G'Day to Die: A Passport to Peril Mystery - By Maddy Hunter Page 0,44
isn’t your best shade.”
He grinned. “A souvenir from Diana Squires, who stopped to express her gratitude. That woman gives me the willies, Em. She looks as if she learned to apply makeup from an undertaker.”
“What was she expressing her gratitude about?”
“A random act of kindness. She was trying to manage a huge box plus her luggage this morning, so I offered to carry the box for her. It was no big deal, but she was acting like—”
“She left the hotel with a box?” My voice became a squeak. “Where is it now?”
“Back at the hotel. The front desk clerk was going to mail it for her.”
“Are you serious?” I clenched my fists. No wonder her knapsack hadn’t sent up any red flags. Damn! “Did you see the label? Do you know where she was sending it?”
“I caught a glimpse. A company called Infinity Inc. in Wilmington, Delaware.”
“Was it heavy?”
“Not for me.”
“Did she want it overnighted?”
“Emily—”
“Do they have overnight mail in Australia? With the international dateline thing, it could arrive in Delaware even before she sends it.”
He clapped his hands on my shoulders and gave me a narrow look. “Would you mind telling me why you’re so freaked out about Diana Squires’s box?”
My mouth fell open. “This isn’t freaked out. Yesterday at lunch? When Jake let his spider loose? That was freaked out.”
“Is this a private party or can anyone join in?” asked Etienne, pausing beside us with Nana on one arm and Tilly on the other. “I couldn’t resist picking up a couple of good-looking young ladies along the way.”
“Anyone want a chocolate?” Nana flipped open the lid of a small white box and offered up the contents. “I bought a whole Noah’s Ark a local wildlife. If you’re one a them vegetarians, it’s a good way to try kangaroo.”
The guys happily depleted much of Nana’s menagerie as we moseyed toward our departure gate. However, unlike M&Ms, this chocolate melted in their hands as well as their mouths, so they had to make a pit stop at the men’s room. When they’d gone, I herded Nana and Tilly to a quiet corner in the gate area.
“Do you know why no one could find Nana’s plant yesterday? Because it wasn’t there anymore. Diana mailed it to Delaware!”
“No kiddin’?” Nana said, wide-eyed.
“No kidding. She packed it in a big box, and Duncan carried it to the front desk for her this morning.”
“That was nice a him,” said Nana. “His parents raised him real good.”
“Did she actually tell Duncan what was in the box?” asked Tilly.
“Well, no, but it was addressed to Infinity Inc. What else could it be?”
Nana shrugged. “Could be she’s mailin’ all her dirty laundry back home so she’ll have room in her grip for lots a new stuff. Some folks haven’t figured out it’s cheaper just to spring for another suitcase.”
Tilly rapped her cane on the floor. “If you turn around, you’ll notice she’s right over there. Perhaps we should simply ask her.”
She was standing in a tight circle with Roger Piccolo and Heath Acres, her hands flying into the air as she railed at Heath.
“What do you s’pose them three’s got to talk about?” asked Nana.
Heath was shaking his head, looking as if he wanted to escape, only to appear more desperate when Roger started ranting, too.
I made a shushing sound that echoed my disgust. “I bet you anything they’re arguing about Nora. They’re probably trying to cram incentives down Heath’s throat so he’ll convince his mother to endorse their company products. I hope he doesn’t sell out. I think they should just leave the poor woman alone. Who cares how many wrinkles she has?”
“Obviously, Infinity and GenerX care,” said Tilly. “Why else the hard sell? Do you suppose they think they’ve found the goose that laid the golden egg?”
“I gotta sit,” Nana declared as she limped toward a row of unoccupied chairs. “My kick-ass boots are killin’ my feet.”
“I’m so relieved to hear you say that,” Tilly admitted as she limped to the chair beside her. “If I had to do it again, I’d buy the ones with the orthopedic inserts.”
I sat down next to Nana. “You know, ladies, if you switched to closed-toe walking shoes, you could probably lose the boots and still be protected.”
They leaned over to regard each other’s footwear with the kind of adulation people normally reserve for newborns and Lamborginis. “We don’t wanna lose ’em, dear. Once you look this hot, it’s hard settlin’ for ordinary.” She leaned back in her seat