Read Online Steamed (A Maid in LA Mystery) by Holly Jacobs - Free Book Online
Authors: Holly Jacobs
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only conversation I’ve had with anyone here tonight consists of me asking if they’d like a shrimp puff and them responding. Plus, I’d like to point out that you said to stay in the city...and this is in the city. I haven’t broken any of your rules for potential murder suspects and accidental murder scene cleaner-uppers.”
Technically Celebre Hotel was the city, but compared to where I lived and worked, it might as well have been on another planet. Once I attended events like this as Mrs. Jerome Smith, but that was a lifetime ago. It didn’t seem real any longer. These days, the only visiting I did on this side of town was clean a house or in this case, serve a party.
“How about me saying to leave this case alone?”
“I haven’t done anything to interfere with your case, Detective Serious. So what lead are you following here?” I asked, trying to pretend I didn’t know that Banning’s ex was tossing this shindig.
“Wow, with acting that impressive, it’s surprising you don’t have a Mortie.”
Ouch.
I decided that this play of wits wasn’t fair...my whole wit was obviously going to beat his halfwit. To be honest, half a wit might be too generous a description of Detective Parker.
I picked up my tray and walked away from him.
“Quincy, I’m sorry,” he called.
I turned around. “That’s Ms. Mac to you. And although it isn’t nearly as glamorous as acting and winning a Mortie, or being a serious detective chasing down a lead, the fact is, I have a job to do, and like I told you when you asked me about cleaning that apartment, I take my work very seriously and I do an excellent job.”
I walked away, tray of shrimp puffs offered from one person to the next, then I headed into the kitchen. Honey took one look at me and said, “What on earth is wrong? Did someone try and grope you? I know how the rich and famous can treat the help.”
“It’s been so long, I’d consider someone copping a feel a compliment. That’s a sad comment, but there it is.” That had to be why I’d found Serious Parker attractive…I was desperate. He was probably a troll and I’d simply overlooked it because of my current male drought. “I’m going to go make a couple more rounds.”
I took another tray of shrimp puffs and walked back into the crowd. I spotted the detective on the north end of the building—Okay, confession. I have no sense of direction. I know that there’s a north, south, east and west, but other than that, I don’t have a clue. Here in California, if you see the ocean, it’s a safe best that’s west or at least westerly, but otherwise, I’ve got nothing. Cal was standing by the main entrance to the room, so that felt like north to me. Because he was there, I headed toward the pseudo-south side of the room.
I spotted Shaley Banning. I recognized her from pictures, but someone had photoshopped those pics because in real life I had an instant impression of the daughter in Legally Blonde . I saw the musical a couple years back and loved it. But even if you never saw the musical, you remember the daughter from the movie? The fact the daughter washed her hair after a perm proved she was the murderer? Well, Shaley’s hair looked as if a perm couldn’t hurt. It was straight and lifeless.
I passed-puffs my way over to her. “Puff?” I asked as I offered her the platter.
“No.”
She was seated at a table all by herself. Her eyes were red-rimmed.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said softly.
I set the tray down and took the seat next to her. I knew from my research that this girl was only a year older than my Hunter. “Are you sure, honey?”
She sniffled. “My dad used to call me that. Hold on, honey , he’d say. He’d finish whatever he was typing, slam his laptop close and rest his elbows on its neon case and say, okay, I’m listening,
Technically Celebre Hotel was the city, but compared to where I lived and worked, it might as well have been on another planet. Once I attended events like this as Mrs. Jerome Smith, but that was a lifetime ago. It didn’t seem real any longer. These days, the only visiting I did on this side of town was clean a house or in this case, serve a party.
“How about me saying to leave this case alone?”
“I haven’t done anything to interfere with your case, Detective Serious. So what lead are you following here?” I asked, trying to pretend I didn’t know that Banning’s ex was tossing this shindig.
“Wow, with acting that impressive, it’s surprising you don’t have a Mortie.”
Ouch.
I decided that this play of wits wasn’t fair...my whole wit was obviously going to beat his halfwit. To be honest, half a wit might be too generous a description of Detective Parker.
I picked up my tray and walked away from him.
“Quincy, I’m sorry,” he called.
I turned around. “That’s Ms. Mac to you. And although it isn’t nearly as glamorous as acting and winning a Mortie, or being a serious detective chasing down a lead, the fact is, I have a job to do, and like I told you when you asked me about cleaning that apartment, I take my work very seriously and I do an excellent job.”
I walked away, tray of shrimp puffs offered from one person to the next, then I headed into the kitchen. Honey took one look at me and said, “What on earth is wrong? Did someone try and grope you? I know how the rich and famous can treat the help.”
“It’s been so long, I’d consider someone copping a feel a compliment. That’s a sad comment, but there it is.” That had to be why I’d found Serious Parker attractive…I was desperate. He was probably a troll and I’d simply overlooked it because of my current male drought. “I’m going to go make a couple more rounds.”
I took another tray of shrimp puffs and walked back into the crowd. I spotted the detective on the north end of the building—Okay, confession. I have no sense of direction. I know that there’s a north, south, east and west, but other than that, I don’t have a clue. Here in California, if you see the ocean, it’s a safe best that’s west or at least westerly, but otherwise, I’ve got nothing. Cal was standing by the main entrance to the room, so that felt like north to me. Because he was there, I headed toward the pseudo-south side of the room.
I spotted Shaley Banning. I recognized her from pictures, but someone had photoshopped those pics because in real life I had an instant impression of the daughter in Legally Blonde . I saw the musical a couple years back and loved it. But even if you never saw the musical, you remember the daughter from the movie? The fact the daughter washed her hair after a perm proved she was the murderer? Well, Shaley’s hair looked as if a perm couldn’t hurt. It was straight and lifeless.
I passed-puffs my way over to her. “Puff?” I asked as I offered her the platter.
“No.”
She was seated at a table all by herself. Her eyes were red-rimmed.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said softly.
I set the tray down and took the seat next to her. I knew from my research that this girl was only a year older than my Hunter. “Are you sure, honey?”
She sniffled. “My dad used to call me that. Hold on, honey , he’d say. He’d finish whatever he was typing, slam his laptop close and rest his elbows on its neon case and say, okay, I’m listening,
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