Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 93482 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93482 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 312(@300wpm)
Mary Quinn rolled her eyes and huffed like it was a massive inconvenience.
“Well, I’m going to have to talk to the ladies and find out who made this change without having the common courtesy to make sure everyone was informed. Who would even have the audacity to change a meeting so last minute? As if we would ever let a simple downtown tea house cater the event. It lacks common sense and basic taste.”
Hitting your daughter, scratching her face, and leaving massive welts on her hand lacked common sense and basic taste, and also required a considerable amount of audacity. Still, I bit my tongue and let my anger swell. The temptation to lash out at her was almost overwhelming. The only thing that stayed my tongue and my fist was knowing what I was about to do to her was going to be far more damaging.
“Since I have you, can I get your opinion on a few of the decor options that have been chosen? Some ladies have brought donations, and I’m not sure they are up to the standards that we would like to hold the Christmas bazaar to. After all, this is going to be the event of the season for the church. I would be honored to have your opinion,” I said, the smile still plastered to my face even though my stomach twisted with rage just looking at this woman.
“Well, since I’m here, I suppose I could look. Do you have a list of who donated what?”
Naturally she was going to take this as an opportunity to shame anyone who donated something that wasn’t up to her standards. That was the bait that I had intended on using to begin with. I didn’t expect her to jump at it so quickly.
“Of course,” I said as I moved to the reception desk to grab the clipboard. “Why don’t I take your coat and your purse, and you can take this and start making your notes?”
“That is acceptable.”
Her words were polite enough, but she practically threw her bag and her coat at me while ripping the clipboard from my fingers. I placed her coat and bag behind the reception desk and led her to the side room that the other volunteers were using to store decorations.
Immediately she started making notes on the clipboard and tsking about the poor quality of some donations and how clearly they weren’t heirlooms like people had said they were, but had been dug up at some charity shop.
It was amazing to watch people who were hell-bent on bringing down others. Half the time, when they opened their mouths, the accusations they spouted against other people were actually confessions of their own misdeeds.
“I am so sorry, Mrs. Astrid, I have to leave you here for just a moment. One of the altar—”
“Yes, yes, go,” she interrupted me. “Hurry back. I should have the list by the time you return.”
Quickly, I backed out of the room and tried not to skip as I went back to the reception desk to grab her purse.
It took less than a second to have her key ring in my hands and locate the security deposit box key. The key ring actually had a little paper disc on it saying where the security box was, and the number.
She was so sure of herself that she didn’t take basic security measures. Then had the nerve to talk about the audacity of other people. Her hypocrisy knew no bounds.
I slid the key off the ring, memorizing the bank’s name and the box number before sliding the key into my pocket and replacing the key ring in her purse and sliding it back under the reception desk.
When I returned to Mary Quinn, she was going through the last box, tsking at what she saw.
“Well, everything from those three boxes against the wall will do. The rest of this is simply atrocious. I will talk to the families who donated about their lack of generosity, and then I will have my maids dig through our storage to see what we can find.”
“Your kindness, as always, is quite impressive, Mrs. Astrid,” I said. This time, my smile was completely genuine.
“Yes, well, if that’s all, I’m afraid I have to run all the way across town to get to this meeting. Clearly, these women are lost without me.”
“Please, don’t let me keep you.” I guided her out of the room and back to the front of the church to retrieve her coat and purse which she snatched out of my hand and didn’t even look at before heading toward the door, her heels still clacking against the floor as if announcing her departure.
The key burned a hole in my pocket. I wanted to go use it to destroy this woman immediately. Patience was a virtue, I reminded myself as I walked back to the rectory, trying to temper my excitement. After all, I didn’t know what was in the box. It could be nothing of value to me.