Bell, Book, and Scandal

well enough to make it to her room? What’s the number?“ Shelley asked.
    “It’s on this floor,“ Zac said. “And I’m mad enough to run down there.“
    Corwin, Sophie’s toadie, opened the door. “Hello, Zac. And who are you two?“ he asked.
    “Friends of Zac,“ Jane said, herding Zac and Shelley into the suite.
    “Sophie, your visitors are here,“ Corwin called to her room.
    Sophie emerged, dressed up to the hilt in a cobalt blue dress and matching heels. “What is this all about, Zac? And who are these two women you have with you?“
    Zac looked at Jane, going somewhat pale again. “Ms. Smith, I’m Jane Jeffry. This is my friend Shelley Nowack. We’re attending this conference. My friend Mel VanDyne was the police officer who was first on the scene of Zac’s attack, and he told me Zac had been found with a page of a book in his hand. I asked for a copy of the page and showed it to Zac. It’s from the book he gave you at the front desk when you arrived. A book he wrote under a pseudonym.“
    “Sit down,“ Sophie said, pointing to the dining room table. When they were all seated, she looked at Zac fiercely and asked, “Were you the one who stole it back?“
    “No. Why would I? Someone else did and we think we know who it was. This is my very last copy and I want it returned before you leave,“ Zac said, pulling the cover and pages from the bag.
    Jane looked at Shelley as Shelley handed over the printout.
    “This is the same page, Ms. Smith. I found it on the Internet in Vernetta Strausmann’s e-pubbed book. Read both copies.“
    “What in hell is this about? Why are you three taking up my valuable time?“ Sophie nearly shouted.
    “Read both my page and the printouts and you’ll know,“ Zac said.
    Sophie put the pages side by side, running a finger down each line in turn. She stared at the pages for a long time before looking up. “Who put this on the Internet?“
    “Your Golden Pig,“ Zac said. “Vernetta Strausmann.“
    Sophie Smith’s face was contorted with rage.
    “That arrogant woman. That utterly arrogant woman! She plagiarized. Probably the whole thing. Thank God we haven’t paid her much yet. After all the publicity, how are we going to bury this, Corwin?“
    “Don’t tell anyone about this yet. None of you,“ Corwin said. “Somehow we’ll find a way out of it.“
    “You joke? Why should I keep quiet?“ Zac asked. “You can try whatever you want to keep your dirty little secret. I’m not obligated to. And neither are these two good women. I’ll bet it’s no time at all before they figure out whose book she stole for the woman character’s point of view.“
    Shelley and Jane exchanged a meaningful glance and tried not to smile.
    “Corwin, call that horrible fat pig of a woman and tell her to bring herself up here right now,“ Sophie said.
    He did as he was told. “Ms. Smith wants to talk to you immediately. Come back up to the suite now. You remember where it is, don’t you?“
    When he’d hung up, Sophie said, “All of you stay exactly where you are and keep your traps shut until I’ve spoken to her.“
    Vernetta and Gaylord took their time to change their clothes. They were back in the country-western outfits they’d been wearing when they’d arrived at the conference.
    Vernetta came into the room with a deafening yodel and said, “Nice to see ya again, Sophie. What’s up?“
    She sat down at the end of the table and spotted Jane and Shelley and glared. “What are those two doing here?“ she shouted angrily. “I know who they are. The women that slut Felicity says are her friends. And what’s Zac doing here?“
    Sophie sat and stared at her. “You can’t figure it out, can you? Ha! Do you expect we’re all too stupid to know what you’ve done?“
    “What I’ve done? What do you mean?“ Vernetta asked, her eyes going little, mean, and piggy.
    “You plagiarized Zac’s book and someone else’s,“ Sophie barked. “You’ve been found out.“
    “Plagrized?“ What does that mean?“
    “It means stealing someone else’s work—their intellectual property, a phrase you obviously don’t understand,“ Sophie said at top volume.
    “It’s copyright infringement,“ she went on. “It’s illegal. You’ll be sued in court and return the money we’ve given you and not receive any of the rest,“ Sophie said in a now frigid voice.
    “What’s more, you’re a criminal,“ Sophie continued, putting the cap on her tirade. “I know how