Free A Special Delivery To Die For (A Rockcrest Cove Cozy Mystery Book 2) by Emily Page Page A

arm, working hard to reveal her mortification at being escorted by the likes of Thomas. But as usual, she would always be willing to comply with her Gran’s wishes, no matter how strange.
     
    Captain Evans greeted them warmly and handed them over to a hostess to show them their assigned seat at the table. Bailey immediately sat down in her seat when the waiter pulled her chair out for her, but Thomas remained standing.
     
    “Thank you,” he told the waiter when his seat was indicated, “but I need to check on the events of the evening to make sure they go right.”
     
    “I appreciate your dedication to your job,” the deputy commented, “but for this event, you’re not working. Why don’t you sit down and act like a real guest for a change?”
     
    Thomas’ face was full of insult, but he took his seat just the same, perching himself right on the edge. Resting his chin in his hands it was obvious that he didn’t know what to do when he wasn’t working. He took his assigned seat next to Bailey and started fiddling with the napkins on the table.
     
    “You don’t know how to be normal, do you?” Bailey asked.
     
    “Pardon?”
     
    “You don’t know how to be just a normal guy. Sit down. Have a casual conversation. You have to be right in the middle of everything, don’t you?”
     
    “Well, I’ll have you know that I’m plenty normal.”
     
    Bailey gave him a small smile that showed her irritation was fading. In its place she felt a little pity for him.
     
    Maddie came and joined them at the table, taking a seat next to Thomas. As usual, she was perfectly perched to see everything going on in the room. Not that it mattered; the room was small enough that nothing would be done without being observed by others around them. “What a lovely evening,” Maddie started. “Wasn’t it nice of the captain to have this little private soiree for us?”
     
    “Yes, I suppose so,” Thomas said peeved. “I just don’t understand why I wasn’t informed about it.”
     
    “Well, there’s always a reason for some things Thomas, even if we don’t understand them at the moment,” Maddie gave him her most grandmotherly type voice.
     
    There was movement near the doorway and they looked up to see Michael and his wife make their appearance. Clearly, they wanted to be recognized as the wealthiest of couples on the boat, which wouldn’t have taken too much effort. Their grand appearance was greeted with gasps as Mrs. Hale entered dressed to the nines. Maddie thought that they had gone a little overboard, but she guessed that a personal invitation from the Captain can do that to some people.
     
    Maddie could tell from the scornful look on his face that he was disappointed to see the rest of them there. He actually thought he was going to be spending an evening with an elite class of people. She chuckled a little within herself, but she only allowed Michael to see her most sincere face.
     
    The Milhorns arrived shortly afterwards. Parker was again jeweled to the max, with diamonds and gold dripping off every finger and dangling earrings. It occurred to Maddie that she might have been the one that lost the earring at Ana’s house. She would have to find a way to work that into the evening.
     
    Eleanor had arranged to have everything Maddie had requested couriered to her by powerboat. Paddleboat cruises were not meant to take passengers far or fast so a powerboat could easily have caught up with the lumbering boat as it meandered gracefully in the river.
     
    There is only one person missing , Maddie thought and as soon as she arrived, the show was ready to start. She didn’t have to wait long for Jessica to appear at the door. She seemed winded and flustered as she stumbled into the room. Then Maddie realized why—she had been drinking, and quite a lot by the looks of it. She wondered why she and Thomas had not arrived together. A quick glance at Thomas told her that they had a falling out of some sort. The