“You are as lovely as ever.”
She curtsied and smiled the most radiant smile she could muster. “Why thank you, Councilman Tuor. You are looking as stunning as ever yourself,” she lied.
The man-made Godzilla looked like a runway model, but he did have connections and came from old money. Two out of three ain’t bad.
He ran his spotted hand over his gray unibrow and then over his bald, craggy head. “Well, we both know I’m not that pretty, but thank you for saying so.”
She looped her hand through his arm and pecked him on the cheek. “Beauty is always in the eyes of the beholder, as they say. You’ll have to beat the single women off with a stick before the night is over, trust me.”
He nodded. “I don’t suppose you’ll be one of them.”
She winked as she moved away. “One never knows, sir. One never knows.”
But she did know. Wondering if she’ll be anywhere near him as the evening unfolded would be the last of his problems. The very last.
After entering the massive foyer, she then entered the dining room that could have easily fit some medieval castles within, all the while looking for the Councilwoman. Her eyes took in every detail of the room, including those people she’d come to count on. Her people.
They were doing what they were instructed to do and had spread evenly throughout the room. They looked natural doing it too. They were laughing and engaged in conversations that looked meaningful. That would be important when the time came to take this congregation to its expected climax.
“More champagne, Ma’am?”
The thin waiter who had strolled up to her right offered her a stemmed glass of golden liquid and she accepted.
“Thank you.”
“Always my pleasure.” Then he moved off to the next guest, walking stiffly.
Good service was always appreciated and she did like this vintage. The aroma was one of her favorite. But as usual, there was always much more to the night’s story.
If only the waiter knew what was in store tonight for him and the rest of this blue-blood gathering. She doubted he’d be able to keep his bladder under control.
The gold coin was suddenly evident in its resting place between her breasts. She touched it and smiled, pushing it back to a dark hiding place. The coin, her other partner over the years, was almost as eager as she to get on with the evening’s activities.
A moment later, she located Calista Forest and began the slow, deliberate journey to her corner of the room.
Months of planning had come down to this. The drug dance and take over. The political contributions. The parties, both private and public. And, of course the deaths of all those people. Even the cases over the last few months the police had really, for all intents and purposes, stopped working because of the upswing of crime in the last few weeks and days. Case overload forced a bias prioritization that, so far, had worked in her favor. Then again, planning every detail and for every contingency had its advantages. No one did that better than she.
The sound of her two-inch heels hitting the hardwood floor echoed softly as she approached the Councilwoman and her entourage.
It was almost time and she was ready. It seemed she’d always been ready. Her lifetime wait was virtually over.
The object of her communication was talking with a tall man in a black tux when she approached her from behind. She leaned toward her ear and whispered. “Hello, Calista Forest.”