Adelaide Confused (11 page)

Unfortunately the evening
had just begun. Word went out that dinner would soon be served and
shortly thereafter guests started searching for their seats. The
tables were small, seating four only. I suppose the arrangement was
meant to be cozy, encouraging intimate conversation.

A woman I guessed to be in
her sixties greeted Reed. He stood and kissed her cheek. “Adelaide,
I’d like you to meet Eleanor Bryant. She’s the chief finance
officer for all of Wallace Enterprise.” Gesturing to me, he said,
“Adelaide Graves, my guest this evening.”

She gave me a regal nod and
turned her attention back to Reed. They sat, with her taking the
seat to his left, and were quickly immersed in a business
discussion. I yawned, unperturbed by the loss of his attention. It
was oddly relieving.

Moments later a somewhat
ruffled young man joined the table. His eyes flickered over me
briefly as he took the seat to my right. Reed looked up at his
arrival, shaking hands and greeting him warmly.

Turning to me, Reed said,
“This is Tim Beckett.” I shook Tim’s hand in turn. Reed continued,
“Tim, this is my guest Adelaide Graves. And you know Eleanor
Bryant, I believe.”

Conversation picked up
after that. I didn’t say a word, my only unspoken requirement: to
look interested. They talked money, they talked politics, and they
made me want to tear off my ears. Luckily, I had my emotions in
check. The ballroom’s occupants were still feeling pleasant and
mild.

The servers came around to
offer up options for entrees. Reed selected my meal. I was annoyed,
but allowed it as I was out of my league. I didn’t know how to
pronounce half of what they offered.

Though he wasn’t much
older, Tim didn’t try to talk to me. Actually, he did his
best
not
to
talk to me. Under normal circumstances this would bother me not at
all, but I was bored so I decided to mess with him.

While Reed and Eleanor were chatting I
abruptly asked, “Did you ever watch Sesame Street?”

He fiddled with his collar,
trying to avoid eye contact. “No, I never did.”

“Well, do you know the big yellow bird?”

“
I’m sorry,” he said,
shaking his head, “the what?”

“
You know... the big yellow
bird from Sesame Street?”

“
Yes, yes, I believe I know
who you’re speaking of.”

“I heard that bird was a hermaphrodite.”

He went still. “Excuse
me?”

Reed and Eleanor finished their conversation
and turned to us. I jumped at the opportunity I’d been granted.
“Reed,” I said, “you’re never going to guess what Tim just told
me.”

“
What’s that?” he asked,
already amused.

I nudged Tim with my elbow.
“Go on, tell them. Tell them what you just told me.”

He was staring at me like I
was cracked, which only further encouraged me. “He said the most
outlandish thing about Sesame Street. He said—”

Tim stood abruptly. “If
you’ll excuse me for a moment.”

He tried to stalk off, but
before he could go I said, “Don’t worry about it, you can tell them
when you get back.”

Reed found the episode
diverting. He had no idea what I’d been up to, but he knew I’d been
up to something. “I don’t think Tim appreciates your demented sense
of humor.”

“
You don’t know me well
enough to classify my humor. It’s not demented, it’s
refined.”

“
Refined?” he queried,
twirling a piece of my hair.

I flicked his fingers away
and turned my attention to eating.

Eleanor was also eating,
but I was sure she’d witnessed our brief exchange. She didn’t have
an emotional response. In fact, I hadn’t felt so much as a twinge
from her all evening.

Tim returned. He scowled at
me and sat down. I didn’t bring up Sesame Street or hermaphrodites.
He was relieved.

“I was sorry to hear about Theodore,” Eleanor
said to Tim. She didn’t feel sorry. “Have you learned anything
new?”

He pushed the food around
his plate like a child. “Mr. Wallace would know more than me, he’s
been keeping in contact with the police.”

Eleanor looked to Reed.

“
I know very little,
everything is being kept quiet.” Emptiness and grief grew as Reed
spoke.

Eleanor shook her head.
“It’s too late for that. Everyone already knows a murderer is
running loose on St. Simons.”

Dumbfounded, I stared at
the three of them. “You knew the man that was murdered?”

“
Yes, I’ve known him for a
number of years. He was a friend and colleague.” Reed spoke evenly,
but I felt him hurting. “Theodore was also Tim’s
mentor.”

I looked at Tim. Tim looked
at his plate. I said I was sorry for his loss, using the
opportunity to lean closer, but the results were the same. Tim
wasn’t feeling sad. Tim was just pretending to feel sad. I didn’t
much like Tim.

“
Dessert will be served
before the speech,” a small bespectacled man announced from the
podium.

“There’s going to be a speech?” How
boring.

Reed turned to answer.
“Yes, but don’t fret, it will be riveting.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“
Because I’m the one giving
it.” He stood, pulling me up with him. For some reason I let him,
noticing how nice his hand looked wrapped around my upper arm.
“While the servers clear the tables most guests mingle in the lobby
or lounge. Go do what I brought you for,” he said, giving me a
gentle shove. “And stay away from Danielle Smathers,” he added for
good measure.

I didn’t follow the crowd.
They poured into the lobby, continuing to seep into an adjacent
ballroom I took to be the lounge. Instead I went in search of the
bathroom. Regardless of Reed’s instructions, I needed a break from
all the emotions.

They were just starting to
disappear when a sharp concentration of hatred swamped me. Hastily
I turned back, glancing down the empty marble hall toward the
lobby. She was easy to spot. Sporting a little black dress and
standing near the elevator was Reed Wallace’s secretary, or
personal assistant, or whatever she called herself. Her eyes were
narrowed, her posture rigid.

I considered telling her
that if she hadn’t been so bad in bed, Reed wouldn’t have dumped
her. I discarded the idea; it just wasn’t practical. I was a
non-confrontation type, plus, I didn’t want to get my eyes
scratched out.

So I watched as the elevator dinged and the
doors slid open. She pinned me with one last withering glare and
sauntered inside.

Further down the hall a
swirling mass made me groan. “You’ve got to be kidding,” I
muttered. The ghost tried to slim down, but his desired form wasn’t
cooperating. He faded in and out, doing that creepy hologram thing.
I recognized the transparent tones of his clothing even from a
distance. My bladder forgotten, I backtracked, rushing a little
when he began to wave his wispy arms in earnest.

The gesture matched his
emotion—urgent. I would have questioned him, but people were
scattered throughout the large lobby. Stupid stragglers. So I
complied obediently as he shooed me along, hurrying me toward the
slightly smaller ballroom where most of the guests had gathered for
a quick drink.

I was about to walk inside
but his cloudy arm shot out to stop me, and I took his sharp
anxiety for warning. I heard them talking then, catching the
conversation the ghost had wanted me to hear.

“
You shouldn’t be here.” A
male voice I didn’t recognize.

“
I’ve got a cover,” came
the deep and rumbling reply.

“We don’t know how informed he is, your
identity may be no secret. Do you want to be recognized?”

“You worry too much,” the second man replied
harshly. “He’s already seen me.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game.”

“
I’m beginning to think
it’s you who’s playing,” said the hoarse voice. “You said he’d have
it, and he didn’t. I’m not a patient man.”

“
Remember who’s moving the
pieces before you do anything hasty.” A small silence and then,
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have someone to meet.”

“We’re done here,” was the husky reply.

When I was certain that
they weren’t going to say more, I hurried inside. Looking to the
left where their voices had come from, I was disappointed to see
nothing, not even a retreating male figure cutting through the
crowd. No one stood out.

I would have asked the
ghost to identify them, but he’d already disappeared. Figured. I
was starting to learn that ghosts were partially convenient but
mostly unreliable.

I was willing to wander the
crowd again, but only after I went to the bathroom. Peeing didn’t
last nearly long enough. Too soon I found myself surrounded by the
rich and glossy. I felt Danielle once or twice. Her smooth
excitement called to me, both seductive and addicting. It was a
good thing I had so much self-control and managed to steer
clear.

I felt some angry vibes and
checked around expecting to see the evil secretary. To my surprise,
I followed the flow to an old guy. He sat at the bar, beer in
hand.

After dealing daily with
Ben, handling old men seemed to come quite naturally. I sat next to
him, ordered a drink I didn’t intend to drink, and said, “It’s cold
in here, don’t you think?” If you wanted someone to complain,
complain first.

He spared me a sideways glance. “Put on more
clothes.”

“
Is this your typical
behavior, or are you in an especially foul mood?” I already knew
the answer.

“Both,” he huffed.

“Drown your sorrows and tell me all about
it.”

He took a swig, stealing another glance.
“You’re a nosy one.”

I shrugged and waited.

He cracked. “I have better
things to do than attend this damned event. I might be old, but I’m
still busy. I’ve got work up to my ears waiting for me back home.”
His anger came in natural waves as he spoke, so I knew he was
telling the truth.

“This dinner is mandatory?”

“
The whole damned retreat
is mandatory!” he roared in disgust.

“You should complain to Reed Wallace.”

“You think I want to get fired?”

I assumed it was a
rhetorical question, ignoring it accordingly. “Fine. I’ll do it for
you,” I offered.

He waved a finger at me. “Don’t you mention
my name. I want no part in your meddling.”

“
Maybe you’re too senile to
remember, but I never asked your name.” I stood and walked away,
leaving him no angrier than I had found him.

I’ll admit (begrudgingly,
of course) that Reed’s speech was good. I forked down a fluffy
chocolate thing while he went on about the future of the company.
He had everyone’s undivided attention, a look around confirmed
their rapture. Even Eleanor Bryant gave off her first
emotion—pride.

He made them laugh, he gave
them hope, and by the end we were all confident that Wallace
Enterprise was the most successful business in the whole world. He
was a powerful speaker.

And though the emotions
were all good, they were running much too high for my taste. I
excused myself as the speech was winding down.

I was just leaving the
ballroom when I started feeling guilty. It was only a twinge and I
accepted it as my own, attributing it to my early departure. But
then I remembered I didn’t like Reed, and wouldn’t give a damn if
I’d killed his cat, let alone left during his speech. I glanced
around as was my habit, searching for the guilty party (no pun
intended).

She was walking toward me,
heels clacking away, that damned secretary. She hadn’t seen me yet
because her head was down, the guilt growing stronger the closer
she came.

Curiosity ate at me, it was
definitely all my own emotion. I wanted to know why she was
suddenly feeling guilty. In fact, I was dying to know, but I wasn’t
willing to confront her. So I hurried across the lobby, trying to
duck into the other ballroom before she saw me.

I wasn’t that lucky. Unused
to heels, I turned my ankle, skidding to a stop and ramming my hip
into a mahogany sideboard. The flower bouquet centerpiece swayed
and I jerked to catch it. I managed in the nick of time, though a
gush of water sloshed out of the vase.

I was suddenly
angry—obviously she’d seen me. I didn’t turn to check, choosing to
retreat out of sight.

Reed found me sometime
later. I was wandering the empty rooms. “Why did you
leave?”

“
Because your speech was
awful,” I lied. “Everyone hated it. I couldn’t handle all that
loathing.”

He ignored the insult.
“Come on, this way,” he said, leading me through the halls, walking
like he owned the place. And maybe he did, supposedly he owned half
the island.

I followed him into a
medium size room. It had floor to ceiling partitions that slid
back, currently tied to the walls. A few folding chairs were
propped up, and a locked cabinet made of particleboard clogged the
corner. This was, by far, the cheapest place at the country club
and most likely used by staff only.