Carolyn G. Hart - Mint Julep Murder

Author's Note

It was a pleasure to set a mystery on Hilton Head, the island that inspired the creation of Broward's Rock in Death on Demand. I hope I've provided enough of a glimpse of the island to bring happy memories to my readers who have vacationed there and to encourage others to discover its spacious beaches, moss-draped live oaks, and tranquil lagoons.

Everything in the book is true to the island except the Buccaneer Hotel, which I have placed just to the north of the Coligny Beach entrance, where the Breakers Villas stand, and Benedict Books, which is a composite of the several charming bookstores on the island.

The Dixie Book Festival is my own creation. It would be a tight fit on the Coligny Beach entrance plaza, but it could be done. And wouldn't it be fun!

Chapter 1

The flurry of faxes began a week before the Dixie Book Festival. Sher ry Felton's first fax was circumspect. Sher ry

was well aware of her bestselling author's temperament.

She had a queasy feeling that she was damned if she did and damned if she didn't, but a long-distance outburst was infinitely to be preferred over a face-to-face explosion.

FAX 1 - FROM: Sherry Felton

TO: Leah Vixen Kirby

Dear Leah,

Biddy Maxwell tells me a Georgia publisher named Ken neth Hazlitt has approached her with an idea for a novel, a steamy sex-and-tell piece, all about some famous Southern writers and their indiscretions at a conference. He hinted to Biddy that it's a roman clef. She's shopping the idea around.

Your latest sales figures are super. The paperback of Love's Lost Splendour is shipping like hotcakes.

See you at Hilton Head.

Best,

Sherry

It came as no surprise to Sherry when her fax machine signaled incoming material.

FAX 2 - FROM: Leah Kirby

To: Sherry Felton

Dear Sherry,

Kenneth Hazlitt is a mediocre publisher and he couldn't write a decent novel if somebody handed him a mouse with an IQ of 200-plus. He's a buffoon who loves Dracula, Franken stein, and Little Orphan Annie with the Statler Brothers bel lowing in the background. But who gives a damn about quality? How much sex and who are the main characters?

If I could get a spot on Oprah, Love's Lost Splendour would sell five times what it's doing now. I must talk to you about publicity. And whose idea was it to schedule my Festi val signing at four o'clock? They've got to be kidding. I want nine a.m. And I mean it.

As ever,

Leah

Sher ry read as the fax paper oozed out. Damn. It was

too late to change autographing times. The conference pro gram was already printed. Leah knew that, of course. But who expected the world's most famous author of Civil War novels to give a damn about minor facts like printed programs? Sherry debated calling the Festival programmer. Maybe they could put up a sign announcing a time change at the information booth.... Oh, hell, what a bother. She didn't reach for the phone. Instead, her eyes glinting with malice, she waited thirty minutes, then dispatched a reply. As always, she used her author's full name. One had to take pleasure where one found it.

FAX 3 - FROM: Sherry Felton

TO: Leah Vixen Kirby

Dear Leah,

The programmer regrets being unable to change your autographing time. The committee wants the most famous author available at four p.m. The local TV promises a crew, and they feed to CBS.

Lots of sex, according to Biddy. And the cast of charac ters includes the most famous author of Civil War novels; the author of the latest male romance novel la Bridges and Love Story; the author of Southern sojourns of the soul; the author of good-old-boy diatribes against blacks, Jews, feminists, and women in general; and the world's bestselling mystery writer.

Oh, and congratulations upon your receiving a Medallion at the Festival. I'll be sure and attend the ceremony.

Best,

Sherry

FAX 4 - FRoM: Leah Kirby

To: Alan Blake

Missy Sinclair

Jimmy Jay Crabtree

Emma Clyde

Dear Fellow Medallion Honorees,

FYI, Kenneth Hazlitt is shopping a proposal using thinly disguised (if disguised at all) characters patterned after all of us. Remember Wynnewood?

The sorry bastard.

Leah Kirby

FAX 5 - FRoM: Emma Clyde

To: Leah Kirby

Alan Blake

Melissa Sinclair

Jimmy Jay Crabtree

Dear Fellow Honorees,

I smell a Medallion-sized rat. Best regards,

Emma

FAX 6 - FROM: Errol Beatty, publicist

TO: Leah Kirby

Emma Clyde

Dear Ms. Kirby and Ms. Clyde,

Mr. Crabtree is presently on a book tour. I will bring your faxes to his attention when I speak to him this evening. Best wishes,

Errol Beatty

FAX 7 - FROM: Alan Blake

To: Leah Kirby

Emma Clyde

Dear Leah and Emma:

Let's talk when we arrive at the Festival. They're putting me up at the Buccaneer.

Fondly,

Alan

FAX 8 - FRoM: Melissa Sinclair
To: Leah Kirby

Emma Clyde

Ladies,

I'll call Kenneth.

Ciao,

Missy

FAX 9 - FROM: Melissa Sinclair

To: Leah Kirby

Emma Clyde

Dear Leah, Emma,

The dolt's excited out of his mind. He says Barker, Dun-woody & Kell is interested. This is all on the basis of a three-page proposal. I can't believe this!

By the way, who picked us as Medallion winners? Does anybody know? Kenneth swears the Medallions have NO connection with his book. And the Republican National Committee is proposing Clinton for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I am not a happy camper. Should we cancel?

Missy

On a separate sheet faxed solely to Leah Kirby, Miss' appended the following:

P.S. The writer of Civil War novels is a redhead who a] ways wears greenand there's a broad hint of sexual da ll i ance NOT with her spouse.

In her Belle Meade mansion in Nashville , Leah Kirby savagely crumpled the fax. She was a strikingly beautifu woman, tall and slender with hair as fiery as molten lava. Today's silk suit was a soft jade.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway.

Leah jammed the fax into her pocket as her husband, Carl, entered the room.

Carl Kirby was slender, sixty, with thinning gray hail His face was pale and drawn, but when he saw Leah, hi mouth curved into a cheerful smile. "It looks good on the interview with People. They'll focus on you as the greatest living writer of tender love stories." His voice was full of pride. For Leah. Of Leah. "The People crew wants to fol low us around for a week or two. Maybe right after th Festival. They want to get the flavor of our true-life love story."

He stepped close, held out his arms.

Leah moved into his embrace, pressed against him. The fax crackled in her pocket.

Chapter 2

"What do you mean, they want to give me less for the next contract?" Jimmy Jay Crabtree smacked the table and shifted the wad of chewing tobacco in his right cheek with his tongue. "That's a mother lode of crap, Harold. No way am I going to accept less than a half mil."

"You aren't selling, Jimmy Jay. That's the bottom line. The returns on your book are running around eighty per cent. You're lucky they're even willing to talk a new con tract. And Buzzy's not positive he can get it by the editorial board even if your advance is cut in half." A thoughtful pause. "Truth is, things go in cycles in publishing, Jimmy Jay. Limbaugh. Grisham. Nobody could believe their sales figures. Outer space. So everybody started publishing down-home think pieces and lawyer books. Limbaugh and Grisham are still at the top of the charts."

Jimmy Jay waited.

But his agent didn't go ahead to say the obvious: The clones weren't coming through. Readers wanted the real thing.

Jimmy Jay's mean little mouth closed in a tight hard line. He couldn't trust himself not to fire Harold on the spot.