Lavender Lipstick Lies: A Mystery of Makeup & Mayhem by Mary Maxwell Read Free Book Online Page B

wearing a crisp green uniform was in the entry way with a cart of
cleaning supplies and fresh linen.
    “Oh, I’m so sorry, miss.” She
blushed and slid the passkey back into her apron pocket. “I’m from housekeeping.
I knocked, but didn’t hear anyone answer.”
    “That’s okay,” I said. “I was on
the phone. Please come right in.”
    “I can also come back later if you
prefer,” she offered. “But the other woman told me it was okay.”
    The smile on her face was so sweet
that I almost felt guilty asking her to repeat what she’d just told me. When
she did, a queasy feeling began to whirl in my stomach.
    “What other woman?” I asked.
    The attendant shook her head. “I
don’t know, miss. I was getting ready to start cleaning your suite a few
minutes ago when she came to the door. She said she was staying in this suite,
and needed to put something back in her room.”
    “What did she look like?”
    “Well, she was very pretty,” the
woman answered. “With a red dress and the same kind of name tag you have on
your blouse.” She pointed to my Splendora badge. “And she was very, very kind.
She insisted on giving me an extra tip even though I told her that wasn’t
necessary.”
    My mind reeled. Who had been in
our suite? Emma was wearing a vivid blue sweater and black skirt. Bree was
dressed entirely in green. What did she want? What did she do? The
director of security had moved us to a secure floor, but someone else had
simply pretended to be staying in our suite so she could gain access.
    “Is everything okay, miss?” The
housekeeping attendant was studying my expression intently, nervously twisting
the hem of her apron in her hands. “You look unhappy now. Is it something
that—”
    “No, you’re fine,” I interrupted.
“I was just thinking about something related to work.”
    The frown on her face softened.
“Oh, okay. I just want to make sure you have a wonderful stay here with us.”
    “Everything’s fine,” I said, taking
a deep breath. “Thank you again for all that you do.”
    She nodded slightly. “I can come
back later to finish,” she offered again. “There are many other rooms I can
work on now if you need privacy.”
    “That’s not necessary. I’m going
back downstairs for my meeting. You’re welcome to take care of things right
now.”
    “Very well,” the housekeeping
attendant said. “Have a nice day!”
    I thanked her again and stepped
aside as she gracefully maneuvered her cart around me. As I glanced back into
the suite, something in Bree’s room caught my eye. Her bedroom door was slightly
ajar and a flash of red was visible through the opening. I hurried across the
living room and walked toward the open doorway. When I got close enough for a
better view, the queasy feeling in my stomach intensified as I gazed upon the
same floppy red hat and billowing floral caftan that the intruder was wearing
the day before when they left the menacing note on my mirror.

Chapter 13
     
     
    The educational session on social
media marketing was getting ready to start when I peeked into the room. I saw
Bree and Emma sitting beside an empty chair at a table near the front. I gulped
in a breath and moved toward them.
    “Hey, stranger!” Emma said. “I was
wondering if you were coming back.”
    I managed a smile. “Here I am!”
    “Is everything okay?” Bree asked.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
    “Probably just because I ran all
the way here from the elevator,” I said. “You know how they hate it when people
are late to the sessions.”
    Bree made a face and patted the
empty chair. “Sit,” she said. “And get ready to learn all there is to know about
how Twitter and Facebook can boost your Splendora business.”
    During the next hour, an energetic
woman from the company’s marketing team presented recommendations about using
social media to reach new clients. Her voice was so upbeat and warm that I
actually paid attention throughout her presentation.