A Rip Roaring Good Time by Jeanne Glidewell Read Free Book Online Page B

and that he was going to get what he had coming to him. Fortunately, she had always promised me she'd never leave home without a can of pepper spray in her purse. She was able to get to it and sprayed him squarely in the eyes. Then Wendy called 9-1-1 while he was pawing at his face."
    "Good for her!" I said. "Sounds to me like he got what he had coming to him after all."
    Then Mattie cut in with her opinion. "Well, it was a start, but not even close to what he deserved to get for such an assault. I think Wendy should have kneed him in the nuggets while he was rubbing his eyes. You know, just to make a point."
    "I agree!" Lexie and I said in stereo. I glanced back at Trotter Hayes, who was staring at the piano lid as if admiring his own reflection in the luster of the shiny paint. He reached up and adjusted a small tuft of sun-streaked hair draped over his forehead so that it hung seductively over his left eye. I suddenly thought he was the ugliest creature I'd ever laid eyes on. Crazy how one's perspective could change so drastically in a matter of thirty seconds.
    "So what happened next?" I asked. I'm ashamed to admit that when it came to juicy stories like this one, I wanted to hear all the gritty, gory, or even x-rated details.
    "Our good friend, Detective Wyatt Johnston, recognized Wendy's address when the call came in, and he was the first to respond to it. The police department tossed Trotter in the tank for the night, and Stone took Wendy to the police department to file a complaint. Chief Leonard Smith and I have had disagreements in the past, so we decided it was best if I didn't join them. But as it were, it didn't matter anyway. The chief argued bitterly with the mayor, but the entire incident was ultimately swept under the rug and the jerk was released the next morning."
    "Did Wendy tell Andy about the assault?" I wanted to know. I was thinking the party could turn out to be more memorable than we'd anticipated if she had shared the news with her protective boyfriend. If he were anything like my husband, he'd have a word of two to say to the rat, along with a promise to have his face rearranged if he ever touched his girlfriend again.
    "I doubt she told Andy," Lexie said. "She felt humiliated and embarrassed about the whole thing and just wanted to put it behind her. But it might not stay behind her when she sees Trotter here tonight, I'm afraid. I can't promise I wouldn't do something totally horrid to Trotter myself, given half the chance."
    As Lexie had been speaking, a young couple had walked up behind us. I was still staring at the man across the room, leaning on the piano as if he owned the place. I didn't even bother to turn around as the woman behind me spoke to Mattie.
    "Hey, girl! Long time, no see. It's good to see you," the female said in greeting to her friend. She spoke with very little emotion, but politely.
    "Hi, Alice. Glad you were able to make it after all," Mattie said in return. After the brief exchange, Alice turned to walk away, followed closely by her clearly annoyed partner. I turned to look at them as they strode toward a group of guests in the corner of the room and noticed that right behind them was another young couple, holding hands, and obviously smitten with each other.
    "Oh, swell," Mattie said. Before either Lexie or I could ask her what she was referring to, Mattie nodded in the direction of the second couple who were now standing in the corner with the rest of the group. "As they say, the plot thickens. That's Falcon Jons, who I'd heard was Joy's ex-boyfriend. She must have broken up with him to date Trotter. I wouldn't want anything to do with Falcon, but he's a darned sight better choice than Trotter Hayes."
    Lexie just shook her head. I could tell she was already regretting having planned this surprise party for her daughter. We both looked toward the corner of the room, beyond a large parquet floor that Lexie had told me was occasionally used as a dance floor. Falcon Jons was