d clearly been discussing something unpleasant, because neither man looked particularly happy with the other at the moment.
I’d lost my opportunity to say something to Elizabeth.
Or had I? Maybe I could get a single warning in while I still had the time.
“Just be careful, okay?” I asked her as I whispered into her ear.
Elizabeth looked at me quizzically, but before she could reply, the caterer stepped forward. She’d clearly been waiting for the men to return, so before any more delays could occur, she announced, “Dinner is now served.”
And that was the end of that.
As we went into the dining room together, one phrase kept repeating itself in my mind.
“DO US ALL A FAVOR AND JUST DIE!”
I just hoped that it hadn’t been directed at Elizabeth, and what was more, I didn’t want anyone to try to make the suggestion a reality.
A little later, after the entrees had been served and we were all eating, Lara said out of the blue, “I’m just curious about something, Jason. Exactly how much did all of this cost?”
Elizabeth looked at her oddly before she replied. “I’m not sure I know why you are asking that, Lara.”
“It’s fairly clear, isn’t it? She wants to know why you can afford to throw parties like this if you lost so much money on your investments recently,” Bernard Mallory replied, clearly enjoying the woman’s audacity to ask such a bold and pointed question in the middle of what was supposed to be a formal dinner party. In my experience, in polite circles, money wasn’t usually talked about, but I wasn’t sure how polite this particular circle was, anyway. Bernard continued, “It’s a fair question that I’ve been pondering myself.”
“You know the answer to that better than anyone, Bernard. Since I’m part of the group that owns this building, there wasn’t a fee for using it this weekend,” Jason said, clearly unhappy about having to justify his spending habits to his party guests.
“Even so, this food couldn’t have been cheap, or hiring the catering staff to prepare it and serve it,” Lara said angrily. “Come on, prime rib? Really? Who exactly are you trying to impress, Jason?”
“This was meant to be a celebration of our marriage,” Elizabeth said, clearly confused by the direction the dinner conversation had taken.
“That might have been the original intent, but clearly that’s all changed,” Henry said with a sigh.
“You should answer the woman’s question, Jason,” Bernard insisted.
“I don’t care about all of this,” she said as she gestured at our food. “What I honestly want to know is what really happened to our money?” Lara asked as she looked at her husband for approval. I wasn’t sure she got it, though. The poor man looked absolutely miserable being in the middle between his wife and his best friend.
Jason looked exasperated by the turn things had taken. “Lara, we’ve gone over all of this a dozen times before. The investment looked good initially, but there were unexpected contingencies that we had no way of knowing about beforehand. We couldn’t foresee any of it, and every investor lost money on the deal, including me. I’m sorry, but I never made any guarantees.”
“You said it was a sure thing,” Lara protested.
“I said it was as close as there was to one that I’d seen in a long time, and I meant it at the time,” Jason said. “You need to keep in mind that you’re not the only ones who got hurt on the deal.”
“I can attest to that,” Bernard said with a stern look.
“Look, Cheyenne and Joan can show you exactly what happened,” Jason said. “Plus, they can both testify to the fact that I lost more than anyone else did.”
“And yet here we are, eating like royalty in a penthouse,” Lara said before taking an angry bite.
“Not every deal I’ve made has lost money,” Jason said. “Must we really discuss this at the dinner table?”
“I suppose not,” Henry said, caving in. “Lara, let it go. Please? For my sake.”
His wife was having none of that, though. Ignoring her husband, she stared down her host as she said, “This isn’t over, Jason.”
“Can we please just enjoy the food, everyone?” Elizabeth asked, pleading with them to stop.
“Maybe if you’d stop trying to kill the conversation, we could,” Cheyenne said softly.
I heard her say it, and clearly, so did Elizabeth.
“That’s all I’m going to take from you. Get out!” Elizabeth said angrily as she started to stand.
“Make me!” Cheyenne replied, standing as well to face her adversary.
“Elizabeth!” I said sharply as I stood as well. “May I have a word with you?”
“What is it, Suzanne?” she asked angrily as she looked at me.
“Take
a deep breath,” I said softly after I’d approached her, “before you say something you might regret later.”
“The only thing I regret is the guest list to this party,” she said.
Was that directed at me? “Sorry. I was just trying to help.”
“I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t need your help or anyone else’s. I’m a grown woman, and I can handle my life just fine without interference from anyone else.” With that, she stormed out of the room.
I started after her, hoping to apologize. What I’d said and done had been out of love and caring, but clearly she hadn’t seen it that way.
“You’d better let us handle it,” Jennifer said as she patted my shoulder.
“Don’t worry. She’ll cool down in a bit. Just give her a little time,” Hazel added, and the two women went after our friend, leaving me out completely.
I looked at Jake in bewilderment about what had just happened. He just shrugged in my direction as he looked as sympathetic as he could.
“All of this arguing has given me a headache,” Lara said suddenly as she stood, too. “I’m going to go to my room and rest.”
“Are you going to be okay?” Henry asked her.
“That remains to be seen, but I doubt it,” Lara answered. After taking three steps toward their suite, she stopped and looked back at him. “Aren’t you coming?”
Henry looked down at his unfinished food, and then he sighed loudly. “Yes, dear,” he said.
“Henry, hang back one second,” Jason said, but all his old friend would do was wave off the invitation.
“I’m sorry, Jason. I’ve got to go,” he replied as he trailed off after his wife.
After they were gone, Cheyenne asked her boss, “Jason, are you going to let that woman continue to treat me as though I’m trash that needs to be taken out?”
“She’s my wife, Cheyenne. What can I do?”
“You could grow a backbone, for starters,” Cheyenne said as she stood as well. “You know what? I’m sick of this.”
As she stormed off, Jason asked his other employee, “Joan, would you go with her and make sure she’s okay?”
It was fairly obvious that Joan had no interest at all in doing anything of the sort, but it was also just as clear that it had been an order from her boss and not a request. “Sure.” She managed another bite of prime rib before she got up, and I was a little surprised that she didn’t take her plate with her the way she was looking at all of her uneaten food.
“Well, I must say, you certainly know how to clear a table,” Candida said as she looked around the nearly empty dining room.
“Said the barista with delusions of grandeur,” Jason snapped in an offhand manner. He obviously regretted his statement instantly. When I looked over at Candida and then at Bernard, I saw them both react with a level of emotion that I hadn’t witnessed from them before. Without a word, they both got up and left the table.
It was now down to Jason, Jake, and me, with the caterers still looking on. I had eaten a fair amount of food, but suddenly I’d lost my appetite, given the tension in the penthouse, and I was guessing that Jake felt the same way.
“How did this go so badly so quickly?” Jason asked aloud, more to himself than to either one of us.
“Excuse me, sir, but will they be coming back?” the caterer asked anxiously. “We really must be going soon.”
“At this point I don’t even care. Let them all starve! Clear it all away,” Jason said as he stood and threw his napkin on the table. “Nobody deserves a dinner this nice.”
He didn’t even glance at us as he headed toward his own suite.
Now it was just the two of us.
I pushed my plate away, and Jake did the same.
“Sir? Ma’am?” the caterer asked us. “Are you finished?”
“We are,” Jake said as he stood. “Let us help you. After all, your original two volunteers already took off.”
“We’ll be fine,” she said as she clapped her hands twice, and the rest of her crew suddenly appeared. It was obvious that they’d been waiting for the signal, because the dirty dishes were emptied and placed in bins on carts almost immediately. Their speed was amazing, and in no time at all, they were ready to leave.
The only problem was that they couldn’t.
“I hate to disturb Mr. Martin, but we need someone to let us out of the building,” the caterer said apologetically.
“We don’t need him. I can do it myself,” Jake said.
“I’ll go with you, too,” I said.
“There’s no reason you have to do that, Suzanne,” he said. “I won’t be a minute.”
I looked around the empty room. “What else do I have to do here? Elizabeth’s not talking to me, Jennifer and Hazel are consoling her, and everyone else is mad at each other.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll be okay,” Jake said as he patted my shoulder.
“If you don’t mind, we’d really like to go now,” the caterer interrupted. “I’m afraid the weather is going to get worse before it gets better, and we have families we want to be with,” she explained.
“Then by all means, let’s get you on your way,” Jake said.
I had a sudden thought. “Do you need to get paid first? Is that why you need to see Jason?”
She grinned at me for a moment before she answered. “No, that’s already been taken care of. We always collect our fees before the meal.”
“That’s smart of you,” I said as I followed them into the elevator. “Are you sure there’s enough room for me, too?” I asked as I looked at the crowded space.
“We’re not leaving you here alone, Suzanne. We’ll scoot in closer,” Jake insisted.
I almost turned down the ride. After all, I knew I was being childish, hurt from Elizabeth’s rebuff, but the truth was I didn’t want to be in that penthouse without Jake, even if it were only for a few minutes, as he’d promised.
“Thanks,” I said as I got on.
“The more the merrier, I say,” the caterer added just as the doors closed.
CHAPTER 9
Because of the caterers and their bulky carts, Jake and I had to stand close together, which wasn’t a hardship for me under any circumstances. He knew that I was still stinging from Elizabeth’s rebuff, and he reached out and took my hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze as he did. The sweet and tender gesture was worth more to me at that moment than a dozen roses and a box of chocolates.
Once the elevator doors opened on the ground floor, Jake and I stepped out of the way so the caterers could get out. As promised, the front door was locked even from the inside, and Jake had to enter a special code to get it to open.
“Thanks for coming down with us,” the head caterer said. “We’ve got it from here.”
“Let us at least hold the front door open for you,” I said.
After Jake took the door, we watched as they rolled their carts out into the parking lot, slipping a little as they made their way, and I was suddenly jealous of their ability to leave.
“Jake, let’s not stay,” I said impulsively as I watched one of the carts start to go off in its own direction. I’d moved outside with my husband, and the pavement, once wet, was now getting slick with a thin film of ice. Before too long, the roads would be impassable, but we had my Jeep, and I was positive that I could get us home, or at the very least, away from all of the awful vibes in the penthouse above us.
“Do you really want to make a run for it?” Jake asked me, staring intently into my eyes. “What about your friends?”
“It’s clear they are all going to be fine without me,” I said, letting a little of my hurt feelings creep into my voice.
“Okay, if you’re up for it, then you know that I’m game, too,” he said as he started to let the door close.
“Wait!” I called out. “Hold it for one second.”
He barely managed to catch the door before it could close. “What’s the matter? Did you change your mind already?”
&n
bsp; “What about our clothes?” I asked. “We’re not exactly dressed for travel.”
“I don’t know. I think I look spiffy,” he said as he pretended to dust off a lapel of his tuxedo with his free hand. “And you are stunning.”
“I appreciate the compliment, but I’m not sure I want to drive all the way home in this dress. Besides, I need to at least say good-bye to Elizabeth and the girls.”
“What happened to us being here to watch out for her? Are you really okay with letting it go?” Jake asked me as we waved good-bye to the caterers. They didn’t seem to have any trouble so far, but I could understand the boss’s desire to get her crew on their way before things got worse.
“You heard her. Elizabeth was right. She’s a grown woman, and I’m not sure I could protect her even if I tried,” I admitted.
“Is any of that your pride speaking?” he asked me as we got back on the elevator to go say our farewells.
“Maybe some of it is,” I admitted, “but you have to admit that the environment up there is really toxic. Everybody seems to hate everyone else, and I can’t stand the thought of being cooped up with those people one second longer than I have to.”
“I get that completely,” Jake said as he hit the button for the penthouse. “I just don’t want you to do something that you might regret later.”
“I can’t live my life worrying about that,” I said. “I’ll tell them I had a donut emergency, and we had to go back to April Springs at the last second.”
“What kind of emergency is a donut emergency?” Jake asked me with a grin. He looked dashing. My husband should wear tuxes more often.
“I don’t know. There could be lots of things.”
“Name three,” he said, still smiling.
I was about to try when all of a sudden the elevator jarred to a halt and the lights all went out, plunging us both into darkness.
It appeared that, at least for the moment, we were trapped.
CHAPTER 10
As the emergency backup lights flickered on, I asked Jake, “What’s going on?”
“It’s okay, Suzanne. I’ve been wondering if we’d lose power tonight.” His voice was level and calm, but then again, my husband was used to working under pressure. That was probably the only thing keeping me from panicking at the moment. If I’d been riding the elevator alone, it would have been an entirely different story altogether.