Janet Evanovich - Full Tilt

"Yes, Miss Swift recently redecorated the place." She leaned closer and whispered. "I had nothing to do with it." She picked up the telephone. "I'll tell her you're here."

"Thank you."

Vera hung up the phone a moment later. "She'll be right with you."

Max turned at the sound of a door opening. Jamie Swift stepped out, took one look, and gasped at the sight of him. "What are you doing here?"

"Hello, Jamie."

She simply stared back at him.

Still wearing her most professional smile, Vera cut her eyes from Jamie to Max then back to Jamie. "Uh, Miss Swift, this is Mr. Holt. As in M. Holt."

"Max Holt," he said, stepping forward and offering his hand.

Jamie experienced a moment of total disorientation. "The Max Holt?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, Lordy," Vera said. "I don't believe it. We've got a celebrity in our office."

Jamie stared at the man. "You can't be serious. Is this some kind of joke?"

"Afraid not."

Jamie's look turned from stunned disbelief to pure annoyance. "I don't believe it," she said. "You have some nerve coming into this office after lying to me about your true identity last night and allowing me to make a complete fool of myself. Just who do you think you are?"

Vera gawked.

"I'm sorry," Max said. "I should have told you the truth."

"Sorry? That's it?

"I don't know what more I can do than apologize. I never meant for it to turn out the way it did."

"What in heaven's name is going on?" Vera asked.

"This man is a dirty rotten liar, Vera. If I were a violent woman I'd—"

"The least we can do is act civilized here," Max said. "After all, we have business to conduct."

"I refuse to conduct business with you."

"Jamie, have you lost your mind?" Vera said.

Jamie realized she was trembling. "This man is an imposter. He tried to pass himself off as somebody else last night. He abducted me—"

"You came with me of your own free will," Max reminded.

"He scared me to death, then he made a fool of me."

Vera tossed him a dark look. "You did all that?" When Max nodded sheepishly, she reached for her purse. "Let me shoot him, Jamie."

Max put his hands over Vera's before she could reach inside her purse for her gun. "Before you shoot me, at least give me the chance to make it up to Miss Swift."

Vera paused. "Okay, but this had better be good because I am definitely not having a good day and you just made it worse."

Max looked at Jamie. "I really am sorry, Jamie. I had no right to do what I did."

Vera waited. "That's the best you can do?"

"I wanted to get to know you on a personal level," Max continued. "I knew you'd feel uncomfortable if I told you who I really was, what with me being an investor and all."

Jamie refused to listen. Instead, she turned and strode into her office, slamming the door behind her.

"I don't think she likes you," Vera said. "I think you'd better leave."

"You have to help me," Max said.

"And why should I do that?"

"Jamie overreacted, Vera. For some reason she thought I had abducted her and was out to rape and kill her. I don't know if she's been watching too many cop shows or what, but she clearly panicked for no reason."

Vera averted her eyes and shifted in her chair. It was obvious she felt guilty for having filled Jamie's head with so many terrible stories.

"Well, Jamie has been under a lot of stress lately, but when push comes to shove I'm going to take her side. Besides, you had no right to pass yourself off as somebody else. I'm afraid I can't help you."

"Tell you what, Vera. If you'll just help me this once, I promise I'll make it up to Jamie. Not only that, I'll have this place redecorated inside and out at my expense." He reached into his jacket for his wallet and pulled out a credit card. He offered it to her.

"Do you think you can just buy your way out of everything, Mr. Holt?"

"Not everything."

Vera eyed him suspiciously. "Do I get a new desk?"

"Everybody can have a new desk."

"How about the computers? They're old."

"Whatever you need. I don't care if you rebuild this place from the ground up."

"What's the limit on this card?"

"There is none."

Vera stared at the card like a hungry mongrel would a large steak. "Well, in that case." She snatched the card from him and tucked it inside the bodice of her dress.

Max arched one brow.

"Don't worry, your credit card is safe." She patted her breast. "Nobody ever goes here." She stood and made for Jamie's office. "You'll have to give me a few minutes. This isn't going to be easy. Have a seat."

Max glanced at the sofa. "I'll stand."

When Vera came out of Jamie's office five minutes later, she nodded. "You can go in now. She's calm."

"You're sure?"

"I told you I run the show. I know how to talk to Miss Swift."

Max took a deep breath, opened the door to Jamie's office, and walked in.

Jamie had a lit cigarette in her mouth. "Close the door."

"Sit," she said after the door shut.

"I think I ought to stand in case I have to make a quick getaway."

Jamie had no desire to talk to him, and the only reason she'd agreed to do it was because Vera had given her permission to smoke one cigarette. Just one. "What you did was bad."

"Despicable," he said.

"Worse. It was appalling, contemptible, loathsome, and vile."

"Wow, you even managed to alphabetize the list. I'm impressed."

"Truly, there are no words."

"Sounds like you found pretty good substitutes."

Jamie's phone rang. She snatched it up. "Mike? How's your mother?" She paused and listened. "A stroke? How bad is she?"

Max took a chair in front of her desk and waited.

"I told you not to worry about the newspaper," Jamie finally said. "You need to be with your family. I'll make the deadline." She tried to reassure him several times before she hung up.

"I really don't have time to meet with you today, Mr. Holt," she said. "My managing editor had an emergency, and the paper has to go to print this evening. Perhaps some other time."

"I can help you, Jamie," he said. "Don't forget, I know the newspaper business inside and out."

"This is a weekly newspaper. Small potatoes compared to what you're used to."

Max reached for her phone and dialed. "May I speak to Deedee?" He waited. "Hi, big sister. I just wanted to tell you not to wait dinner on me. I'm going to be tied up with business for a while."

Jamie's eyes widened, but she waited until he hung up before saying anything. "Deedee, as in Deedee Fontana?"

"Uh-huh."

"She's your sister?"

Max nodded.

"So that explains how you got involved with my newspaper to begin with. Deedee told you all about my financial woes so you decided to take me on as a charity case."

"I bought into the paper because I believe in the value of local press."

Jamie stubbed her cigarette out in a potted plant. "I don't like people butting into my affairs, business or otherwise."

"Face it, kiddo, you need me."

He smiled that knockout smile, and Jamie knew she couldn't turn him down. "Okay, but just this once because I'm shorthanded. I'll show you what I have so far, and we can go from there."

* * * * *

Vito held the door open for Mitzi as she stepped into the cramped motel room. The double beds were draped in faded spreads that looked as though they'd seen far too many washdays, and the carpet was badly stained. Mitzi turned and planted her hands on her hips.

"You're kidding, right? You don't really expect me to sleep in this room."

"It's the best we could afford right now," he said. "It's not like we're going to find a Hyatt Regency in a town this size."

"I am not believing this," she almost shouted. "I spend hours riding in a hot car, thinking how great it's going to be when I get to the hotel and I can take a nice long bubble bath." She peeked inside the bathroom and muttered a four-letter word. "I wouldn't bathe my dog in that nasty-looking tub."