Sweet Fortune

Hatch did. Benedict looked up, scowling when Hatch stuck his head around the door to announce his presence in the building.
    “Where the hell have you been?” Vincent rapped out. “I've been calling you since seven-thirty this morning to find out how things went down in Portland.”
    “Things went fine down in Portland. Next time you can't reach me at my place, try Jessie's.”
    Benedict blinked and then started to turn a strange shade of red. “You spent the night with her? You're sleeping with my Jessie?”
    “Better get used to the idea, Benedict. I'm going to marry her, remember?”
    “You damn well better marry her now or I'll get out my shotgun.” Vincent drummed his fingers on the desk and narrowed his gaze. “I suppose this is a sign the courtship is going okay?”
    “I like to think of it that way. Before I forget, I'll be gone for a couple of days this week. Jessie and I are going up to the San Juans while she investigates her psychic cult case. You're in charge while I'm out of town. Don't run us into Chapter Eleven, okay?”
    “For Christ's sake, Hatch. You're the CEO around here. You can't just take off like this.”
    “Not much point being the boss if you can't take a couple of days off when you feel like it, is there?” Hatch growled.
    “Goddammit, this DEL thing is crazy. Don't waste your time on it.”
    “No choice. Jessie's decided to waste her time on it, so that means I've got to waste some of mine. You don't want her going into that mess alone, do you?”
    “Hell, no. I don't want her going at all.”
    “She's made up her mind. So I'm going alone to ride shotgun.”
    Vincent glowered at him. “Strikes me she's got you running around in circles. If you can't control her any better than this, I'm not so sure you're the right man for her after all.”
    Hatch's fingers clamped around the edge of the door. He smiled thinly. “Stay out of this, Benedict. I'm in charge around here, remember?”
    “I can cancel your contract anytime, and don't you forget it.”
    “You won't do that. Not as long as you're getting what you want. And so far, I'm giving you exactly what you want. Oh, yeah, congratulations on Elizabeth's first-place win in the science fair.”
    “Yeah. Thanks.” Vincent nodded proudly. “The kid gets her smarts from my side of the family.”

    Jessie lounged in the chair next to her mother and watched Lilian methodically try on twelve different pairs of shoes. The saleswoman who had brought out the dozen boxes did not seem in the least dismayed by the prospect of a customer who wanted to try on so many different styles. Lilian Benedict was a regular at the big downtown department store's shoe salon. She never left without buying at least one pair.
    “You're serious about this nonsense of going up to the San Juans to look at some cult headquarters?” Lilian frowned thoughtfully at the pair of patent-leather heels she was considering.
    “Afraid so,” Jessie said cheerfully. “I don't like those. The spectator pumps look better on you.”
    The truth was, almost anything Lilian tried on looked good. She had the same innate style that Constance had. Lilian was a few years older than Constance but she kept her dark hair tinted close to its original ebony shade, allowing only a few dramatic traces of silver to show. Her full, womanly figure was still amazingly firm and her fine bone structure ensured that her look of exotic sophistication would hold up beautifully until she was a hundred.
    Jessie had frequently wondered about the similarities between Lilian and Constance. They were so much alike, not only in their physical appearance but also in the way they thought and acted. Connie, rather than Glenna, could have been Lilian's sister. Both women found her observation amusing.
    “What did you expect?” Lilian had once said to Jessie. “Men are creatures of habit. They're attracted to the same sort of woman over and over again. Second wives often resemble first wives, and they often have a lot in common.”
    Jessie watched her mother try on the spectator pumps again. “Hatch insists on going up to the island with me.”
    “That's reassuring. When do you leave?”
    “Tomorrow morning. I called the phone number on the invitation card this morning. The person who answered was very helpful. Sounded very professional. We take a ferry to one of the nearby islands. The DEL people will pick us up in a seaplane and fly us to New Dawn Island.”
    “New Dawn