Free A Hard Bargain by Jane Tesh Page B

creamy skin, and amazing golden eyes.
    Now she fixed this tawny gaze on me. “Who’s this guy, Rick? If he were a character in one of my books, he’d be Sleazy Gambler Number Three.”
    “You’ve got that right. He’s a gambler. He and Jerry ran quite a few scams back in college.”
    She passed me a plastic cup filled with iced tea and a straw. “Jerry’s playing pet psychic, too?”
    “No, I’ve managed to keep him too busy to play with Rick.”
    Shana’s eyebrows rose. “Oh, ho. What kind of ‘busy’ are we talking about here?”
    “Not what you’re thinking. I’m trying to get him to find a job.”
    “Any luck?”
    “Not yet.”
    Shana used her straw to swirl the ice cubes in her tea. “You’re driving yourself crazy, you know that.”
    Like me, Shana’s not interested in having children. She tells me all her maternal instincts are centered on Hayden. It makes me wonder about my maternal instincts, such as they are. Until recently, I didn’t think I had any. Now I’m constantly worrying about Jerry, as if he were eight years old instead of almost thirty.
    Shana’s gaze was sympathetic. “He’ll figure it out. I just hope he isn’t married to someone else when that happens.”
    I nodded. Shana let me sit in gloom for only a few minutes before changing the subject.
    “I hear you’re helping Evan with another pageant. That can’t be true.”
    “Sort of.”
    “Who are those two odd people in charge?”
    “Cathy Sloop and Mitch Hutton. The Pageantoids.”
    “Oh, that’s good. Slightly obsessed, are they?”
    “Just a bit, but Evan is, too, so they should work well together.”
    “Is Jerry going to play for the pageant?”
    “Probably. He’s over there a lot.” Shana’s frown made me say, “What?”
    “Kenna Porter, that’s what.”
    “I know, I know.”
    “Trouble in River City.”
    “I hope not.”
    “Remember your vow? ‘Nothing is more important than my relationship with Jerry Fairweather.’”
    “It’s still important. I just need to approach things the right way. And Jerry keeps acting like he wants to tell me something.”
    Shana made a face and took another cookie from the basket. “Maybe somebody needs to talk to Mister Fairweather.”
    “I’d rather you didn’t.” It was my turn to change the subject. “What do you know about Kirby Willet?”
    “In my book, he’d be Loser Number One. But I shouldn’t be so judgmental. Hayden and I moved to Celosia only a few years ago. We’re still considered upstart city folk. My impressions of Kirby Willet are completely from hearsay.”
    “Did anyone mention his interest in ghosts?”
    “Don’t talk to me about ghosts,” she said. “That business with Juliet Lovelace was enough for me. Nell should be able to tell you everything, and if Nell doesn’t know, try Denisha.”
    “What about Mantis Man? What do you know about that story?”
    “Not a lot. I didn’t grow up here, but I understand you haven’t lived until you’ve stayed out on Lovers’ Walk all night and seen the big red eyes coming at you. You can imagine what Hayden thinks of that.”
    “I personally think it would be really cool if Kirby Willet turns out to be Mantis Man.”
    “I suppose he could be. After all, has anyone seen him and Mantis Man together?”
    “Seriously, is there anything to the Mantis Man stories? Has anybody actually been killed, or is it just another urban myth?”
    “No, just scared. Now there’s a mystery for you,” Shana said. “You could solve the Mystery of Mantis Man.”
    “Add it to the list.”
    “List?”
    I nodded. “I’m not only searching for Kirby Willet, I’m searching for Patricia Hargrave’s missing duck head umbrella, as well as several overdue books from the public library.”
    “I had no idea Celosia was so full of crime.” She fixed her golden gaze on my face. “Forgive my curiosity, Madeline, but as a writer, I’m always interested in peoples’ motives. What made you decide to become an