Shitake Happens: (A Shitake Mystery Series Prequel) Read Online Free PDF Page B

the best of times. Artistic temperament, I suppose. And this opening has really made her tense."
    "How do you know Lucianne?"
    "This is embarrassing." Wallace's gaze fell. "I don't like to talk about it."
    "Now I have to know," Mo said with a laugh. "You can't leave it there."
    "Well...I saved her life. She was trapped in her car during a flash flood and I got her out before she drowned."
    Mo had to force her jaw closed when she realized it was hanging open. Her thoughts raced "Wow. Do you do that a lot? Save people in flash floods?"
    He chuckled. "No. Just the once. Does it require more than once to qualify for something?"
    "No," she choked out a laugh. "Once is enough for hero status. Really. That's fantastic."
    The silence between them started to feel uncomfortable and Mo searched her brain for a topic. "When did you move here?"
    "About three months ago," he answered. "I used to live in California."
    "Why did you choose to leave?"
    A frown knotted his brows. "Not something I like to talk about."
    "Oh. Sorry."
    "No," he assured her putting a hand on her arm. "It's just that there are some crazy fans in California. In fact, when you told me your cat was named Bonaparte, like my dog, I wondered about you."
    "Huh?" The sudden tension in Mo's stomach made a Gordian knot of her intestines.
    "I wondered whether you were some kind of stalker who'd researched me. Like a fan deliberately trying to meet me."
    "Ha," Mo said, trying for a teasing tone. "Funny."
    He chuckled. "Yes. I could tell after talking to you for a bit that you weren't that kind of nut."
    Suddenly, thoughts of two different flash flood victims nagged at Mo.
    "Wallace? Would you mind getting Lucianne? I would love to hear more about her art."
    The request seemed to startle him but he said, "Sure. Be right back."
    The minute he was out of sight behind a cluster of chatting people, Mo marched over to Clarence, grabbed him by the arm, and whispered. "I think the story your friend, Tracy, told us isn't right somehow."
    "What do you mean?" Clarence asked.
    "She lied about Wallace saving her from drowning."
    Clarence snorted a laugh. "Who cares? That doesn't matter."
    "There's something wrong," Mo said. "I think we should just cut our losses and leave."
    "We can't do that," Clarence said. "I already told Tracy you had a date with Wallace tonight."
    "What?" Mo whispered a shout. "You shouldn't have done that."
    His eyes fell. "How would I know not to tell her? She asked me. And..."
    "And what?" Mo tugged on his arm, pinching as hard as she could.
      "I'm supposed to report back to her the minute I get home."
    "Shitake."
    Clarence continued to stare at his feet.
    "You didn't tell her where Wallace and I would be, did you?" Mo asked.
    "No. Of course not," Clarence sputtered.
    At that moment Mo spotted Wallace weaving his way around the increasing crowd. He had Lucianne at his side. After releasing Clarence, Mo replaced her frown with a smile and returned to the food table.
    "Here she is," Wallace said with a nod to the artist.
    "Yes...Ummm. I was hoping you'd tell me about...ummm...that painting over there." Mo pointed to the nearest one she could see. "The one with the dog running through the field."
    Lucianne's lip curled with displeasure. "That's a horse."
    "Oh."
    When the artist's gaze traveled past her, Mo breathed a sigh of relief.
    "No, no, no." Lucianne waved her hands heavenward as she marched around Mo to the food table. "I asked for caviar not cheese whiz on the crackers." Lucianne continued arguing with the bartender about the food with the poor man trying to explain he had nothing to do with that and only knew about the wine and liquor.
    "Hmmm," Mo said to Wallace, pointing at the painting. "Horse."
    Wallace leaned toward her and whispered conspiratorially, "Looks like a dog to me too."
    As Mo was about to take a sip of her wine, Wallace stopped her.
    "Wait," he said. "We need to make a toast."
    She smiled up at him. "Okay."
    Once he had his own glass of wine,