Summer Reading is Killing Me (Phee Jefferson Book 2) by Amy E. Lilly Page B

my attention. Nice
seeing you and Mike. If I spot any celebrities I’ll send them your way,” I
promised. “Juliet, I’ll meet up with you at the fountain in an hour. You’ve got
your assignment.”
    “Yeah yeah . I’m on the
case.” Juliet turned and worked her way through the crowd searching for her
quarry, Jay Burns.
    It took me five minutes to arrive at Mrs.
Lassiter’s side. The disgruntled frown on her face told me what she thought
about the crowds. “Sorry. It’s a madhouse. I’m surprised I didn’t get a black
eye fighting my way here. You would think we were at a rock concert instead of
a memorial service,” I said. I straightened my skirt and tried smoothing my
curls.
    “It’s a spectacle and a crying shame. A girl died
and the vultures immediately start circling.” Mrs. Lassiter shook her head in
disgust. “My George would roll in his grave if he had lived to see what our
world’s become.”
    “You’re right. I’ll stick with my dusty books.
They are much better than the gossip rags fueling this bunch,” I replied.
    “Of course I’m right,” Mrs. Lassiter harrumphed.
“Richard said an Anthony Ziegfried would come get us.
He was to be here five minutes ago.”
    “He’s probably trapped by paparazzi. I’m sure the
press recognized him the minute he arrived with the Senator. Like you said,
vultures,” I said trying to soothe her ruffled feathers. Mrs. Lassiter had no
patience for lack of punctuality or bad manners.
    A moment later, a red head bobbed its way through
the masses. When he made his way to our side, he was out of breath. “Ladies, I
apologize. It’s a madhouse. Half these people never even heard of Elody until now.”
    Anthony Ziegfried exuded
confidence and success. He possessed the polished good looks of an Ivy League
education. Bright blue eyes gleamed with intelligence behind stylish frames and
his charcoal gray suit cost more than I earned in a month. “I’m Ophelia
Jefferson. Mrs. Lassiter is my neighbor,” I introduced myself.
    “A fellow ginger! Nice to meet you. Anthony Ziegfried , aide to the Senator, errand boy, chauffeur and
anything else the occasion may need.” Anthony’s handshake was firm and his
manner friendly and easy going. My nervousness at meeting the Senator eased.
    “Ophelia discovered poor Elody’s body. She shouldn’t have been in the park at the crack of dawn, but she handled
it well. No hysterics and she kept the public away until the sheriff took
control of the scene,” Mrs. Lassiter said.
     “Ah. The sheriff told us the town librarian
discovered Elody . From what I understand, you were
setting up for the Founder’s Day Celebration,” Anthony smoothed over Mrs.
Lassiter’s disapproval of my presence in the park. “Senator Campbell wants to
speak with you alone for a few minutes about what you saw when you found her.”
    “Didn’t the sheriff tell him the details?” I
asked. I didn’t want to describe the horrible scene to Elody’s father.
    “The Senator wants to hear it straight from the
horse’s mouth, so to speak,” Anthony said. “He is well aware of how sanitized
the reports to the victim’s family can be. Richard Campbell is a straight-shooter.
Don’t worry about sparing his feelings. Give him the unvarnished truth.”
    “I don’t know how much I can add, but I’ll talk to
him,” I agreed. A heavy cloud settled over me at the thought of sharing the
details of the scene with the Senator.
    “If you would both like to follow me, I’ll take
you to the Senator. The service should start in ten minutes, so we need to
hustle,” Anthony instructed us. He guided Mrs. Lassiter around the back of the
shell to where Senator Campbell stood flanked by two women in business suits.
When he spotted us, he broke off his conversation and walked to Mrs. Lassiter
and hugged her. “Aunt Joan, thank you for coming.”
    “Richard, I’m sorry for your loss. I know how hard
it’s been for you since Patsy’s death and now this. If