Free Carol Higgins Clark Boxed Set - Volume 1: This eBook collection contains Zapped, Cursed, and Wrecked. by Carol Higgins Clark Page B

Billy said. “And so many of them don’t have the slightest idea how to tell a joke. They know nothing about comic timing.” He leaned forward. “I don’t mean this poor guy doesn’t have talent, but he could have come from anywhere. People don’t realize how hard it is to get up there in front of audiences and make them laugh. Especially on a bad night when the room is full of hostile, angry people.”
    “I bet you right now Georgina is laughing at every little witticism Chip Jones utters,” Regan said. “Doing her best to gain his confidence.”
    “Fake laughter has always been so obvious to me,” Billy said. “It’s worse than no laughter.”
    “But you like what you do, right?” Kit asked him.
    “I love it! I’m just trying to help with the investigation. All I’m saying is that this guy could be in any line of work. Some people say they take comedy classes to help their self-esteem. Are they crazy? When no one laughs at your jokes, self-esteem becomes an alien concept!”
    “Okay,” Regan interrupted, trying to redirect the conversation. “Kit, your BlackBerry has those information sites, right?”
    “Yes.”
    “Check and see if there’s a Chip Jones in IMDb. It’s a site that lists people in show business and their credits. If he’s not there, we can rule that out.”
    There was no listing for a Chip Jones.
    “That settles that,” Regan said as she found a parking space on the street in front of the Gates Hotel. The lobby was a hot, sweaty, candlelit scene of confusion. Overflowing with stranded travelers who couldn’t make it up to their rooms and others who had no way home to the suburbs, it resembled an airport lounge during a snowstorm. People were camped out on the floor. Some were snoozing, others talking, others looked miserable as they quietly fanned themselves.
    In the bar, Kit spotted the insurance crowd. They were seated at three tables that had been pushed together in a corner.
    Gail waved to Kit. “Come on over,” she called. “I hope you’re not looking for a drink with ice!” She laughed nervously as did a couple of the others who appeared to have already enjoyed several drinks not caring what their temperature was.
    At the table, Kit introduced Billy and Regan to her co-workers.
    “And,” Gail piped in helpfully, “down at the end are Melanie and Dexter who work with Georgina. It’s so terrible what Georgina does to these guys. Is that sick or what?”
    Regan nodded, walked over to the end where Melanie and Dexter were seated, and shook their hands. “Perhaps we could speak outside where it’s not so noisy,” she suggested.
    Dexter, a somber-faced man in his forties, with thin, wispy hair, pushed back his chair. “Of course. I’m so glad you’re here. This is a black eye for our company. A terrible day for Ilka’s Insurance. We’re all very upset.”
    Melanie doesn’t look upset at all, Regan thought as she glanced at the youthful fresh-faced girl whose blue eyes were sparkling with excitement.
    “Do you need any help?” Gail called as Regan, Kit, Billy, Melanie, and Dexter left the noisy bar.
    “We’ll let you know,” Kit promised.
    In the hallway, Regan spoke quickly. “We’re going to do all we can to find Georgina tonight before she hurts somebody else. But looking for her, especially during a blackout, is tough. We’re pretty sure we have the name of the young man she’s with but we don’t yet know anything else about him. If there’s anything about Georgina that you can think of, please tell me now—even a small detail could be helpful. Dexter, I understand you were the one who received the call this evening about her.”
    Dexter scrunched up his mouth mournfully. “The police in Atlanta got in touch with the president of our company after Georgina’s friend was arrested and she implicated Georgina in these other crimes. Naturally, Mr. Blankbucks was greatly troubled and called me immediately. By the time I reached Kit, as you know,