Chapter 14 #2
“Great,” the young woman said. Her flapper dress costume was adorable.
The fringed cocktail dress and feathered headband were straight out of The Great Gatsby.
The long black gloves completed it. “I’m Kari.
Miss Marta asked me to look for you. She said I was to bring you to Shanice in the kitchen. I recognized you by your eyes.
“My eyes?”
“Well, you’ve got everything else pretty much covered up,” Kari said, gesturing to Jessica’s mask and hood. “We met at Shanice’s prosthetics reveal party. I remembered how soulful your eyes were. Hazel?” Kari started walking, so Jessica followed.
“Yes, hazel.” Jessica pulled her hood down; she was getting kind of warm anyway. “I’m sorry I didn’t remember your name.” She vaguely remembered the tall woman at the coffee shop. “I met a lot of people that day.”
“No worries,” Kari said as they rounded a corner.
“An elevator?” Jessica blurted before she could stop herself.
“I know, right?” Kari laughed and then announced to the people in the kitchen, “Found her.”
Shanice was standing near a kitchen island, placing vegetables onto a tray. Her Little Red Riding Hood costume was positively adorable. “Miss Jessica, hi.” She abandoned her duties and walked, yes, walked, over to give Jessica a hug.
Jessica’s nerves dissipated with the hug. “So good to see you, little one. Thank you for reminding Miss Marta to invite me.”
“Right?” Shanice said and let go. “I’m glad Mama had you for a little while, Miss Jessica.”
Oh, we’re going there right away? Yikes. “You do? Why is that?”
“Because she would have been lonely all that time waiting for me.”
Jessica’s heart melted. “Yeah, I’m so glad you finally showed up.” Jessica bugged out her eyes, thoroughly teasing the little.
“We’re both rocking the hooded cloaks tonight,” Shanice said, gesturing to her own red cloak and Jessica’s black.
“And we didn’t even consult.” Jessica pointed to her forehead and then to Shanice’s.
“Hi, Miss Jessica,” the little named Madison said as she came over. The young woman had an obvious case of FOMO—fear of missing out. Madison was so cute in her king costume. Her gray mustache and beard were artfully placed. And the jeweled crown on her head wasn’t cheap plastic either.
“Greetings, my liege,” Jessica said, curtsying.
“I knight thee, Dame Jessica of Denton Heights.” Madison placed the sword, which thankfully was plastic, on one of Jessica’s shoulders and then the other. “Rise, Dame knight of the round table.”
Jessica tried to stay in character but burst out laughing. She pulled her new king into a hug and said, “You’ve made me very happy.”
“That happens,” Madison, now being Madison, said. “I’ve knighted so many people.”
“Her kingdom is vast,” Shanice said with a grin.
“I must make haste,” Madison said. “My queen beckons.” She turned and ran toward Mistress Shasti, who held a stack of napkins she clearly wanted Madison to deliver to the great room.
Mistress Shasti was dressed as a queen, and she totally looked the part.
Madison bowed, took the napkins, and then hustled out of the kitchen.
“Glad you could make it, Jessica,” Mistress Shasti said. “Where is your plus one?”
Jessica’s radar pinged to high alert. This woman was the town gossip, or maybe just the town butt-insky. “No plus one. I’m single.” Jessica decided to give her that info right up front and not make the woman work for it.
“I see,” Mistress Shasti said. “Enjoy the party. Make sure you head down to the haunted house early; it’s going to get crowded once people know it’s open.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Mistress Shasti patted Jessica’s arm, smiled, and then headed out of the kitchen, her arms laden with warm bread and cold butter.
“Madison can be a lot,” Shanice whispered once Mistress Shasti was out of earshot.
“She was fine,” Jessica said. “You’re all wonderful. And where is your lady knight? Or is she your lady wolf in this scenario?” She gestured to the red riding hood cloak.
“She’s the wolf, of course. She, Miss Jaleesa, Miss Riri, and Deshawn are down in the dungeon fixing something in the haunted house. Miss Lydia and Pammy are down there, too, helping.”
“Ahh, I guess we’ll see Miss Marta when we get down there then.”
“Yes,” Shanice said. “Miss Bernadette is going to wheel me there when it opens in a little while. We’re getting first dibs. Miss Riri said we should come down at exactly five o’clock. That’s only a few minutes from now. Yay.” She wiggled happily. “Have you met Miss Riri’s wife, Miss Bernadette?”
“Yes, at Dominique’s that night I met you.”
“Let’s go say hi, okay?”
Jessica let herself be led to the coffee shop owner’s wife. They said polite hellos, and Jessica simply could not get over the woman’s blue eyes. They were piercing. Kari thought she had nice eyes, but wow. Bernadette donned two oven mitts and pulled an aluminum tray out of the oven.
“Bye, Miss Bernadette,” Shanice said with a giggle. And with that, she walked back to her veggie station on the other side of the kitchen.
“Bye,” Bernadette called after her. She laughed and said to Jessica, “Was it something I said?”
Jessica laughed. “Your black cat costume is incredible.” She noted the professional-looking makeup, furry ears, and painted-on paws.
Bernadette even had a tail. The thin black collar around her neck had the tiniest bell on it, just like a cat collar.
A lot of people were wearing collars at the party, and she’d seen more than one leash, too.
“Thank you,” Bernadette said. “Rikki hired Miss Harriet to create our costumes.” She pointed to one of the three flapper girls putting food together.
“Ahh, I remember Miss Harriet,” Jessica said. “Their flapper costumes are so cute. Different colors but similar styles.”
“Miss Harriet and Tina created them.” Bernadette pointed to Tina, who was clearly the boss of the kitchen at the moment.
“Shanice is positively smitten with you,” Bernadette said.
“You wouldn’t think so.”
“She’s had a rough start in life, and I think she’s either more enlightened than most of us or incredibly na?ve.
I rather think it’s the former, though. She’s very spiritual since her accident, and she seems to understand that what you and Miss Marta shared wasn’t something to be jealous of.
She said it was part of Miss Marta’s soul growth to be with you for the time you shared together. ”
“Whoa, that’s very generous.” Jessica was floored. “That is enlightened. I don’t know if I ever would have thought about it that way.”
“She’s a treasure,” Bernadette said. “She was one of the flower girls in my wedding.”
“Aww,” Jessica gushed. She could picture it. She grabbed a clean, wet rag when some of the baked ziti spilled on the counter as Bernadette stirred it.
“No, no, no,” Bernadette scolded gently. “You’re a guest here. Miss Rowena would not be pleased if we let you work.”
Jessica rinsed the dishrag in the sink and laid it methodically over the high-end rack.
She grinned as she backed away slowly. Bernadette smiled and then winked at her playfully.
Wow, everything in this kitchen was high-end.
As she was gawking at the obvious wealth of her host’s home, Bernadette interrupted her thoughts by introducing her to Tina, Dana, and Harriet.
Jessica remembered them from the coffee shop that day, and her heart filled with warmth when they welcomed her.
Tina touched Jessica on the arm and said, “We’re all service subs in one fashion or another.” Her platinum blonde, asymmetrical hairstyle suited her face perfectly. Jessica made a mental note to find out who did Tina’s hair.
“Miss Jaleesa knows that it fills our hearts to help,” the older woman named Harriet said.
“Will you go to the haunted house, Jessica?” the cute young woman with the shortest afro she’d ever seen asked her. Shoot, what was her name again? She’d just had it. Dana, that was it.
“I’m planning on it, Dana,” Jessica said, using a time-tested teacher trick of saying the name out loud to reinforce it. “And you?”
“Oh, yeah. We’re supposed to stagger our times going down there or something. I’ll just go when Tina tells me.”
Bernadette appeared at Jessica’s elbow, the tray of baked ziti in her hands. “You’ll be my lead in, okay? Clear a path for me to the food tables?”
“Will do.” Hooray, some way to help. Perfect. Jessica excused herself from the women still working in the kitchen and blazed a steady trail to the tables. Calls of “Coming through” and “Hot plate” helped her part the throng of partygoers.
Once the ziti was situated, Bernadette high-fived Jessica. “That was superb. Thank you.” Bernadette’s smile was lovely. The cutest little dimples appeared, and Jessica kind of melted at the sight of them.
Bernadette checked her watch. “Let me go get the little angel, and we’ll head down to the haunted house, okay? Meet us at the elevator.
It didn’t take long to find Shanice, and before Jessica knew it, the elevator door opened on the bottom floor of the mansion.
Eerie music filled the dimly lit hallway.
Cotton cobwebs hung from the walls and the ceiling.
They had to dodge and weave around them.
Flickering electric candles lit the way.
“This is creepy,” Bernadette said as she pushed Shanice’s wheelchair.
“New victims,” a tall woman dressed in a long, flowing green dress said. Her long copper hair was curled and tucked underneath an elaborate witch’s hat. “Follow me if you dare.” She turned and led the way down the hall.
“That’s Miss Riri,” Shanice whispered to Jessica. “Miss Bernadette’s wife.”
“I know,” Jessica said, now fully understanding Bernadette’s cat costume. She was clearly the witch’s familiar.
Miss Rikki, err, the witch rang the bell outside a double set of metal doors and then flung them open with a flourish. They entered. Two figures leaped at them. Jessica jumped. Shanice’s screech was priceless and made them all laugh in relief.