Throw a Monkey Wrench (an Emma Cassidy Mystery Book 1) Read Free Page A

wonder they’d ever got together in the first place.
    But then her vision blurred as another
attack suddenly gripped her, and this time she couldn’t hide her agony. Doubling
up, she let out a groan as her stomach heaved ominously. Panic fogged her
brain. Her body couldn’t wait any longer to get rid of the toxins, the nearest
bathroom was miles away, and she was already responsible for the ruining of one
priceless Persian rug. She couldn’t afford another one.
    So she did the only sensible thing. She
grabbed a crystal vase filled with expensive orchids and tossed the flowers to
the floor. She began to gag. Bending her head over the vase, she had no choice
but to allow her body to take over. Through her misery, she heard an outraged
yell as someone stormed up to her.
    “That’s Waterford crystal, you dimwit!”
Tony Barnet screamed. “You’re puking in my Waterford crystal!”

Chapter Two
    “If you change your
mind, please call me. Yes, I understand. Of course, the safety of your guests
is paramount. Well, I’m sorry you feel that way. Goodbye, Mrs. Lawson.”
    Sighing, Emma ended the call, rested her
elbows on her desk, and buried her face in her hands. That was the second
cancellation in as many days, and she was beginning to fear each time her cell
phone rang. A clatter of heels on the wooden floor brought her upright just in
time to see Caitlyn trip into her office.
    “Brought your mail,” Caitlyn sang, waving a
pile of letters in her manicured fingers.
    “Oh, thank you, sweetie.”
    Today Caitlyn’s nail varnish was candy
cotton pink to go with her skintight pink leggings, fondant white top, and
scarlet four-inch heels. The twenty-two-year-old was her part-time assistant
mainly owing to the fact that Emma’s office shared the same building as the
hair salon where Caitlyn worked as a manicurist. When Emma had moved back to
Greenville determined to set up her own event planning business, her first
requirement had been to hire some office space, something affordable but not
something that screamed bargain basement. That was not the image she wanted for
her business.
    The timber, two-story Victorian house that
stood on the edge of Main Street was quaint and charming, with white paint and
colorful window boxes. Lulu’s Salon occupied the first floor, but a compact
upstairs room made an ideal, bargain-priced office for A Perfect Party. From
the little lace balcony Emma could either look down the length of Main Street
or across the roof tops to the glistening waters of Shamrock Lake.
    Caitlyn had been very excited when Emma had
set up office upstairs and had volunteered to collect her mail, answer calls,
and make coffee for visitors, so hiring the perky girl on a part-time basis seemed
only fair. But today even Caitlyn’s cheeriness failed to lift Emma’s spirits which
drooped even further as she went through her mail.
    “Bills,” she sighed, opening and tossing
them one by one onto her desk. She froze as she read the last one. “Oh
goodness, I don’t believe it! Is he serious?”
    “Is who serious about what?”
    “Tony Barnet. He’s sent me an invoice for
carpet cleaning. Eight hundred dollars! How can he do this?”
    “Oh, that’s too bad.” Caitlyn made a moue
of sympathy as she twirled a lock of hair around her fingers. “Are you going to
pay him?”
    Muttering an unsavory word, Emma crumpled
up the invoice and threw it across the room.
    “Not before I have a word with him,” she
said grimly.
    “Ooh, you’re brave.” Caitlyn shuddered. “I
wouldn’t be game to argue with him.”
    Emma pushed to her feet. The truth was, she
couldn’t afford to part with eight hundred dollars, not when two clients had
cancelled this week and no new enquires had come in ever since that disaster on
Saturday, four nights ago. News of the incident had spread through Greenville
and around Shamrock Lake like proverbial wild fire, and Emma had copped more
than a few snarky remarks and pointed stares. Like it or