Free Sweet Somethings (Samantha Sweet Mysteries) by Connie Shelton Page B

right to do whatever he wanted. I told him to call
a private security firm if he wanted to.”
    “And?”
    “Well, now it comes out that the
earth children only gave him five hundred dollars, with a promise of more before
they go. He can’t afford much in the way of hired security for that.”
    They walked to the house, where
Sam pulled two beer bottles from the fridge.
    “It’s always this way,” he said,
taking his. “People get themselves in trouble and then expect public resources
to bail them out. The fool who tried to parachute off the gorge bridge awhile
back, got his lines twisted, and State Police had to get a helicopter out there
and a rescue team to pull him back. All those out-of-shape hikers each year who
start up the mountain wearing sneakers and then need Search and Rescue to come
after them when they’ve slid off a rock and broken their legs. They’re lucky if
they don’t die but do they ever pay for those services? No.”
    “Do you think Mr. Mulvane is
genuinely afraid of the hippies?”
    “Nah. I think one or two of them
may have mouthed off to him, but generally they seem to be of the ‘peace and
love’ set. His wife may have gotten pretty offended when she observed a trio
doing the ‘love’ part of it behind one of the buses in full daylight. I think
that’s what’s behind this sudden desire to have some uniforms around.”
    “So, what’s your plan?”
    “I’ll go out there in the morning
and talk to them, just let them know that there are eyes everywhere and that we
expect everything to stay quiet and legal.”
    “Let’s hope. Meanwhile, since
we’re both in for the evening, how about if we grill some burgers?”
    He gave her a kiss, thanked her
for being the voice of reason, and went outside to light the grill. Sam went to
the fridge and pulled out lettuce and tomatoes, the ground beef and some onion
rolls she’d bought a few days ago. She worked automatically, assembling the
meal, but Carinda Carter’s parting words kept nagging at her. Tomorrow, she
would see Carinda as they set up the ballroom for the festival. Not looking
forward to that.
    She fell asleep by telling herself
that nothing on her crowded agenda could be accomplished in the middle of the
night and that she would awaken in the morning with renewed energy to deal with
it all. Good in theory, but she woke up at three-thirty and nothing would make
those eyes close again. She tiptoed around the bedroom and bathroom, getting
dressed as quietly as possible, and left Beau snoring peacefully.
    By the time she arrived at the
Bella Vista at nine o’clock she had already spent nearly five hours at Sweet’s
Sweets where she had baked another four-dozen brownies for her booth and while
they were in the oven she’d decorated one of this weekend’s wedding cakes. She
drove past the hotel’s elegant entrance and parked in the same lot as before,
noting that Rupert’s vehicle was the only one she recognized.
    Sure enough, the big man was there
in what he would consider work clothes—soft grey cashmere pants and a breezy
purple tunic. His silver hair flowed straight back from his forehead to his
shirt collar, with teeth marks from his comb, although those would go away as
soon as it fully dried.
    “Please appreciate the fact that I
have taken away from my sacrosanct writing time this morning for this project,”
he said, grazing her cheek with a kiss.
    “I do, Rupe. You’re the best.”
    “So, what’s first, lady-boss?”
    She stared around the cavernous
ballroom. “Here’s my sketch. We need to measure off the booth spaces and put
masking tape on the floor so everyone knows the boundaries.”
    “Good idea. Never trust people to
agree over territory.”
    They began near the corner door
that led to the kitchen, measuring and marking their way down the north wall,
then the west. Kelly showed up at some point, explaining that Riki needed to
keep her shop open and wouldn’t be coming.
    “At least she gave me the