Every Breath You Take
Page 67
Chapter 37
Shauna put the container with the last of the mini custard tarts in the trunk of her car. Joanie and Dot had left earlier to go home and change for the event they were catering that night. Shauna had stayed behind to finish up after Dot checked the expected number of guests and they decided to add some extra tarts just in case. But the two Tupperware containers of tarts were now safely in the trunk, and she was free to go home and change. She started her Mini, loving the purr of the engine as it came to life. She checked the time on the dashboard, knowing she'd be cutting it close, but it shouldn't be a problem.
The streetlights flickered in the twilight as she headed towards downtown, trying to decide what she was going to wear. They had their usual team of servers lined up, so all that was left was for her, Joanie, and Dot to make sure everything ran smoothly. They'd decided that Shauna would supervise things on the meeting room floor, while Joanie looked after things in the kitchen. As usual, Dot would be flitting here and there, taking care of any last minute details or problems.
Shauna got home and ducked into the house, going straight to her closet and perusing her wardrobe. She decided on a tailored black pantsuit and a sky-blue blouse. She knew she'd be on her feet for most of the night, so she selected a pair of low-heeled black slingbacks. She checked herself one last time in the mirror, locked up and drove the short distance to the Convention Centre. Knowing she was pressed for time, rather than stop in the front drop-off lane and carry the two containers inside, she decided to go straight to the parking area Joanie had told her they'd been asked to use. The two containers were light enough, and the Convention Centre was just across the street. No problem.
She swung into the parking lot and headed towards the back row, her headlights picking up Joanie's SUV parked at the end with a few others. She wheeled the Mini into the adjacent space, slinging her purse over her shoulder as she opened the trunk. The lights of an approaching car made her look and squint as the car slowed and turned into the spot next to her. She turned back to her car and started to slide one of the containers out, hearing the door of the car next to her closing.
"Shauna?" a familiar voice said.
She stepped back as a man came out from between the cars. The light wasn't too good at the back of the lot, but she recognized him right away. "Oh hi, how are you?" she said.
"I'm good. What are you doing here?"
"Oh, we're catering an event at the Convention Centre tonight," she said, pointing to the two white plastic containers in the back of her car.
"Of course. Are those going inside?"
"Yeah, they're not heavy. I can manage."
"I'll give you a hand. Many hands make light work, as they say."
"That'd be great. Thanks very much."
"Why don't you reach in and pass me that other container and I'll put it on top of this one."
"Okay." Shauna stepped right up against the back of her car, leaning forwards to get the container she'd put in first. Her hand instinctively came up as she felt a sharp stinging sensation in the side of her neck. She took a step back, feeling incredibly dizzy, and then felt her legs give out as she slumped to the ground.