Free Death at the Trade Show: Target Practice Mysteries 3 by Nikki Haverstock

networks themselves. You can buy likes, follows, friends, views, and such on social media to make it look like you have a larger fan base. It can be a strange business.”
    Mary shifted forward in her seat. “What about timeslots? Do people fight over them?”
    “Hmmm.” Jillian pressed a finger to her lips. “I’m not totally sure. We found a timeslot we liked, our numbers were solid but the price wasn’t too high, and we’ve stayed there. But I know that other shows are jostling around for position. A few years ago, the Three Billy Brothers lost their timeslot.”
    “To who?” Mary was shifted so far forward she was perched precariously on the edge of her seat.
    “Um… Hunting with Cash , actually. People say that he stole it out from under the Billy brothers. And there was something off about Cash’s show after—”
    The conference door behind Jillian opened, and she stopped talking as Orion stepped out of the room. “Hey Jillian. Sorry we’re running late. If you want to grab Jack and Vinny, we can meet in this room.” He indicated the empty conference room I’d stolen a chair from.
    Jillian stood up. “It was great to meet you both. If you have any other questions for your article, we’ll be around.”
    Elizabeth and Connie nodded as they passed, then Liam called out from the room they left, “Di, Mary, can you come in here?”
    Mary gathered up her notebooks, and we went into the room to sit across from Liam. Orion hung around the doorway.
    Liam pulled out a sheet of paper and slid it across to me. “We talked and came up with a little project for you and Mary. These are two optic companies that make spotting scopes, binoculars, and range finders. We’re considering buying one or both of them. How about if you guys spend some time at each booth, look at the product line, catalogues, and staff, and we can talk about it later?”
    “Whoa, you want us to do research?”
    Liam lightly chuckled. “No pressure. Mom and Connie thought it would be a good project to get you familiar with how we make decisions. You and Mary can make your observations, then we’ll get together and talk to you about what’s important and why. Don’t tell them why you’re there, but don’t lie either. If they ask, say that you’re curious about their products. That should only take a few hours. The rest of the time, you’re free to do whatever you want at the show. Walk around, learn about the industry, become familiar with the companies and products, and try to solve Cash’s murder.”
    “What? Why do you think…”
    Liam leaned back in his chair with a chuckle. “Come on, Di. I know you and Mary.”
    “Plus,” Orion said from behind me, “someone left out their murder notebook last night.”
    I chuckled. “But seriously, is it cool if we do some poking around? We’ll stay out of trouble.”
    Liam shook his head. “I doubt that. If you come back around noon, we’ll get food for you.”
    Orion stepped out of the room. “Come on, Liam, we’re ready for the next meeting.”
    Liam grave Moo a scratch on the back as he stepped into the next room and closed the door behind him. Muffled voices came through the thin walls.
    Left in the room alone, I turned to Mary. “What now?” Our options were completely open, and I was excited to get started.
    Mary studied her notebook seriously. “How about if we find Sarah and ask her to set up some interviews for us? We can continue using the article as an excuse to talk to some people, swing over to talk to the first company on Liam’s list, then come back for lunch?”
    “You’re the boss, Sherlock. I’m just here for comic effect.”
    Moo and I stepped out of the room into the Westmound booth to stretch a bit. Now that I was free to wander the trade show floor, I was eager to break free. Right across the aisle was Loggin at the Andersson Booth. “Hey, Loggin.”
    He had been talking with another employee but looked up. “Hey, Di. Hey, Moo. How’s it hanging,