Mayhem in Miniature by Margaret Grace

Author:Margaret Grace
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2010-02-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Two hours later my car was full of lace, velvet, fake fur, and one little drummer boy, complete with a red-and-green drum. We headed south on Springfield Boulevard toward city hall, rum-pa-pa-pum blaring out of my car’s tinny speakers. Maddie sat rigidly, as if the tiny bit of makeup Beverly had dusted on her face had turned her whole body stiff.

It was nice to go to an affair where I had very little to do besides show up and have a good time. I’d delivered room scenes around town and helped with the items for the silent auction for the Mary Todd ball, but those were minor activities and hardly any work, compared to times when I was in charge of fund-raisers and crafts fairs. Skip had arranged for our tickets, so even the logistics of ordering were taken care of.

The downside was that we arrived with all the other guests and jockeyed for parking rather than pulling into a prime spot hours earlier than anyone else.

I followed a line of cars into the civic center’s semicircular driveway and to the left into a special lot the police department had made available for the evening. I lowered my window and turned down the volume of the Christmas music so we could chat with the people in the parking lot—the lucky ones who’d already found a spot and were now walking toward the hall.

Gail Musgrave, our newest city council member and excellent crafter (a master at the split-level ranch) leaned in on Beverly’s side.

“Did you see the article in yesterday’s paper about Steve Talley’s newest proposal? I’ll be circulating a petition against it,” Gail said. The political pitch was incongruous with Gail’s lovely white, square-necked gown. One of her puffy sleeves brushed against my side mirror and I dreaded seeing the smudge of dirt it most certainly deposited on the lace.

“I read the piece. On restoring the Nolin Creek Pines neighborhood, right?” I said.

“Doesn’t matter what you call it. Upgrading, restoring, whatever. The point is that no one who lives there now will be able to afford to stay once Steve brings in his crew to . . . ahem . . . improve the quality of life there.”

“Having just visited the area, I have to say the neighborhood could use improving, Gail.”

Gail leaned in closer. “Not the kind he has in mind. What those buildings need is someone to clean them up, repair the basics—and police them.” Shades of Dolores’s pitch. I was glad Dolores had someone on her side. “Whatever he tells you, Steve’s plan is to level the buildings. He’s been itching to do that and put in upscale condos and chichi shops.”

Beep beep. Gentle but firm taps on horns from the cars behind me. “We should discuss this later, Gail,” I said.

“Merry Christmas, by the way,” Beverly said, getting a laugh from Gail. “I guess politics never sleeps.”

“Are you kidding? This is the kind of event where most of it gets done.” Gail walked away fanning herself with a lovely lacy number I recognized from Lori Leigh’s collection.

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