Mad Maid Murders Melanie

Re: Cha Cha Cha by Jane Heller

Alison and Cullie have really hit it off and spend a weekend together aboard his boat. When Alison returns to her job as a housekeeper for Melanie Moloney the next day, she is surprised not to see Melanie waiting at the door first thing in the morning.

So Alison decides to just start cleaning and at 1PM is done with everything except Melanie’s office. She knocks on the door, but there is no answer. Alison timidly goes in and finds Melanie slumped over in her desk chair, dead. Melanie has been murdered. Alison tries to ease her tension by telling herself jokes. Like she can see the tabloid heading now: “Mad Maid Murders Melanie”! She is afraid of what people will think of her when they find out she is a maid instead of a wealthy suburbanite.

Alison calls 911 and when the police come, she tells them she is “Hazel”. For those who don’t know, Hazel was a sitcom in the early 1960’s about a maid and housekeeper who was a ‘butt-in-ski’ but always had her heart in the right place. Anyway, Alison’s joke doesn’t go over very well with the cops. She is a suspect in the murder of Melanie Moloney.