Killer Market

can have a more secure and stable life in the Verlin household since his grandmother can care for him full- time.”

Now my eyes moved to the older woman. I told her that her fairness toward April Ann this morning had impressed me. “And I think you can be trusted not to try to turn your grandson against Ms. Jenner.”

“She’s his mother,” Mrs. Verlin said softly.

“Exactly,” I said and turned back to the parents of her only grandchild.

“What both of you need to remember is that the two of you are going to be Travis’s mother and father for the rest of your natural lives. For his sake, I urge you to try to get along. Don’t tear him apart and make him have to choose between you. If you can’t say something nice about each other, at least don’t say anything hurtful, okay?”

Both of them promised they wouldn’t and we worked out a schedule that gave Travis to April Ann every weekend. We also agreed on the amount of child support she would pay each month.

By the time I adjourned, she may not have been smiling, but at least she no longer wept.

Before I left the courthouse, I got through to my doctor’s assistant in Raleigh and explained how I hadn’t taken a penicillin tablet since around six the day before. “And your throat hasn’t bothered you in four days? Then she’ll probably say it’s okay to stop.”

I gave her Dixie’s office number and told her to leave a message there if it wasn’t okay.

Road workers with jackhammers and dump trucks were tearing up Johnson Street and I had to maneuver a maze of one-way streets in this older part of town before I finally found my way back to the cul-de-sac a half-block off Johnson.

No sign of Pell’s van nor of Dixie’s car nor even the California decorina’s bright red rental that had been parked on the street when I left this morning. Instead, I found Drew Patterson pacing up and down the walk. Last night she’d been soft and feminine in her loose hair and low-cut dancing dress, but today she was all business in a crisp black linen miniskirt and matching jacket over a soft white shirt. Her black patent leather shoes had Cuban heels and flat silver buckles, and her blonde hair was gathered off her face in a French braid.

“Hello again,” she said sadly, as I got out of my car.

Up close, I could see that her eyes were bloodshot beneath a light coat of mascara.

“Drew, I’m so sorry,” I said, taking her hand. “Are you okay? I guess you knew him for a long time.”

“Half my life.” Her blue eyes glazed with tears, but her chin came up as she reined in her emotions. “Ever since I was thirteen and he came to work for us. Before he married Evelyn. Before Lynnette was born.”

I made comforting noises and she tried to shrug.

“It’s not like we were lovers or anything—he always acted like I was thirteen and still in braces—but he was so much fun to play with. We were dancing together just last night and now he’s gone. Just like that! I can’t believe —”

She broke off and took a deep breath.

“Chan was okay when you last saw him, wasn’t he?” I asked as curiosity got the best of me.

Drew nodded. “He came back to our party and was schmoozing buyers just like always until Jacob Collier grabbed him and tried to pick a fight.”

“Did I meet Collier?” I wondered aloud.

“Probably not. You didn’t come back to our party after you left ALWA’s, did you?”

“No.”

“It got a little awkward for a minute there. But Jacob should have retired years ago. He’s seventy-eight, for Pete’s sake. And the Pinecroft account should’ve been converted years ago.”

“You’ve lost me,” I said.

“See, some accounts take a lot of hard work. There’s no loyalty or they’re extra fussy or you just can’t count on them to do the same amount of business with you each time. But some accounts are going to be with you forever. They’re comfortable, pleased with the new lines, predictable. You don’t have to stroke them. When that happens, Sales will often convert it to a house account.”

“So why would that anger this Jacob Collier?”

“Because it means that instead of getting a five percent commission on those sales, he’ll now be getting one percent to service the account and that means he’ll have to hustle up some new business if he wants to make up the four percent he’s losing.”

“But surely a man who’s seventy-eight is ready to retire?”

“He is. But his son and granddaughter are taking over the territory and it means less money for them.” Drew shook her head. “It’s not as if they couldn’t see it coming. That’s business.”

Less for Collier’s family, more for hers, I thought as I gathered up my purse, tote bag and robe from the car.

“And probably more for a sharp sales director like Chan?” asked my internal pragmatist.

“Not your business,” the preacher said, sternly reminding me of Detective Underwood’s request to keep my nose out of his investigation.

“Dixie’s not back yet?”

Concern crossed her lovely face. “No, and I’m starting to get worried. I stopped by an hour ago to see how she and Lynnette were doing and her friend Cheryl asked me to stay till Dixie got back. She forgot she had an appointment with the marketing head of a sleep chain. Or so she said.”

Drew’s smile was rueful. “I myself think she saw a way to cut out early. The thing is, she said Dixie would be