Bell, Book, and Scandal

time.“
    “I’m going to ask who they are,“ Shelley said. “Watch my purse,“ she added as she strode off.
    “Excuse me,“ a voice said from in back of Jane.
    Jane, startled, stood up and turned. “You’re Ms. Felicity Roane, aren’t you? I was hoping to meet you.“
    “I noticed you as I came into the hotel,“ Ms. Roane said, sitting down in the third chair in the grouping. “I’m always looking at people on planes reading, hoping to see them reading one of my books. The only time I did, I made a fool of myself. The woman was right across the aisle and I said it was so nice to see her reading that book. She just looked at me blankly and said that it was the only one in the airport with a nice cover. She clearly didn’t recognize me,“ she said with a laugh. “I told her I wrote the book she was reading and she said, ‘Of course you did.’ I didn’t know if she meant it or thought I was crazy.
    “But I spotted you reading my most recent paperback,“ she went on, “and thought I’d give it another try. Would you like it autographed?“
    “Oh, yes please, Ms. Roane,“ Jane said while she fished the book back out of her purse.
    “Please, don’t call me Ms. Roane,“ she said with a smile. “These mystery conferences are really casual. Everybody calls me Felicity. And old friends call me by my real name. Freddy for Fredricka. Feel free to call me anything that starts with F, except the F-word, and I answer.“ She took the book and got a pen out of her bag. “And you are...?“
    “Jane Jeffry. And the woman approaching us is my next-door neighbor Shelley Nowack.“
    “Jane Jeffry is a good name. You’re sure you didn’t make it up? Are you a writer or reader or both?“
    “Both,“ Jane admitted. “So far unpublished though. I came here to learn tips on how to market my book.“
    Shelley had returned and introductions followed.
    “That’s what everybody who wants to crack the shell should do,“ Felicity went on. “And what about you, Shelley?“
    “I have no writing aspirations, though I read a lot,“ Shelley said. “I’m just along to help out Jane.
    I’m planning to go to different lectures to take notes because she can’t be in two or three places at one time.“
    “Shelley isn’t quite telling the truth,“ Jane said with a laugh. “She writes the best letters of complaint you can imagine.“
    “A skill I wish I had,“ Felicity said. “Where are you ladies from?“ she said, signing the book with a flourish of green ink.
    “Only a few blocks away,“ Shelley said. “Would you sign another one for me later?“
    “I’d be delighted. Have you had breakfast yet? I’m starving. Will you join me? Just give me ten minutes to change out of my airplane garb and fix my hair.“
    Jane was thrilled but refrained from gushing. “We’d like that.“
    When Felicity was out of earshot, Shelley said, “This is astonishing. John at the front desk said those cowboy people checked in as part of this conference. And there was another odd thing I overheard. That Zac person who’s been lurking near the desk went up to the woman and young man checking in. He gave a paperback book to her, saying, ‘Sophie, you must read this.’ “
    “That’s sort of strange,“ Jane said, still preoccupied with how very nice Felicity Roane had turned out to be.
    Felicity met them at the door of the hotel restaurant shortly. Now she looked a lot more like the photo on the back of her books.
    When they’d ordered, Felicity said, “Have you seen any of the others arrive? I’m a bit early. I always like to get rid of the airplane hair and rest up my white knuckles before I go into author mode.“
    “I saw Zac Zebra,“ Jane said. “There’s no mistaking him.“ She studied Felicity as she spoke. The author had put her hair up in a twist at the back and was wearing freshly pressed tan slacks and a pink blouse. A lovely soft scarf draped over her shoulder was held in place with a pretty gold pin.
    “Zac must go to every mystery conference in the country,“ Felicity said. “He’s an unforgivable show-off with that crazy hair. He claims to have written several books under a pseudonym, but I don’t believe that. For one thing, nobody’s really named Zac Zebra, are they?“
    “I hope not,“ Shelley put in. “Do you already know all the other guest speakers? Do you do this a lot?“
    “I know most of them. But not, thank goodness, the E-Pubbed Wonder.“
    “Who is that?“
    “I’ve