How to Host a Killer Party Read Online Free PDF Page A

tried to guess who their alter egos were.
    “Right this way, everyone,” I shouted over the din as we unloaded and entered Broadway. I indicated the champagne tower, while the deejay played “Jailhouse Rock.” As the guests headed for the drinks and appetizers, I checked my iPhone to see if Chloe had called again. She was supposed to alert me when the mayor and his fiancée had left the dock in San Francisco.
    Damn. I’d missed her latest call. Stepping outside, I pressed her number.
    “Hi, Chloe,” I said.
    “Presley! Thank God you finally called back. Didn’t you get my messages? I’ve got a major situation here.”
    Not surprising. The mayor’s administrative assistant had called me so many times in the past few days with “major situations,” I’d thought about putting her on my “Do Not Call” list, but I couldn’t afford to lose this job. Besides, the woman had enough on her plate without me avoiding her calls.
    I took another swig from my half-empty champagne glass, vaguely wondering if this was the beginning of a drinking problem. At this point, I didn’t give a damn.
    “Sorry, Chloe. Reception here is iffy. What’s up?”
    “Ikea is throwing a hissy fit, and the mayor is about to lose it. He’s threatened to cancel the whole thing!”
    Perfect. The party was dead in the water before it had begun.
    I took another swallow. “What did she do this time?”
    “She doesn’t want to wear the Bonnie Parker costume I got her. She says it makes her look fat. The woman is anorexic, for God’s sake. And the mayor can’t get her to pick something else.”
    “Just tell her she can wear whatever she wants—she’ll look beautiful. And tell Mayor Green the guests are having a great time, thanks to the champagne. This event is going to top the governor’s ‘Term-inated!’ Ball that Andi hosted last summer.”
    Shit. I’d managed to put Andi out of my mind for the last half hour. Now she was back. Haunting me.
    “Okay, but you know how she is, Presley. I just hope she doesn’t ruin everything. The mayor would love to get out from under the governor’s shadow and this party could really do it.”
    He’d love to take the governor’s place someday too, I thought.
    “Thanks, Presley,” Chloe continued. “I’ll see you soon—I hope.”
    I ended the call, took a deep breath, and reminded myself this was all for a good cause. The money for Alzheimer’s was guaranteed by the mayor, whether or not there was a wedding.
    I returned to the cellblock and circulated, making sure the costumed crowd was noshing, drinking, mingling, and generally having a good time. Nick and Nora were chatting with Eliot Ness, Dick Tracy seemed to be entertaining a small group of attractive women—one in a Wonder Woman outfit—and Jessica Fletcher stood admiring her “Wanted” poster with a giant magnifying glass. The only ones out of place were a thirtysomething man dressed in a plain white jumpsuit and a twentysomething woman wearing the ever-popular trench coat. Who were they supposed to be?
    The party had warmed up considerably by the time Raj appeared at the door, waving his arms like a panicked air traffic controller. “The mayor’s boat is docking! They’re coming!” He shouted into his walkie, alerting the other guards he’d hired to help out.
    I checked my watch. Chloe still hadn’t called to tell me the mayor and Ikea were on their way. I checked my phone. Another message. Shit! Apparently she had. I tried calling her back, but the call went to voice mail.
    I took another swallow of my bottomless drink. “I swear,” I said aloud, “if anything else goes wrong, I’m going to slap the mayor, kill the bride-to-be, and take a flying leap off the pier.”
    Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the man in the white jumpsuit had sidled up beside me. How long had he been standing there? I caught a glimpse of him as he scanned the crowd, a little grin on his face. He was tall—taller than my five ten. Maybe