“Quincy! Don’t touch the body!” Wendell echoes.
“Wooooooo, touching the dead body will put a currrrrssse on yooooouuuuuuoooooouuu,” Daphne moans.
Bea leans into me and squeezes my hand. “Thank you for making her a ghost. She’s in heaven right now.”
“Far be it from me to disappoint a lady.” I clear my throat and raise my voice. “If everyone could please stay calm, I will ring the authorities. Pinky. My phone, if you please.”
“Cell towers are down, sir,” Pinky says from the doorway.
His performance is woefully lacking, exactly as he informed me it would be when he lost whatever game the three of my security agents performed to decide which one of them would have to play a role and which two would be allowed to merely observe.
“Ah. Then do bring me my phone if the towers come back up,” I reply.
He grunts and leaves the dining room.
Everyone stares at me.
Everyone except for Quincy, who gasps again. “Ryker’s gone.”
A thump sounds in the next room.
And after a moment of staring at one another, half the guests flee toward the hallway.
“Is he murdered too?”
“Or did he do the murder?”
“He noticed Hudson’s knife was missing.”
“Where did that noise come from?”
“Stop! Stop! You’re contaminating the crime scene! Everyone has to stay here!” Wendell stomps his foot, then rushes after everyone fleeing the room as though he might stop them.
Bea remains at the table, watching half the guests go, her hand inching higher on my leg.
“Did you see what happened?” Hudson asks her.
He, too, is among those lingering behind.
She frowns at him as he stops behind her chair. “Did you have a knife at the beginning of dinner?”
“Nope.”
“Why didn’t you ask for one?”
“Bea. It was lobster rolls and a salad.”
“You didn’t want to cut your cucumber?”
He starts to chuckle.
She waves a hand. “Never mind. Of course you didn’t. Neanderthal. By the way, you have some dressing still on your shirt.”
She grabs her serviette and dabs at it, unfortunately taking her hand off my leg in the process.
He bats her hand away. “Seriously? Is this part of your role, or are you being Bea right now?”
“So this part never changes?” I ask her.
