Free Before Another Dies by Alton L. Gansky

Tess,” I snapped. “If you want answers, you should speak to me.”
    â€œWell, you did decide to show up for work,” the weasel said. I glared at her. Tess was a stately woman with short white hair held in place with some kind of industrial-strength gel. She was a couple of years older than me, an inch or two taller depending on the shoes she wore. I felt like a teenage girl in the shadow of a glamorous older sister. She was wearing a coral jacket and skirt with a white blouse. As usual, she looked like she had stepped out of a Nordstrom catalog. “And you’re late, you who insist that every meeting start the precise moment the second hand sweeps by the appointed time.” She paused and drank in my appearance. “What did you do? Sleep under the pier? You look like death warmed over.”
    â€œGo away, Tess,” I grumbled. “I have a pain in my head, I don’t need one in my—” I stopped, once again trying to tame my tongue. It remained a battle. My mouth has been my greatest asset and a constant liability. Some days I’m more successful than others. I had a feeling this was going to be the one of my less successful days.
    â€œNo wonder city hall is falling into disarray. Its leader is as slipshod as some of its employees.”
    I walked past the iceberg in panty hose and plopped down behind my desk. Tess followed. “What do you want, Tess?”
    She folded her arms across her narrow chest and gave me a hard don’t-you-take-that-tone-with-me look. “It’s about tonight’s council meeting. As you know, we still elect the deputy mayor from the council. Since this is the first meeting since the new year began, we should address that issue straightaway.”
    â€œStraightaway, eh?” I wrestled down a smirk. Tess must be watching the BBC again.
    â€œYes, straightaway. Councilman Wu served last year. Councilman Adler thinks I should have the position—”
    â€œI wonder where he got that idea,” I mumbled.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œNothing. You want me to cast my vote for you, too. Is that it?”
    â€œI imagine Wu will nominate Titus Overstreet.”
    I already knew that for a fact. “So your fear is that Jon will nominate you, Titus will nominate Larry, and the vote will be split, leaving me to cast the deciding vote. Have I got it right?”
    â€œWell, yes. Put succinctly, that’s it.”
    â€œI doubt you have anything to worry about.” The thought of Tess as deputy mayor made me feel funny inside—like the early stages of the flu.
    She seemed stunned. “You’re going to vote for me? I mean it makes sense and it would send a strong message having two women at the helm.”
    â€œYou wouldn’t be at the helm, Tess, and you know that. The role of deputy mayor is ceremonial and only has policy implications in my absence. And no, I plan on voting for Titus.”
    â€œYou said I didn’t have anything to worry about.”
    â€œI said I doubted that you have anything to worry about. Titus is too much of a gentleman to vote for himself. It is his most endearing attribute but also one of his weaknesses. I imagine he’ll abstain.”
    â€œThat would leave the vote split. You and Larry on one side; Jon and myself on the other. What happens then?”
    â€œThen the council is hung, and we don’t have a deputy mayor.”
    â€œOur rules of order demand that we have one,” she retorted.
    â€œYes, they do. I suggest you go make nice with Titus and Larry. Mend a few fences—mend a lot of fences.”
    â€œThere’s no chance you’d vote for me?” For the briefest of seconds, I thought I detected a touch of hurt in the statement, but then it was gone.
    â€œNot today, Tess. Not after I caught you harassing my aide.”
    A frown scarred her face. I could see her jaw clench. “You need help to run this city, Mayor. You need someone who isn’t