Free Trouble In Spades by Heather Webber

telling what she would do. "I'll go. I'll call Ana too." I might need her help to restrain Maria if it came to that.
    "Fine. I'll be there in ten minutes." I hung up and called Ana.
    "Ana Bertoli, probation officer extraordinaire," she said dryly.
    "Hi," I said. "Listen, I don't think you're feeling well."
    "Huh?"
    "Cough."
    Ana hacked. "Why? What's up?"
    "You need to go home sick."
    She coughed some more. Added a sniffle and a moan. "What're we up to?" she whispered.
    "Going on a field trip."
    She coughed some more, added a wheeze. "How sad is it that that excites me? I really need a man, Nina."
    "Maybe you'll find one at the Kalypso."
    "The Kalypso? You're going to the Kalyspo? Are you out of your mind?"
    Her voice sounded so hoarse I almost believed she was ill. "No, I'm not."
    She coughed some more. "Do I need to remind you—"
    I cut her off. "No, you don't."
    "Oh, we'll see about that."
    "Can you be at my house in twenty minutes? Maria and I will meet you there."
    "Yeah, but I really don't think you should—"
    " 'Bye!" I hung up before she could launch into an inventory of my past sins that involved casinos and too much liquor.
    I left Kit in charge of the office. With the rain, there wasn't much anyone could do. Catch up on paperwork, tend to the tools, clean the storage barn . . .
    Dragging my backpack up onto my lap, I pulled out the envelope Nate had sent.
    I tucked it into the front pouch and pulled the zipper closed.
    I'd wait to see what we'd learn at the Kalypso before I opened it.

Seven

    Out the front window, I saw Maria's Mercedes fishtail into TBS's parking lot, the windshield wipers on high. I looked back at Tam. She was holding her hole punch with a speculative gleam in her eye.
    "Behave," I called to her before pulling the door closed. I thought I heard an insane laugh float out.
    Great. I made a mental note to make sure Leo was still alive when I got back.
    Maria honked. Through the windshield, I saw her throw her hands up in a what's-taking-so-long motion. She was never one for patience.
    I opened the door and choked as a haze of Chanel No. 5 engulfed me like a bear hug.
    As I got in, I said, "Jeez, Maria, you have enough perfume on?"
    "No," she said, backing out. She sniffed. "And it wouldn't hurt for you to wear some. That, and," she said, eyeing me critically, "a little makeup wouldn't kill you either." I checked my reflection in the window. A thin red scar arched above my left eye. My dark green eyes looked nearly brown in the dismal light, and the bags that hung beneath them didn't help my self-esteem any.
    "What about some highlights? Some gold to sass things up a little?" she asked. "My stylist could probably fit you in later today."
    "I don't need highlights. My hair's fine."
    "It's brown," she said, hitting the brakes as she took a corner a bit too sharply.
    I reached behind me and buckled my seat belt.
    "What's wrong with brown? Lots of people have brown hair."
    She looked over at me, her nose scrunched in distaste. "You need texture. Nuances," she said, accentuating each syllable. "Men can get away with having brown hair. Women cannot."
    I ignored her. It was either that or strangle her, and I really didn't think my mother would forgive me. "Ana's meeting us at my house. I need to leave Riley a note and change." She grimaced. "Yes, you do. Khaki, Nina? Really?"
    I held my tongue only because her fiancé was missing.
    She turned onto Jaybird, heading toward my house. No blinker, no warning. Just a jerking of the steering wheel and irritated honks from the car behind us.
    Taking her eyes off the road, she looked at me. "I'm beginning to get worried, Nina. What if something has happened to him?"
    "Maria! The road!"
    She quickly turned her head. We were this close to rear-ending a Grizzly Bear water truck. She jerked the wheel hard right. The car bounced up on the berm. The tires spit gravel. Clear of the truck, she got back in her lane and stepped on the gas.
    I wished I had another seat belt