conference. As far as she knew, he was only there for his nuisance value.
'I used to be before I started writing. Then I found myself having to critique books by people who had become friends, or at least acquaintances, after I started being published. I wanted to be honest about their books. But I didn't want to criticize when a friend wrote a clunker. Even the best writers eventually write a bad book. So I quit reviewing. I didn't think anyone here knew about it. I was wrong about that.'
'You'll make it through okay. Just tell the audience what you've just told us,' Shelley suggested.
'I suppose that's all I can do,' Felicity said. 'It's odd, though, that Zac would be willing to miss a chance to show off.'
'Maybe he's just lost his schedule and doesn't realize,' Jane said.
When Felicity had gone, Jane said to Shelley, 'This is the last seminar of the day, and I have my last appointment.'
'I'll go to the reviewers' panel for you,' Shelley said. 'You'll be able to slip in for most of itafter your interview. I think we should both show our support for Felicity. I liked what she said about why she quit reviewing. I think the audience will as well.'
Jane's last interview was with another baby agent. Tiffany was an insecure young woman with a small though prestigious agency. She seemed more nervous than Jane was. She was seriously pregnant as well.
'Tell me a little about your book,' she suggested faintheartedly, as if she'd come to the end of her rope.
'I have three chapters and an outline,' Jane said, handing over her last packet.
The young woman took the packet but didn't open it. 'Just talk about it. I'll look this over later.'
Jane did her best to articulate what the book was about. The girl kept glancing at her watch while Jane spoke. Finally when the fifteen minutes were over, she said, 'Well, that sounds interesting. I'll read your material on the way back to New York. I assume you've put your address and phone number in the packet.'
'I have. Thank you for your time,' Jane said, rising and putting her hand forward to shake. The girl put out a limp, damp paw and looked even more disconcerted.
Jane was disappointed, of course. She realized, as well, that she wouldn't like to work with such a wimpy person in any case. Maybe the girl
would like the proposal and pass it on to her boss, who had a very good reputation, according to Felicity. It might work out if the boss liked it and wanted to handle Jane herself.
She didn't really hold out a serious hope of this happening. This baby agent would probably go on maternity leave within the next month, and the proposal would linger at the bottom of a closet or under six other manuscripts on a shelf until it yellowed at the edges.
She went to find where the last seminars of the day were being held, and as she was looking down at the map as she walked through the lobby, she literally stumbled into Mel VanDyne.
'Mel, why didn't you tell me you were a speaker?'
He grinned. 'Hi, Janey. I wanted to surprise you. I'm doing a presentation on forensics, plus I've been commandeered to take over for Detective Jess Jones. He was supposed to do one of these talks tomorrow, but he's having his appendix out today.'
'It's so nice to have you here,' Jane said, putting her arm around his waist and giving him a kiss on the cheek. 'The last seminar of the day is going on, and a friend I've made is speaking on the panel, unwillingly. Would you like to come along with me?'
'Why not? Are you having a good time?' he asked her as they strolled along. 'You look good in that outfit. It's new, isn't it?'
'Thanks. It is new. I'm having a wonderful time. I had two appointments with agents and one with an editor. The first agent brushed me off. The second agent was a pregnant teenaged marshmallow. The editor seemed genuinely interested in the book,' she said, suppressing the urge to giggle madly. 'I've met a lot of interesting people. I'm glad you're here. I'll tell you all about it when it's over. How about dinner Monday night? Prepare yourself to say nothing but 'Oh dear' and 'That's great.' '
'I should be free,' Mel said with a grin. 'Let's go out somewhere nice where there's a comfortable booth so I can nap for a while.'
They joined Shelley in the back of the seminar room, and within seconds Mel's cell phone buzzed quietly. He walked out of the room and didn't return.
'This is a bit of a bore,' Shelley said in a near whisper. 'Felicity was the best speaker. The rest are unbelievably pompous. How did your interview go?'
A woman sitting two rows ahead of them turned and glared at them. 'I'm trying to hear the speakers,' she snapped.
They glared back and moved across the aisle where no one was close enough to hear them.
'I don't suppose Miss Mystery is on the panel?' Jane said. 'She'd blow her cover.'
'Everybody's trying to figure out which attendee she is. So far as I know, nobody has a firm
idea,' Shelley said. 'Apparently she's good at fading into the background and keeping her ear to the ground. I admit I've noticed a middle-aged woman who hangs out in the lobby pretending to read a book. Always sitting close to authors who are having private talks. She's my best guess. I'll show her to you the next time I spot her.'
An idiotic question was being addressed to Felicity, so Jane and Shelley stopped chatting to listen politely to how she responded. Felicity spoke gracefully, then sat back to endure the rest of the hour.
So did Jane and Shelley.
When it was over at last, they drifted out the door and discussed what they'd do that evening. Dinner, according to the schedule, was 'on your own.' They presumed this was because the editors and agents would be taking their clients out to nice dinners. There were no specific plans for the rest of the attendees, except that two conference rooms had been made available for people to sit and chat about whatever they liked. This seemed deadly to both Jane and Shelley.
'Want to cab down to that seafood restaurant we went to near the Merchandise Mart, the one you liked so much?' Shelley asked.
'It's Friday night. Wouldn't it be too late to make a reservation?' Jane asked.
'We could try. Do you want to take Mel along? My treat.'
'If I can find him. I wonder what that call was about.'
'Ring him up on his cell phone and see.'
Jane did so. He didn't answer, so she left a message. He rang back a few minutes later when they'd gone up to the suite.
'Somebody found a man bashed in the head in the parking lot behind the hotel,' he said. 'I think he's part of this conference. A weird-looking guy with striped hair.'
'Zac Zebra!' Jane exclaimed.
'That's not what it says on his driver's license and car registration.'
'Zac Zebra is a pseudonym. Is he in bad shape?'
'Out like a light. The medics say his pulse is good, his breathing is normal, and his pupils are fine, but he's out cold. They're loading him into the ambulance now.'
'I don't suppose you're free to go to a nice dinner with us?'
'I probably will be. This isn't my case. I was just the closest detective to the site when the emergency call came in. They've assigned it to someone else.'
'We'll try to make a reservation for three for seven o'clock. We're close enough to the restaurant so we don't have to leave until quarter of seven. Let us know. Let's take a cab, though. I don't want to drive in the dark yet in my new car, and your MG is too small for three of us.'
'What's this about Zac?' Shelley said when Jane had hung up.
'He was knocked out in the parking lot behind the hotel,' Jane said. 'It's not Mel's case, so he can probably
