Janet Evanovich - Full Tilt

"I would never do that," Max replied.

"Thank you."

"Max, may I have a word with you?" Muffin asked.

"Later," he said.

Jamie climbed from the car and closed the door behind her. She passed a patrol car. Inside, the deputy leaned against his seat, his cap over his face. Jamie banged on the window, and the man jumped and reached for his gun.

"Jesus Christ, Jamie, you trying to get yourself shot?"

"Wake up, Fred. You're supposed to be guarding this place. If you're going to sleep you may as well be sitting in the booth at Coot Hathaway's doughnut shop."

"Give me a break," he said. "I've been out here all night."

"Yeah, well, I didn't get much sleep, either."

Max followed Jamie inside the building. Several employees had already arrived and were taking note of the damage. Vera was busy with the phones and handed Jamie a stack of messages. She put her hand over the mouthpiece. "Dang thing hasn't stopped ringing all morning. I've tried to play down the shooting. I'm telling everybody it was an escaped convict who was trying to break into the place for food."

Jamie slumped. "Great idea, Vera. Next time I get a craving for a burger and fries I'll know right where to come."

"Don't get fresh with me, young lady. I had to think of something fast. Lamar will like the escaped-convict story. Makes him sound more important."

Jamie looked at her messages. She wished she had a Valium. "How are the others taking it?"

"They're confused."

"So am I." Nevertheless, Jamie knew they needed her reassurance.

Max pulled her aside. "Look, I know things seem hopeless right now, but we can get through this."

"We?"

"I'm not going to just walk away when I can help."

"I'm perfectly capable of handling my own problems."

"Which is why I'm on my way to suck up to Herman Bates," he said. "Well, got to go." He winked at her and headed for the door.

"What was that all about?" Vera asked as soon as Max left.

"Max Holt thinks he's hot stuff."

"He is hot stuff."

"Well, he can be hot stuff someplace else because I've got work to do. I need to talk to the staff. Would you ask them to meet me in the conference room in ten minutes?" She went into her office. Shards of glass still covered the floor, but Lamar had seen to boarding up her window as he'd promised.

Mike sailed through the front and into Jamie's office. He skidded to a stop. "What happened in here?"

Jamie searched for the notepad she kept on hand. "I'm holding a meeting in the conference room in a few minutes. I'll explain everything then."

* * * * *

Jamie walked into the conference room and found her employees waiting. She quickly filled the group in on the previous evening's events. "I don't know why this person or persons targeted the newspaper office, but it happened. Chief Tevis has assigned several deputies to watch the place."

"Do you think we're in danger?" Jamie's accountant asked.

"I don't know, Helen, but everyone has a choice as to whether they want to stay or take a leave of absence until we get to the bottom of this."

"Is Mr. Holt in on the investigation?"

"Mr. Holt is my partner. I would assume most of you have heard of Maximillian Holt." They looked impressed. "As you know, he's quite successful in his business dealings, and we're lucky to have his financial backing, as well as his expertise. He's had a great deal of newspaper experience so I hope you'll cooperate with him." She paused so everyone could take it in. She was thankful Max wasn't around to hear her brag about him.

"He's also going to update some of our equipment, including our computers. Much of what we have is obsolete."

"You can say that again," Vera replied, earning a dark look from Jamie.

"Mr. Holt has also generously offered to renovate this building and have the office painted and refurnished. With tasteful pieces," she added.

The small crowd clapped.

"That's not funny," Jamie said, although she broke into a smile. "Now, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

Mike raised his hand. "Jamie, do you think the shooting had anything to do with the mayoral campaign? I understand Frankie Fontana has received threatening letters."

"I don't know, Mike. Chief Tevis is looking into it. Like I said, if anyone feels uncomfortable working here after what happened, you're free to take leave until the investigation is over."

"I'm not going anywhere," Vera said.

"Me, neither," Mike replied.

Helen hesitated. "Count me in."

Jamie was not surprised when the entire group agreed to see it through. They had remained loyal, even when it looked as if the newspaper wouldn't survive. "I want all of you to exercise caution." Jamie paused when she heard the bell over the door in the reception area ring several times, indicating a visitor. Vera bolted from her seat, reached inside the back of her slacks and pulled out a gun. Everyone in the room ducked.

"Vera!" Jamie cried. "Put that gun away this instant!"

Vera grunted but did as she was told.

Jamie spied two security guards waiting in the reception area and her knees suddenly took on the consistency of banana pudding. She hated to think what would have happened had Vera rushed out of the room waving her pistol.

* * * * *

When Max arrived at Bate's Furniture shortly before ten, he found a wreath of flowers on the door. Herman, Tom, and Herman's brother George met him at the door, all wearing black and looking somber.

"Sorry for your loss," Max said.

"Yeah, well, Daisy was a good barn cat," Herman replied. "Lived to be fourteen years old."

"When did she die?" Max asked.

"Last Christmas. We're just now getting around to mourning her."

"God rest her soul," George said respectfully.

Tom Brown nodded. "I didn't know Daisy personally, but I'm a friend of the family so I closed my paint store in order to be with Herman and George in this most trying time."

"Let's go into my office," Herman said. He waited until everyone was seated before he spoke. "You'd better make this worth our while, Holt," he said, leaning back in his chair, hands propped behind his head. "Jamie had no right to run that advertisement."

"I don't think she was real happy with the decorating job you guys did."

"That's what she gets for letting Vera threaten us," Tom said. "Hell, we would have done Jamie right had she come to us personally. I used to have a thing for Jamie Swift way back in high school." He glanced at the other men. "Don't, uh, mention this to the wife. You know how jealous Lorraine is."

"I say we let bygones be bygones," Max said. "Now, let's get down to business."

* * * * *

"Dude, would you get a load of that shit? He didn't even get a bruise."

Vito muttered a string of expletives under his breath as he spotted Max going into Bates's Furniture. "The boss ain't gonna like it."

"So, we don't call him, man. We wait till the job is done, then call."

"Lenny, you stupid shit. You don't know the kind of person we're dealing with. We screw up this job, and the two of us are going to end up in body bags."

"You should have told me, dude. I mean, what do we know about offing someone anyway? I ain't never killed nobody, have you? I never even run over a raccoon."

"There's good money to be made in this line of work," Vito said. "If you don't have the stomach for it you need to get out now."

Lenny looked thoughtful. "I don't want to run out on you, man."

"Okay, so stop complaining. What we have to do now is figure out a way to get close to Holt without a bunch of people around. We need to know his whereabouts at all times. If he's staying at his brother-in-law's place, we've gotta figure a way to get past all those security guards. We can't get close to the newspaper, there are cops crawling around like cockroaches."