He kept up a nonstop chatter as he poked through the boxes. “… more than you ever wanted to know about the fall list from Mint Julep Press: Red Hot Tips from Hot Rod Hal, Blue Grass in My Old Kentucky Home, Press the Pedal to the Metal—huh, now that sounds like fun, the memoirs of a long-haul trucker—Sea Island Reverie—oh, poems. I thought it might be a primer on how to have your very own little grass shack, which I could relate to, ma’am”—here he favored Annie with a bright, not soo suggestive glance—“Root Hog or Die, which I do not relate to. Well, not this box, I guess. Let’s see.” He pushed the first box away, pulled the second one close. “Nope. This one’s got party stuff in it, nuts—the house-brand peanuts from a discount store—you can count on Ken to cut corners wherever, oh yeah,” Annie heard a remnant of a southern drawl, but she guessed Willie had spent some years elsewhere, “and paper plates, that kind of stuff. Now here’s a box that’s taped shut. That’s special for the open house. Can’t get into those yet. But I know there’s a bunch of other flyers. Unless he’s already taken then to the booth. He’s really on a high about his book.” A shrug. “My brother publishes books—I mean, we do. You’d think it would just be another day at the office. But no, Ken’s beside himself.”
Willie delved into the last box and, triumphantly, yanked up a stack of sheets so electrically pink that Annie blinked.
“Here we go.” He handed one to Annie.
Annie took the sheet.
All Day Saturday, the White Ibis Room, the Buccaneer Hotel
Come to Mint Julep Press’s
GRAND CELEBRATION
SEE MINT JULEP’S FALL LIST
and
Discover how much TRUTH there can be in fiction.
Kenneth Hazlitt will reveal the inspiration for his forthcoming novel:
SONG OF THE SOUTH
The story of five famous Southern novelists and the passions (some illicit!) that have dominated their lives and changed their fiction.
SONG OF THE SOUTH
will be the talk of the South. Come find out more.
And take advantage of deep discounts available only during the Festival in ordering Mint Julep Press Fall Titles.
Annie took a deep breath. Oh, Lordy.
“Would you like extra copies?” Willie asked helpfully.
“Five.”
Before pulling the brochures from the box, she saw him glance at her wedding ring.
Annie took the flyers. “Thanks so much.”
“Oh, we’ve got hundreds. We’ll have a stack of them here this afternoon at the cocktail party.”
“Who’s coming to the cocktail party?”
“Ken sent out invitations to booksellers. But you’re definitely invited. Five o’clock. Here in the suite. And feel free, take some extra copies of the flyer.”
Willie smiled happily, obviously unaware his offering was as welcome as the Bud Light truck at a Baptist church social.
Annie accepted another handful. Should she give flyers to her authors as they arrived? Or should she await a propitious moment?
She turned toward the door.
Willie didn’t exactly block her way, but he was right there, an eager hand on her elbow. “How about a drink tonight?”
“I’m not sure,” she replied vaguely, “but thanks.”
“Anytime. Just give me a ring.”
He leaned against the doorjamb and watched as she walked toward the elevators.
As Annie punched the button, she gave him a final, noncommittal smile. Willie probably preferred married women. She stepped into the elevator, the pink sheets in her hand, and wished that she had nothing else to do that day but fend off Willie’s advances. That she could do. Duck soup. Instead, she had a horrid premonition that her Gang of Five might make mincemeat out of her. She opened her purse and absently dredged up a partially squashed mint.
No, stress didn’t make her hungry, fill her mind with images of food.
Of course not.
SOMETHING WICKED
A Bantam Crime Line Book published / June 1988
All rights reserved
Copyright © 1988 by Carolyn G. Hart
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information address Bantam Books
eISBN: 978-0-307-57516-6
Bantam Books are published by Bantam Books, a division of Random House, Inc. Its trademark, consisting of the words “Bantam Books” and the portrayal of a rooster, is Registered in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Marca Registrada. Bantam Books, 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.
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