Zinnia by Jayne Castle Page B

in such a situation. He might take such a remark as yet another insult. Something told her that she had pushed her luck far enough tonight. Nick Chastain did not seem the type to tolerate insults well.
    “Tell me,” Nick said quietly, “Have you given any thought to how this is all going to look in the morning papers?”
    She stared at him as the full import of what he was saying sank in. For the first time she realized that this might not end once the police arrived. Memories of the nasty tabloid headlines she had endured a year and a half ago flashed through her mind.
    “Damn.”
    The cold amusement burned again, briefly, in his eyes. “My sentiments exactly.”
    “Well, it won’t amount to much of a story for the New Seattle Times,” she said. “After all, murder isn’t exactly front-page news unless there’s an unusual slant.”
    “Something tells me that as far as the Times is concerned, this particular murder will definitely have an interesting slant.” He paused. “You’re the Scarlet Lady from the Eaton scandal and I’m the owner of Chastain’s Palace.”
    “Damn,” she said again.
    “I think we can safely assume that the New Seattle Times is going to splash Fenwick’s death across the front page. And that’s nothing compared to what the tabloids will do.”
    Zinnia became aware of a dull ache at the back of her neck. She closed her eyes and absently massaged her nape. “They’ll have a field day, especially, Synsation. The only thing that could make it worse, I suppose, would be an indication that drugs were involved. At least we know that’s not the case.”
    “Why do you say that?”
    She frowned. “This is poor Morris Fenwick we’re talking about here. There’s no way anyone, not even a tabloid journalist, could link his death to drugs.”
    “I take it you’re a glass-half-full kind of person,” Nick said. “That’s okay. I’ve never understood optimistic types, but I’ve always found them to be amusing.”

Chapter
5
    * * * * * * * * * *
    Zinnia groaned aloud when she read the morning headlines in the New Seattle Times:
    Murder Victim Discovered by
Casino Owner and Designer
    Possible Drug Link

The body of an antiquarian bookman, Morris Fenwick, was discovered late last night by a local casino owner, Nick Chastain, and his companion, Miss Zinnia Spring. The motive for the murder is unclear, but police suspect that the killer was after money for drugs.
Sources in the department speculated that the perpetrator was searching for cash or valuables on the premises of Fenwick’s Books when he was surprised by the owner of the shop. Mr. Fenwick was apparently killed by a blow to the head. The shop was left in a shambles.
“The place was ripped apart,” stated Detective Paul Anselm of the NSPD. “Looks like the guy was enraged because he couldn’t find any money. We’re having a real problem with a new street drug called crazy-fog. A lot of burglaries lately have occurred because the users want quick cash to buy the stuff.”
    Zinnia braced herself with a cup of strong coff-tea before she went downstairs to the street to buy a copy of Synsation. Once she was outside on the sidewalk she was able to read the lead headline from twenty paces.
    Casino Owner Chastain and the Scarlet Lady
Involved in Crazy-Fog Murder
    An old file photo of herself was positioned next to a long-range shot of Nick walking out the front door of Chastain’s Palace. The story that followed was full of so-called details which amounted to little more than idle speculation. The piece concluded with a quick rundown of background information on Nick and herself.

… Both were unavailable for comment. Nick Chastain is the publicity-shy owner of Chastain’s Palace, a popular casino in Founders’ Square. Miss Spring is the daughter of the late Edward and Genevieve Spring. Readers will recall that Mr. and Mrs. Spring were lost at sea four years ago when their racing yacht went down in a sudden storm. Shortly