Cassie Sedwick met Nick and Gus’s limo. “Hi guys. Ready for another rollicking good time meeting with the public? I see you couldn’t talk Rachel, Jean, Tina, or even Deke the dog into coming along for this final chapter of Nick in the North.”
“Seattle’s a nice place to visit, but I believe we’ve been away from our home base long enough,” Nick replied after waving for the limo driver to go on. “We dropped our humans off for the Seattle tour, including the Argosy harbor tour. That’s about the only thing they haven’t done. As to my canine pal, he and I jogged miles into the woods early this morning. Deke was snoring with a beef bone next to him when we left, the slacker. You seem happy this morning, Cass.”
“That’s the trouble with you, Nick. You don’t stop to smell the roses. If you had, you’d know Assassin’s Folly is the number one book in the nation. The news you consulted on the Ripper case here in Seattle made headlines all over the world. Need I mention what such a bump does for your other novels?”
Heh…heh, Gus and I were a little busy tracking all inquiries made in regard to my three thug manure deposit in the Lodge woods, dear lady. “That is wonderful, Cass. You know me. I’m writing when I’m not running with Deke or entertaining Rachel and Jean while they whine about everything. Dark Interlude is progressing marvelously well with Diego and Jed completing a mission off the coast of Barbados with the lovely Fatima trying to sabotage their every move.”
“Don’t you dare kill Fatima!”
Nick sighed. “See Gus. This is what happens when you give agents manuscript updates. They begin thinking they’re writing the novel.”
“Please Nick?” Cassie made comical praying motions with clasped hands to Gus’s amusement while Nick turned away with arms folded across chest. “She’s made Diego more human than he has ever been. Fatima can join the crew. Make Diego win her over.”
“Please restrain yourself, my dear literary agent. These pleas are beneath you. Of course Fatima must die. Are you insane? She’s dueling with a cold blooded assassin without conscience. She will be used, abused, and tossed aside in a landfill.”
Cassie gasped, stunned for a moment. Then her brow furrowed. “I hate you.”
“I’ve been getting a lot of that lately.”
“I’m calling Rachel. She and I talked for an hour. Rachel loves what you’ve done with Fatima and Diego. It’s the first time she’s ever been excited about your writing. That means I’m not the only woman enthralled with the addition of Fatima. Women read. Although you have a nice percentage of women readers, the hint of a duplicitous female foil like Fatima, in a love/hate, no holds barred, passionate affair with Diego in Dark Interlude will triple your female fans. When Rachel hears you’re killing off Fatima, she’ll beat you within an inch of your Stephen King wannabe life. Just because the King kills off every damn character fans become attached to doesn’t mean you have to follow his sadistic ways.”
By that time in the rant, both Nick and Gus were expressing loud amused appreciation of Cassie’s upbraiding of Nick, especially the Rachel threat.
Damn, there goes my agent sparring. “You shouldn’t be speaking to my wife anyway. I’ll consider your input, but I better not be getting any more wife involvement threats. You know what happened to the wife in ‘The Shining’ when she messed with King’s writer character.”
“Okay, but I’m going to be very disappointed if you take the writer coward’s way out by using the shock card to stir reader emotions,” Cassie stated.
“Writer coward?” Nick put his arm around Cassie’s shoulders, guiding her toward the entrance. “I’ll think about letting Fatima live. You need to get a life though, Cass. You’re getting caught in the web of fantasy. I love this downtown corner store location. Was that why you had us get here so early? It worked out well for dropping the tour attendees off, but usually you want us to hang with the readers out here on the street.”
“I am addicted to Diego,” Cassie admitted. Hearing Gus snickering behind her, Cassie spun to face him, jabbing her finger in Gus’s chest. “Don’t be laughin’ at me, Gus Nason. I heard you sold your soul to the devil to keep your character Jed alive and straight in a recurring Diego role. You have no room to talk or laugh at all, buster!”
“Damn that Rachel! Can’t you shut off communication between the Bump and your professional life?”
“Sorry, Gus, but you already know I have no control over the Bump. Hey, Cass, did Rachel tell you Gus tagged her and Jean as the Bump and Dagger show?”
“Yes. Disgraceful.” Cassie tried to maintain a straight face and failed. “Come on. The crowd will be here soon. The early hour had to do with the store manager’s request. The weather’s in doubt for the day. He wants to begin the moment any line forms if that’s okay with you so we can keep the fans out of the rain.”