"Good. Even with your best stuff, you don't stand a chance. I had dinner with Uncle Earl and Aunt Sarah last night, and I can tell you there's no way that man will pick you over me." She turned and gave Jordan a mock salute. "Goodbye, Red. It was nice knowing you-not!

"I wouldn't get too comfy over there, Loretta," Jordan fired back, surprised by the woman's cheeky att.i.tude. "I established a pretty good fan base while you were gone. They might not take too kindly to me getting canned."

Loretta laughed. "You're forgetting that they were my fans long before you came on the scene."

Jordan could have reminded her that only half the people now following her column belonged in that category. Since she started printing Rosie's and Ray's great recipes, subscriptions to the newspaper had doubled. Technically, only half of the followers belonged to the arrogant reporter she'd now have to look at every day-or at least until one of them got the boot.

"No response to that, Red?"

Jordan smiled, thinking Loretta would probably win out in the end, but there was no way she'd go down without a fight. She mentally crossed her fingers that Carlita's Italian Cream Cake Pops were as big a hit as she hoped. It could turn out to be her secret weapon.

Thinking about the cake pops, Jordan remembered she was supposed to swing by and talk to Carlita's sister. Glancing at her watch, she silently cursed. It was already after ten and Carlita had said her sister would only be there until the Texas sun got too hot. The window to interview her about what she might have seen at the party the night Marco was killed was closing by the minute.

Grabbing her purse from the drawer, Jordan stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm going for an early lunch, and then I have an interview. If Egan calls, tell him I'll be back around three."

Loretta's eyes widened. "Who are you interviewing?"

Jordan smiled to herself. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She couldn't resist a quick peek over her shoulder.

Yes! she mouthed, seeing the concern in Loretta's eyes. It made her day knowing she'd wiped the c.o.c.ky grin off her rival's face. She almost turned around to comment on that, then decided to play it cool and let it slide. Her time for gloating would come when Egan named her as the culinary reporter, although that would take a lot of great recipes to win out over the nepotism advantage-aka Uncle Earl.

It was only three blocks to Yesterday's Treasures, Victor's antiques store, and she headed that way first. She'd meant to ask if he'd go with her to question Carlita's sister when she'd returned from the fairgrounds the night before, but he and Michael hadn't been home. Then she'd gotten so engrossed in starting Thursday's column, she'd forgotten to go back over to his apartment later.

Sliding into the only available parking s.p.a.ce in front of the antiques store, Jordan turned off the motor, climbed out of the car, and walked into the store. Victor was with a middle-aged couple who were examining a bedroom set in the far corner of the store. He looked up and waved when he saw her approaching, then turned his back to the couple and rolled his eyes.

Jordan bit her lip to stifle a grin. The one thing Victor hated was a customer who didn't know antiques and only saw them as overpriced old things. She'd bet money she was looking right now at two who fit that category.

"We love it, but you'll have to come down at least two hundred," the man said.

Victor pressed his lips together, and Jordan braced herself for his sarcastic comeback. Instead, he simply shook his head. "This is a fair price. I can show you a less expensive set if you want."

The woman whispered something into the man's ear before he said, "No, we really like this one. Is that your final offer?"

Victor nodded, sneaking a sideways glance Jordan's way.

Again the woman whispered to her husband and then turned to Victor. "We'll leave our phone number with you. If this set doesn't sell and you're willing to come down on the price, give us a call." She pulled out a business card and handed it to him before they made their way to the door.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Victor exclaimed when he glanced down at the card. "These people own Bubbles Champagne Bar in McKinley. Last I heard, that place was packing 'em in every night, and yet they're trying to squeeze me out of a lousy few hundred bucks." He tsked. "I paid good money for this set."

"Isn't this part of the new haul you got at the estate sale over in Greenville last weekend? The stuff you said made you feel like you should go to confession because you got it for such a steal?" She tried unsuccessfully to hide the amused look she knew had to be all over her face.

"A guy's got to make a living, Jordan. I have overhead." He giggled. "So what brings your smart-mouthed self down here at this time of day?"

"Had lunch yet?"

"No, and I only had an English m.u.f.fin for breakfast. Want to run by the new all-you-can-eat place near the mall and pig out?"

"I'm thinking more along the lines of free chicken cacciatore and pizza bread."

Victor's eyes lit up. "Lead the way. Only I'm driving. The thought of you behind the wheel, my dear, scares the h.e.l.l out of me."

"Should we see if Lola wants to come?"

Lola's Spiritual Readings was right next door to Victor's store, and even though taking too many people on a fishing expedition for information might not be ideal, it would be fun if all three of them went out there together.

"Lola's playing hooky today. She and Ray drove out to Lake Texoma to fish off Sandy's dock."

"That's nice. Sandy loves it when someone gets to use her place, especially now that she knows it isn't haunted." Jordan pushed aside memories of how solving her friend's ghost mystery a few months back had nearly gotten her killed.

"The car's parked out back. You can explain how we're going to get a free meal on the way to wherever." Victor grabbed his keys and followed her to the front, turning the OPEN sign around and locking the door. Then he snapped his fingers. "Chop, chop, Jordan. I'm starving."

For the third time in less than two days, Jordan found herself at the fairground entrance, this time with Victor at her side. On the drive over she explained about Carlita and her sister, and mentioned that their mission was to find out if Carlita's sister had seen anything that might help Kate's defense the night Marco died.

Halfway to the booth, Jordan heard someone call her name and looked up to see Carlita waving madly with a towel. Hoping it wasn't the same dirty rag as yesterday, Jordan smiled and waved back. Then she pulled Victor toward the booth across the way where a woman was having a difficult time trying to hang a sign on the front. One look at her left no doubt she was Carlita's sister.

"It looks like you could use some help," Victor said, reaching in and lifting the other end of the sign. "Where do you want it?"

The woman turned and stared, a light smile tipping the corners of her lips before she pointed to several nails protruding from the wooden plank. "There."

Jordan scrambled to help, but Victor had already lifted the sign up and had it in place before she could a.s.sist.

"My, my! You're a strong one," the woman said. "I like that in a man."

Victor moved away, and for the first time since she'd known him, Jordan saw him blush.

She turned to the woman and held out her hand. "Ginny, I'm Jordan McAllister from the Globe. I'm doing a story on you and your sister in Thursday's paper, and I wondered if you'd have time to answer a few questions for me."

"Lita told me all about you. Said you'd be coming by." Even though the woman was speaking to Jordan, her eyes had only left Victor's face long enough to do a body scan on him, causing the color in his cheeks to brighten. Jordan couldn't wait to tease him about that.

"Carlita tells me your specialty is chicken cacciatore and pizza bread. Is that right?" Jordan asked.

"d.a.m.n straight. Folks come from all over to sample it. I have to make bigger batches every year, and I still sell out. And my braided spaghetti bread is also a best seller."

"I'm sure it's delicious. I'll try to get by during the festivities to taste it," Victor said, now recovered from the earlier awkwardness of having this woman overtly ogling him. "Although I'm afraid that might be difficult since I'll be out of town all next week." He looked at Ginny to see if she'd take the bait.

She did.

"Are you hungry now?" Her smile was so wide Jordan thought her lips would split at the corners.

"Now that you mention it, I am a little hungry," Victor said. "I haven't eaten-"

"You have to try this," Ginny said, practically sprinting to the back of the booth where two large trays sat under a warmer. "You, too-what did you say your name was?"

"Jordan McAllister." There was no way she'd remember it even after the reminder. Her focus was on Victor, and Victor alone.

As if on cue, Ginny glanced up at him and batted her eyelashes. "And yours?"

Jordan fought to keep from laughing out loud. This woman was definitely coming on to Victor and making no bones about it. It was clear she was more interested in him than any publicity story Jordan had to offer.

"Victor Rodriguez. And I can't wait to taste your cacciatore and spaghetti bread."

"I didn't bring the pizza bread today, but you can taste the cacciatore and the braided spaghetti bread." Ginny grabbed two paper plates and filled them with the steaming Italian dish, setting them on the counter in front of Jordan and Victor. Reaching for two sets of plastic silverware, she said, "Eat this while it's hot. I'll tell you all about myself while you enjoy the food."

Neither Jordan nor Victor needed any further coaxing before they dug in. Carlita had been right. Ginny's cacciatore was the best Jordan had ever tasted, and she began plotting how she'd convince Ginny to give up the recipe for the Kitchen Kupboard. She stole a glance Victor's way, but he was shoveling the hot pasta into his mouth faster than she was. When he finally did look up, he winked, obviously pleased with himself for finagling the free food.

After another plateful and a slice of delicious, piping hot spaghetti bread, Jordan had heard Ginny's entire life history. Wiping her mouth with the napkin Ginny had placed in front of her, Jordan sized the Italian woman up. Standing about five-two with a body that could only be described as pudgy and dark hair pulled back into a tight bun, Ginny looked to be in her late thirties, making her a little younger than her sister, if Jordan's calculations were correct. Her round face was free of makeup and looked like it could use an industrial strength moisturizer.

When they were through eating, Jordan gave her a thumbs up. "Your chicken cacciatore is the best I've ever tasted. Thanks for letting us sample it."

"My pleasure. It was the least I could do for such a handsome, strong man like Victor who helped me with the sign." Again, she batted her eyelashes, but this time Victor didn't blush.

Jordan decided to go for it. "I don't know whether Carlita told you or not, but my readers love recipes. Would you be willing-"

"Already ahead of you," Ginny said, pulling out two recipe cards. "I'd be honored to see these in print." She paused before adding, "But only after the festival is over. Deal?"

"Absolutely. My readers will go crazy over these."

Jordan grabbed the recipes and shoved them into her purse, deciding to dive right in and find the answers to the questions they came to ask. So far, the woman hadn't mentioned the party, and she was trying to figure out the best way to approach the subject.

Before she could do that, Ginny beat her to the punch. "Lita tells me you were at the party the other night at the Royale. That right?"

Jordan nodded. "I was covering it for the newspaper." She took a sip of the bottled water in front of her. "Were you there when all the commotion broke out?" She was anxious to get to the heart of the matter and find out what this woman knew.

"Yes, but I don't remember seeing either of you," Ginny replied.

"We were both there." She hoped she could get Ginny talking. But even if she didn't, the mission was not a complete bust. She licked her lips thinking how good the food had been-and she had the recipes to print as a bonus. Loretta Moseley, you'd better grab your b.u.t.t and hold on with both hands after I post Carlita's and Ginny's recipes.

"It was such a tragedy what happened to that man," Jordan continued.

"Certainly was. The guy deserved it, if you ask me."

Jordan's ears perked up. "Why do you say that?"

"Men can be such animals," Ginny began before turning to Victor. "I'm sure you're not, Victor. I only meant men in general. That Marco fella was up in his bedroom having some kind of orgy with two women..." She stopped abruptly as if she realized she'd said too much already.

"Two women? Are you sure about that?" Jordan and Victor both inched in a little closer.

"Positive," Ginny said, obviously deciding it was now or never to make a move on Victor. She leaned over the counter, and he backed away quickly.

Her eyes reflected her displeasure with his action, and she straightened up. "Well, if there are no further questions, I have more work to do." She walked back to the pan of cacciatore in the back, totally dismissing them.

"Say something nice to her," Jordan whispered to Victor. "We need to know who that other woman was."

Victor shook his head. "No way. She'd be all over me like a cat in heat. She obviously doesn't have a working gaydar."

"Thank heavens, because you're our only chance to find out what she knows. If she thinks you're flirting with her, my guess is she'll tell you anything. Come on, Victor. Take one for the team."

"Have you gotten a good look at her? She has more hair on her arms than I do."

"I'm not asking you to take her out dancing. Just smile pretty once or twice for her and compliment her on something. Women love that." She pushed him closer to the counter. "I'll just start walking toward Carlita's booth across the way, and you work your magic."

He huffed. "You once told me I was as romantic as a horned toad. You're changing your tune now that you want something from me."

"If you won't do it for me, do it for Alex." She threw that in because she knew Victor adored Alex and would do anything for him.

"Okay, but don't go too far away. I'm afraid of what this woman wants to do to me."

Jordan kissed his forehead just as Ginny turned back from the warmer.

"Be sure and read Thursday's column, Ginny. I think you'll be pleased. Now, I have to go finalize things with Carlita." She turned and walked across the fairway, dying to sneak a peak to find out if Victor was talking to her.

By the time she reached Carlita's booth, her curiosity was killing her, but she forced herself to make small talk with Ginny's sister. A few minutes later, she heard a woman's angry voice shouting what she could only imagine were Italian obscenities. Both she and Carlita turned toward Ginny's booth in time to see Victor hightailing it away from the Queen of Cacciatore. Still screaming, Ginny was now shaking a big ladle in the air.

"Let's get out of here," Victor said, grabbing Jordan's arm when he got to Carlita's booth. When she didn't instantly react, he commanded, "Now."

She waved at Carlita as she allowed him to drag her out of the fairgrounds and toward his car. When they were safely inside and on the way back to Ranchero, she finally asked, "What was that all about?"

He bent over to catch his breath. "That crazy woman. She had a b.l.o.o.d.y meltdown. I'm lucky the pan of cacciatore was too heavy for her to throw at me."

"What in the world happened to make her so mad?"

"I swear I didn't do anything. We were just having a conversation, and I did what you said." He stopped and swiped at the beads of sweat on his brow. "d.a.m.n! She was mad."

Jordan was confused. "What did I tell you to do that made her blow a gasket?"

"You said to compliment her. Guess some women don't appreciate it as much as others."

Jordan narrowed her eyes in confusion. "You complimented her and she got mad at you?"

"Yes, and I have to tell you, Jordan, no more taking one for the team with that nut case."

"So what exactly did you say to her?"

"I complimented her about her face."