The Misadventures of the Laundry Hag 00 - Swept Under the Rug

proper indoor voice. Dressed in a form-fitting pinstriped business suit, I guessed she was another escapee from the luncheon; she appeared to belong with the women who move mountains society but we hadn’t been introduced. Her ash blonde hair was coiled in an intricate rope at the nape of her neck and she appeared to have the grace to manage heels and ice at the same time. I smiled at her, but she continued to stare.
    I checked the time on my cell phone and wondered if I might just wait out here.
    “Excuse me?” The business blonde approached me. This close, I could smell Shalimar perfume and a tinge of worried sweat. “Did you say something about Candie Valentino?”
    “Do you know her?” I asked. Yup, definitely needed to work on my volume control.
    “I’m Amelia Kettering. Candie was my roommate in college, but I haven’t seen her in years.” Amelia spoke with the same subtle drawl as Candie so I could believe they were both from Texas.
    “Maggie Phillips,” I extended a hand which Amelia shook firmly. “I was Mrs. Valentino’s cleaning service,” I answered, unsure of whether I’d be asked back and if I’d go after a kidnapping.
    “Wait, Candie’s living here ?” her brown eyes seemed a little too big for her sockets.
    I nodded. “They moved to Hudson a few months ago.” I remembered how alone Candie seemed, flitting about the big house, always glad to see me. After witnessing the interaction with Markus, I gathered she was starved for company. Here she had a friend less than an hour away. “She never called you?”
    Amelia shook her head, every hair in lacquered severely in place. “No, I had no idea. I haven’t seen her since before her she was married.” A far off look stole over her features.
    I wanted to know why Amelia hadn’t been invited to the wedding, but didn’t want to appear rude. “Were the two of you close?”
    “Very, until she met Markus anyway.” Bitterness tinged her words. “She didn’t have time for anyone but him, he saw to that.” Amelia shook her head. “How is she?”
    The doors to the conference room opened and a herd of women appeared, stampeding for the restrooms. I glanced at Amelia, wondering what protocol dictated in this situation. Should I tell her Candie was missing, presumed kidnapped? If Amelia was anything like me, she might shriek or pass out.
    “Um, maybe you want to call Markus.” I suggested, but Amelia shook her head.
    “He made it plain that I was to have no contact with either of them; he didn’t want word of our relationship to get out.”
    Laura pushed her way through the crowd, searching for me, a black scowl firmly in place. I estimated about seven seconds until she bore down on us. “Relationship?” I prodded.
    Amelia met my gaze. “Candie and I were lovers.”

Twelve

    “ S o Ms….Sampson is it?” Alan Garner, department head of staffing and personnel for Safari Power Solutions, looked up from the clipboard he held between us like a protective shield. His baby-fine blond hair was neatly combed back against his skull and his slight frame trembled as he reached for a set of horn-rimmed glasses on his tiny desk. “Tell me why I should hire you.”
    I smiled, doing my best to radiate confidence. “Well, I’m prompt, thorough and discreet and my team is handpicked and totally flexible.” My peripheral vision picked up on Richard Head as he squirmed in his seat. Leo’s love interest was dressed in a crisp black shirt and tan trousers with a perfect crease on each pant leg. A bit much for a cleaning interview, but at least he didn’t look like a slob.
    “My rates are reasonable and I pride myself on a job well done.” I continued, wondering why I was here. Job interviews were not my forte, and groveling to clean a bunch of corporate bathroom stalls seemed utterly pathetic. And what exactly had I been thinking when I’d used my maiden name? Sampson’s Cleaning Services sounded decent, even if it was no Laundry Hag, and with Marty on board, it was even accurate. Possibly, I was afraid that Lucas Sloan—who still hadn’t paid me—might be somehow involved in the hiring process. Or maybe I was hiding from Markus Valentino, CEO of this and several other companies because Laundry Hag would ring a bell with him. And no other business that I’d contacted was interested in hiring an unknown service. Promising Leo I’d find work for Richard was only part of it though, because I needed the extra income to foot the