"She works alone now," Alison said, laughing softly. "She's sure skilled with her perfumed oils. I even tried her out one day myself."
Leaning forward, Eugenia eyed Alison questionably. "You did?" she asked quietly.
"It was quite relaxing. I must say, you should try it sometime. After a long day's work a massage is the best for your muscles."
"Hmmmm," Eugenia said, then settled back against the chair once again. Her eyes continued to study the girls, their approach with each man. They were so skillful with their eyes, and with their hands. One by one, each man was led from the room, leaving Alison and Eugenia alone.
"I don't guess you've heard about Clarissa yet, have you?" Alison asked, lifting the tail of her dress upward, fanning herself with it.
Something inside Eugenia started a slow boil with the mention of Clarissa's name. She had forgotten all about her. "What about Clarissa?" she snapped, not really meaning to sound so abrupt.
"She caused me a lot of trouble right after you left with Drew."
"Did she really?" Eugenia said. She should have been more wary of Clarissa. "What did the witch do?" she asked even more snappish.
"She came and insisted to be put back on here after she heard that you had left town."
"And?"
"I threatened her with my small handgun and she finally left and didn't return."
Eugenia laughed. "God. What guts you have."
"The goddamned woman could've started the colored girls causing me trouble all over again. I just wasn't going to take anything else from her. That's all."
"Did you ever hear where she went after she left?"
"You won't believe this," Alison said, dropping her skirt, wiping the perspiration from her brow with a folded white handkerchief.
"What? Tell me."
"She's dead."
"Dead?" Eugenia gasped, leaning forward.
"Yes. Seems she slit her own wrists. The sheriff found her in a pool of blood. Pity isn't it?"
"Damn. Never thought anything could kill that evil person."
"And have you seen Iris yet?" Alison asked.
Eugenia pushed a handkerchief down the front of her dress between the deep cleavage of her breasts and wiped the perspiration from between them. "No. I haven't yet. I guess you know what happened between she and Adam."
"Yes. Most definitely."
"But I'm glad you went ahead and gave her her old job back. She's not really all that bad. Just a product of an unhappy childhood. She just doesn't know the meaning of marriage, that Adam was only Nell's once the ring was slipped onto Nell's finger."
"Yes. I know," Alison said, frowning. Then she added, "But we do have ourselves a problem."
"What?" Eugenia asked.
"It seems as though Iris didn't leave The Towers soon enough."
"Why would you say that?" she asked quietly.
"She's now pregnant. Also by Adam."
"Oh God," Eugenia moaned.