AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Told you,” Taylor said.
“Hold on a second.” Agnes grabbed her cell phone and punched in Joey’s number on the speed-dial. When it rang, she got his message. “Joey, this is Agnes. Taylor is here with a very nice man named Mr. Harrison from the health department. Taylor’s bribed him to shut me down for the wedding, and they’re going down to the basement now to find something so he can do it. Is there somebody higher up you can confer with to take care of this? Thanks. Love you.” She clicked off.
“Mr. Harrison is head of the health department, Agnes,” Taylor said.
“Then he’s about to meet Joey,” Agnes said, but her heart sank.
“So,” Harrison said, looking down into the hole, “a ladder.”
Five minutes later, they were at the end of the tunnel looking at the acid dripping through the glass tube, and Harrison was legitimately upset.
“That’s dangerous,” he said, covering his nose. “Those fumes are dangerous.”
“And if I was serving dinner down here, that would be a problem,” Agnes said, thinking, What the fuck is that thing? Language, Agnes.
“You never know where fumes will go, young lady,” Harrison said sternly. Then he retreated down the tunnel at a good clip, and Taylor followed him, all but chuckling.
When they were back in the kitchen, Harrison wrote up his prelim report and handed the pink copy to Agnes. “You can’t cater that wedding here,” he told her, as if he’d been rehearsed. “You’ll have to move it to the country club.”
She handed the pink slip back to him. “The wedding’s going to be here. You know damn well that whatever that is down there will not affect a dinner in my barn on Saturday. And if you try to stop it, I will not only sue your ass for damaging my career,” she turned on Taylor, “I’ll have you arrested for bribing a public employee, and you,” she turned back to Harrison, “arrested for taking that bribe.”
Harrison shook his head. “That’s not how it works here in Keyes, Miss Crandall.”
Agnes sighed. “I see. Then it’ll have to be Plan B.”
Harrison blinked. “Plan B?”
“He didn’t tell you about the bride’s family, did he?”
Harrison looked at Taylor. “The bride’s family? Well, the Fortunatos, yes, but Mrs. Dupres, the bride’s grandmother, wants the wedding at the country club?—”
“The bride’s mother doesn’t,” Agnes said. “And the bride’s uncle, who runs the local diner? Joey Torcelli? I just called him. He?—”
“Give up, Agnes,” Taylor said. “Mr. Harrison doesn’t scare that easy.”
Agnes looked at Harrison. He didn’t look happy. He had to know who Joey was. Probably had tried to inspect the diner once.
“I wouldn’t file that report just yet,” she said to him. “I’d give yourself some room to maneuver, just in case the bride’s family would rather the wedding was at the bride’s old family home. Did Taylor tell you this is Frankie Fortunato’s old place?”
Mr. Harrison shot Taylor a look of loathing and walked out of the kitchen.
“I’ve got you, Agnes,” Taylor said, not fazed in the slightest.
“You had me, Taylor,” Agnes said. “Now you’ve got Brenda, you poor, doomed sap. And Joey ‘The Gent’ and Shane after your ass. You better go now. Your flunky is out in his van, and his feet are turning to ice while you wait. At any minute now, he’s going to tear up that report and go somewhere far away until the wedding is over.”
“Nah, he?—”
“And Shane’s coming home any minute.” Taylor looked over his shoulder.
“Yeah, well...” He looked back at Agnes. “You give me back the ring and I’ll go.”
“What?”
“The engagement ring.” He nodded at Agnes’s hand. “Give me my ring back and I’ll go.”
Agnes looked down at the ring he’d given her. She’d actually forgotten about it. Five thousand dollars he’d said it’d cost him. That could buy some stuff for the house. Like landscaping maybe. Wonder if Garth can landscape?
“No,” she said. “Go away.”
