Don't Kill the Messenger Read Online Free PDF Page B

of some of the things that visited me, and she taught me how to defend myself. When I was older, she taught me to respect myself in ways that I might not have honored without her constant presence in my life. It sounds trite, but courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit are guiding principles that can get a person through some dark times. At the very least, I know I can count on myself.
     
Which is good, because a lot of the time, that’s all I’ve got.
     
“Is that really a nice way to talk to someone who brought you chocolate-covered honeycomb from the co-op?” I asked as I walked into her little glassed-in office off the entry for the dojo.
     
“You didn’t,” she breathed, not moving. Mae has few vices, but sugar is one of them.
     
I handed over the chocolate-covered honeycomb. She lost no time in unwrapping it and taking a bite.
     
“What happened to your face?” she asked, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes as if she were trying to find some way to fully savor the treat.
     
“A bunch of ninjas attacked me over by McClatchy.”
     
She brought her chair down with a thump and opened her eyes. “Ninjas? Have you been watching those turtle movies again?”
     
“Okay. Maybe not ninjas, but some ninjalike guys.”
     
“And they got the best of you?” She was actually surprised enough that she set the honeycomb down. I smiled. It’s nice when your teacher has that much faith in you.
     
Too bad her faith was misplaced. I hung my head. “In a matter of seconds.”
     
“They have throwing stars or something?” Mae picked up the honeycomb again. “Nunchakus?”
     
I shook my head. “Nope. Just their nasty old bare hands.”
     
“How many?” Her eyebrows went up.
     
“Seven.” I was pretty sure that was right. It’s always tempting to exaggerate any account of a fight, whether you’re on the losing end or the winning one. I wasn’t looking for credit or sympathy at this point, though. Just information.
     
Mae shrugged. “Respectable. At least you didn’t go down under, like, only two or three.”
     
There was that. It didn’t make my lip any less puffy, but it did take some of the sting from my pride. “Thing is, I didn’t recognize their moves.”
     
Mae’s eyes opened wide again. “Not at all?”
     
“Well, maybe a little, but it wasn’t something I’ve ever used.”
     
“Live and learn,” Mae said.
     
“With any luck,” I said. In my book, the alternative doesn’t look so great. At least, not yet.
     
Mae finished the chocolate and brushed the crumbs off her hands. “Any idea why they attacked you?”
     
“They seemed to want the envelope I was delivering.” At least, they had hightailed it out of there as soon as they got their hands on it.
     
“What was in it?”
     
I shrugged. “I don’t have a clue. Alexander Bledsoe gave it to me for Aldo.”
     
“Alex sent something to Aldo? Maybe some kind of poison-pen letter?” Mae snorted. Everyone knew that Alex and Aldo didn’t get along.
     
“I guess I’ll try to find out Sunday night. He should be working then, too.”
     
Mae frowned. “I think you might want to contact him before then. He should know you didn’t make the delivery.”
     
“Do I have to?” Oops. That had come out a little whinier than I’d meant it to. I plopped down in the chair across from her.
     
“No, but you probably should. What’s the big deal?”
     
I inspected my fingernails and tried to come up with words for how Alex made me feel. “He makes me uncomfortable.”
     
“He’s a vampire. He makes everybody uncomfortable.” Mae shook her head. “Whether they know he’s a vampire or not.”
     
That wasn’t entirely true. Either that or my uncomfortable was other women’s horny. Come to think of it, that could be another reason I never went on any dates. “How about I try to find out who might have taken it so I have something to actually tell him? Maybe we could start with