Beach Thriller(62)
Elizabeth was there with her father. Baxter didn’t bother to greet the help. They may as well have been invisible. If he wasn’t leering at them, he was looking right through them. They existed only to serve him drinks, pleasure, or preferably both.
Baxter slipped away to another room, but Elizabeth stayed behind. Her breath smelled like gasoline. Whatever she drank, it had to be burning a hole in her liver.
“Be careful.” Elizabeth’s top lip curled as she addressed Anna. “Some of these chairs will be used at the rehearsal dinner. A scratch on one of these antiques could cost more to repair than your combined salaries.” At least Anna now knew how underpaid she was.
“And, Anna, when you’re done, please clean the downstairs bathrooms. The toilets need a good scrubbing. The wedding planner will be here soon, and we can’t have a guest use them in their current condition.”
Elizabeth popped a few breath mints and marched out, a confident sway in her hips. She waved over her shoulder, all but saying, “Bye, bitches!” Then she headed to the dining room to join her father and Maeve as they planned the wedding seating.
The work was tedious, scrubbing layers of grime from antiques using vinegar and water. Anna applied a soft toothbrush to the hard-to-reach crevices, thinking horrible thoughts about Elizabeth and lovely ones about Conrad, both of which would make her Catholic grandmother weep.
Elizabeth had wanted to stick Anna with the most menial labor she could devise. But did she know about the affair, or simply suspect? Either way, Anna was in a precarious position and had to be careful.
Krystal, fair-skinned, slender, with sun-streaked hair in a loose braid, was a diligent worker. But she was also a thief. Twice Anna had seen her pocket small items: a gold letter opener and a crystal figurine, value unknown. Yet Anna had no plans to report her. It wasn’t in her nature to be a rat, and as the harlot of this story, she couldn’t claim moral high ground. At least Krystal took only small, inconsequential things, items Maeve would never miss. She wasn’t stealing the heir apparent, like Anna was currently doing.
Krystal all but admitted to pawning the stolen loot to pay rent and help support her ailing mother. Anna sympathized, which was partly why she wouldn’t snitch. If Krystal got caught, it would be because of her own carelessness.
Anna left to refill the vinegar bucket, wondering what might be missing when she returned. On her way back, she detoured past the dining room.
She crept quietly across the cold marble floor, lurking outside the doorway. “Oh my gosh, I cannot wait,” Elizabeth squealed. “These flower arrangements are perfect. Labor Day can’t get here fast enough. People magazine will cover it. I have connections.”
Anna’s heart sank. She understood Conrad hadn’t followed through on his promise yet, but the reality of the wedding plans struck a deep chord. Elizabeth was all in on their nuptials, and she was a force to be reckoned with. What if Conrad backed down?
“Elizabeth, darling, the guest list has grown considerably … the cost, dear…”
“Not to worry, Maeve,” Baxter declared with authority. “I have only one daughter, and I won’t let cost get in the way.”
“Oh, good, Daddy,” cooed Elizabeth. “Then you won’t mind that I’ve hired a new wedding planner.”
“New?” said Maeve, surprised. “I thought the woman I found was doing an excellent job.”
“Excellent?” Elizabeth couldn’t have sounded more incredulous if she’d tried. “That woman was dreadful. My god, did you see those tacky napkins she picked out? I would never … Anyway, Daddy, I found someone much better. But she’s based in New York. You’ll fly her out for me, won’t you?”
“Of course, Sugar Bear,” said Baxter. “Anything you want.”
Sugar Bear? Anna suppressed a giggle.
“Good. That settles it,” said Elizabeth, with a clap of delight. “Maeve, you need to let that dreadful planner go today. And speaking of firing—” Elizabeth’s voice dropped.
Anna leaned in, straining to hear. “That new girl you hired? She has to go, too. I hate to tell you this, but she took something from your jewelry case.”
“Are you talking about Krystal? She just started.” Maeve huffed in disappointment.
“No, I mean Anna. You can’t trust that girl. And besides, I swear I constantly smell liquor on her breath. If I were you, Maeve, I’d inventory your diamond earrings—and then call the cops.”
Anna felt rage bubbling inside her. Her face flushed. How dare Elizabeth accuse her of theft and drinking on the job? It was Elizabeth’s breath that could have caught fire with a match. And the police?! Panic, then nausea, swept through her. Had Krystal sold her out—used her as a scapegoat—or had Elizabeth concocted the whole story? Either way, Elizabeth had it in for her; it was an argument Anna couldn’t win.
Shaking with anger and dread, Anna hurried to the bathroom. She arrived just in time, dropped to her knees, and emptied what she’d had for breakfast into the toilet, wishing she could purge herself of every awful emotion tearing through her.
Chapter 34
Jade
When I arrive for work, I’m surprised to see a sweet vintage car parked in front of the big fountain. It’s not a vehicle that I’ve seen here before. Visitors aren’t frequent, so this is curious.