Murder Packs a Suitcase by Cynthia Baxter Page B

press trip all by myself.” She was addressing all of them, but her eyes were fixed on Phil. “My
husband
told me not to let on. But I’m hoping that by being straight with you, maybe you’ll be willing to cut me some slack.”
    â€œFirst time, huh?” Phil guffawed. “So I guess that makes you a virgin. Hey, I noticed that there’s a volcano in the ballroom. That looks like a great place to sacrifice virgins, so you’d better watch out! Of course, you’d probably need to be a virgin in every sense of the word, but if they need somebody to check you out, I’m their man!”
    Courtney remained silent, twisting her mouth and wrinkling her forehead in a way that made her look like a rubber-faced elf—an elf who was about to burst into tears. She reminded Mallory of Amanda when she was four years old. And Phil’s bullying suddenly brought back the year Jordan was constantly tormented by a schoolyard toughie.
    Before she’d even had a chance to think about what she was doing, she stood up and turned to Phil.
    â€œLook, we’re all here because we’re professional writers,” she said, her voice controlled but her feelings clear. “That means that even though this hotel looks like it was designed by somebody on LSD, as far as our little group goes, it’s a workplace. Which means everyone here is expected to act in a professional manner. That translates to no sexism, no tasteless jokes, and if it’s at all possible, no stupidity. From this point on, we’re all going to show our host the respect she deserves. Got it?”
    Her blood still boiling, she turned to Courtney and said, “Now, if you’ll be kind enough to continue, Courtney, I’m sure we’re all interested in what you have to say.”
    After she plopped back down in her seat, everyone at the table remained silent for what seemed like a very long time. And then Wade started to applaud.
    â€œHere, here,” he said. “I think Mallory speaks for all of us.”
    Mallory glanced over at Frieda and saw that she was nodding. Annabelle had pink patches on her cheeks, but the fact that she was staring at the table, avoiding making eye contact with Phil, implied that she, too, agreed with Mallory.
    Courtney cleared her throat, then pushed her hair back again. “Okay, then. Let’s, uh, continue. This press trip is going to be a particular challenge, since you all have such a different focus. Annabelle, you write for
Shoestring,
so you’ll be looking for low-cost activities, special deals, that kind of thing.” With a little smile, she added, “And your editor e-mailed me that your birthday is on Tuesday, so we’ll have to be sure to schedule in a little party. I understand it’s a big one, too.”
    â€œUh, yes.” Annabelle lowered her head and muttered, “The big four-oh.”
    â€œWow!” Courtney exclaimed. “That definitely calls for a birthday cake!” She made a note on her clipboard. “Frieda, you’ll be focusing on activities that are of interest to seniors, including those who are traveling by themselves—that is, without their grandchildren. And, uh, Phil, since you’re writing for the seasoned traveler, you’ll be looking for anything that’s new or off the beaten track. I can help you with that.”
    Mallory cast him a meaningful look, just in case he hadn’t quite gotten the point and decided to toss out a few more unwelcome witticisms. Instead, he stared right back. And then, smiling crookedly, he held up his hands and shrugged.
    â€œWade writes for a Canadian audience,” Courtney continued. She flashed him a shy smile, then added, “So part of my job will be convincing you that our neighbors to the north are more than welcome to visit us here in the good old U.S. of A.”
    She turned to Mallory. “And last, but certainly not least, Mallory, I understand this