Free Full Blast by Janet Evanovich & Charlotte Hughes Page A

to enjoy spoiling the little tyke.”
    “I’m going to start looking into all the best baby books,” Muffin said. “I’ll get every piece of data I can, then Dee Dee and I will talk.”
    “I can’t wait to see her in maternity clothes,” Jamie said. “I’m sure Beenie will insist on the best designer money can buy.”
    Max gave her one of his slow easy smiles. “You sound a little exuberant there, Swifty. Sounds like you wouldn’t mind having a little bambino of your own. You might need to give it some thought, what with that ticking biological clock thing that women worry so much about.”
    “My clock is ticking just fine, Max,” she said, “and no, I don’t think I’m ready for motherhood. I can’t even raise a dog properly, but at least he won’t be sitting in some therapist’s office thirty years from now complaining what a crummy job I did.”
    “Ah, Jamie, you’d be a great mom,” he said.
    “Really?” The sincerity in his voice touched her.
    “Excuse me,” Muffin said. “I think we’re missing something here. A father, maybe?”
    Max and Jamie locked gazes. “How is Fleas, by the way?” Max asked.
    Jamie thought he’d done a clumsy job of changing the subject. “I just had him neutered.”
    “See, that makes you a responsible pet owner,” Max said.
    “Uh, Muffin,” Jamie began, “back to love and marriage and baby carriages, how’s your love life?” Muffin had been having an on-again off-again online romance with a laptop computer at MIT. Max had also programmed Muffin with a personality. She had attitude.
    “We’re sort of taking a break from each other,” Muffin said. “I think I intimidate him. I think he’s chatting with someone else.”
    “He’ll be back,” Max said. “A smart man never walks away from a good thing.”
    Jamie felt his eyes on her, but she didn’t dare look his way. As she had told Fleas, their relationship was complicated. “I suppose you told Muffin what’s going on in Beaumont,” she said, realizing she had been the one to change the subject this time. Each time things got too personal between them, one or both of them backed off. Besides, if Max started sweet-talking her, they’d never make it to the newspaper office.
    “Yeah, what do you think?” Muffin asked.
    “I think I’m going to feel guilty for the rest of my life if my personals section is involved in that poor woman’s murder.”
    “You can’t take everything Lamar Tevis says as fact,” Muffin said. “We’re not dealing with Colombo. Do you have backup info on the people writing the ads?”
    Jamie felt herself nod even though she knew Muffin couldn’t see her. “Yeah, I have to keep the letters on file in case someone gets a response.”
    “Anybody else have access to them?” Muffin asked.
    “Not even Vera.”
    “Oh, man, I’ll bet that pissed her off. So, here’s what we do,” Muffin began. “You give me the names and any other pertinent info, and I check them out. If I find anyone who looks suspicious, we’ll take a closer look.”
    Twenty minutes later, Max pulled into the parking lot of the Beaumont Gazette . A cream-colored Mercedes was parked in one of the slots. “Boy, you must’ve given somebody on your staff a really good raise,” he said.
    “Oh, no, that’s Destiny Moultrie,” Jamie said with a sigh as the woman climbed from her car. Destiny had not picked a good time to show up. “She’s going to be our new Divine Love Goddess Advisor.”
    Max frowned. “Come again?”
    “I’ll explain later.”
    Destiny raced around to the passenger door as Jamie climbed out. The woman was wearing her bathrobe and bedroom slippers. “Oh, thank God I found you,” she cried. “I drove by your house, but you weren’t home. I figured I’d check here just in case.”
    Jamie could see the woman was upset about something. “Um, Destiny, this is my partner, Max Holt.”
    Jamie didn’t miss the knowing look in Destiny’s eyes as she looked his way. “It’s