Free Murder Follows Money by Lora Roberts

stood in the way. It was not pleasant.” I hesitated. I have had some experience, not of my choosing, with people driven to the extreme of murder. The vibes I felt around Naomi and Hannah were horridly reminiscent of that. “Do you think they would really do anything? Like hurt each other?”
    Judi made tut-tutting noises, but she looked worried. “I don’t think it would come to that. You say they accused each other of that—of murder?”
    The word hung between us.
    “Not really.” I shivered a little. “But there was a nasty scene earlier when Naomi found out Hannah was going to promote the new crepe maker on TV. Naomi claims to have invented it, but Hannah sure didn’t give her any credit.”
    “I caught the show.” Judi stared at Naomi, gulping the wine as if it was Kool-Aid. “Hannah is very good at what she does.”
    “Good at the performance aspect, and at knowing everything about food. She’s not good at people.”
    “That has never been a requirement for being a celebrity,” Judi said. “A lot of them aren’t good at people.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s go beard the lioness and see how bad it is.”
    I held her back. “Judi, I hope I haven’t ruined your business. If I’d known what I was doing—”
    “You didn’t ruin anything.” She gave me a reassuring smile. “Even a pro would have been hard-pressed to respond differently when slapped. Don’t worry about it. I sure won’t. There are other fish in the sea besides Hannah Couch, and some of them are not only nice to work with but glad to be my clients. I’ll survive.”
    I followed her down the hall into the manager’s office. Hannah was just emerging from the manager’s bathroom. She had fixed her hair without Naomi’s assistance, and it showed by being a bit less perfect than usual. Her makeup had been skillfully applied, though. She looked formidable, an iron-haired woman at the peak of her powers.
    “Well, Hannah.” Judi stopped in the door to the manager’s office. “I just stopped in to monitor the tour. How are you doing?”
    Hannah scowled at both of us. “I would be doing better if you’d given me a professional instead of this ignorant woman.” Her indignation lent a spark to her stern countenance. “She knows absolutely nothing about keeping the clients happy.”
    “Is it necessary for the clients’ happiness to beat on the escort?” Judi sounded mild, but I could tell she was upset. “Because that isn’t allowed. If you want to physically abuse your help, you had better go elsewhere to find it.”
    The two locked glances, and Hannah looked away first. “It wasn’t me,” she mumbled. “It was Naomi. I don’t condone that sort of behavior. I’ve spoken to her. And I gave the girl back her job.”
    I didn’t know whether to be flattered at being called a girl—something that has not happened to me since I turned twenty, and that was fifteen years ago—or irritated at the idea that I was so unimportant that my name could be forgotten at will.
    “It’s not for you to give or take away,” Judi said gently. “You signed a contract with my agency. I do all the staffing. Frankly, no one on my staff wants to work with you. If I cut you loose, and word of this slapping gets around, you will be hard-pressed to find any reputable public relations firm to deal with.”
    “I can do it myself if I have to,” Hannah said, tossing her head. “I did when I started out.”
    “Right. You call up Leno’s people and tell them you want to be on the show.” Judi snorted. “You don’t have the Rolodex for it anymore, dear.” She gave Hannah that measuring look again. “I told Liz I’d take over the rest of your stay here.”
    “You?” Hannah appeared to be trying to find words. “No. No way. I certainly don’t want you around.”
    “That makes it mutual, as I don’t want to be around.” They stared each other down again, and again Judi won. “But if you can’t keep a lid on it and be pleasant,