Murder in Waiting - Lynn Cahoon Page 0,1
who’s going to plan your event?” Amy looked floored that I was even considering not taking copious notes on the lecture.
“You, Aunt Jackie, this woman I don’t know who’s talking to us. There are some things I don’t need to know.” I sighed as Amy pointed to the speaker and pushed some loose pink paper in front of me. I guessed I wasn’t getting out of the discussion as quickly as I’d hoped. I gave Deek one last desperate glance in the hope he might need me for something, but when he ignored my unspoken cry for help, I settled down and tried to write down the highlights of the talk.
When we finally met at Diamond Lille’s around noon, my stomach was growling and my mood even lower. Probably because I was starving.
“What took you so long? The meeting’s been over for close to an hour.”
I waved away Amy’s question and took the glass of tea that our waitress had poured as soon as she’d seen me walk into the diner. What can I say? She knows me. “You’re the best, Carrie.”
“You’re just more predictable than most. Shrimp basket with fries for you and a double cheeseburger, medium fries, and a vanilla milkshake for Amy, right?”
We nodded. I used to be amazed at Carrie’s ability to read our minds until I wrote down what I ate each day at the diner and realized I did eat the same thing, time after time. I knew what I liked and I didn’t like change. I’d made ordering lunch easy.
Amy still thought it was odd, and she shook her head as Carrie left. “I know you say it’s just being a good waitress, but man, sometimes she’s creepy good in guessing what I want to eat.”
I decided to change the subject rather than get into a discussion of statistics and probabilities. “So why lunch on a Tuesday? Usually you’re too busy with city council stuff to get away.”
“I wanted to talk to you about the upcoming trip next weekend. You’re ready, right? And Greg’s still coming? Justin’s friends are all bailing on him except for his best man. And he’s being cagey about the trip. Who says no to a paid trip to Vegas?” Amy sipped her iced tea, then pulled out a small book covered with a bird binding. It had a latch like a journal or a diary. She opened the book and glanced through a few pages. “Anyway, I was wondering if I should bring the napkin runners to work on while we’re there. It wouldn’t take more than a day to get them all done.”
“Wait, you want us to sit in a hotel room and glue rhinestones on a napkin holder while we’re in Vegas? Are you crazy?”
Amy looked up at my face, started to say something, then changed her mind. She focused on writing something in the notebook. “Okay, then, no arts and crafts during the bachelorette party.”
Carrie set our food on the table and, after overhearing Amy’s statement, laughed. “I had such a good time at my last bachelorette party. We went to a cowboy bar and wore pink cowboy hats, and I rode the mechanical bull. Of course, that was a few years ago, when I married my last husband. If I did that now, I’d break a hip.”
“A cowboy bar might be fun.” I picked up a fry and pointed it at Amy. “You like animals.”
“I do, and that’s why I don’t attend rodeos. I hate the way they treat them.” Amy shook her head. “No cowboy bars. But I’ll figure something out. We will have fun.”
“Just not too much fun. Remember that you invited Aunt Jackie and Harrold. I’d hate to see them fall off a bull.”
Amy picked up her hamburger and took a bite. She glanced at the notebook, and all of a sudden, I knew what she’d had planned.
“You were going to have us finish the decorations for your wedding. At your party.” I shook my head. “The parties I’ve been to have been all about getting the bride drunk, not getting things done. Have you ever been to one?”
“Of course I have. I just thought that this might be more fun. We could order in room service and watch movies on television. And it wouldn’t be all weekend. I’m sure we could get everything done in ten to fifteen hours, max.”
I took a deep breath. I was going to regret this, but it had to be done. “I’m the maid of