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for a very important client.”
    “ Well, then,” Mike told us, “you are standing right in front of the best. These are the works of our premier artist Rick Satava. Aren’t they phenomenal? They are glass jellyfish. Rick uses ancient techniques to create original designs in handblown glass.”
    “ The colors are so vivid,” Melanie commented.
    “ I like this one,” I said, indicating a blue glass “jelly” that glowed almost lifelike inside a clear glass globe.
    “ That one is called Blue Moon,” Joan said. “People who enter the shop immediately gravitate to Satava's work. And the Blue Moon is most popular because of its gorgeous blue glow.”
    “ Did you know that jellyfish have been found on earth for over six hundred and fifty million years - before sharks and even dinosaurs?” Mike said. “They have no head, heart, brain, bones, cartilage or real eyes. Yet they're among the major predators in the ocean. Their tentacles carry stinging cells that are among the most complicated found anywhere in the animal kingdom.”
    Melanie laughed. “Sounds like some men I’ve known. No brains, no backbones, just stinging tentacles.”
    The Lochs just smiled at her politely. How could they know that her husband had flown off in the middle of their honeymoon to attend the supposed “death bed” of his manipulative mother?
    “ How much is the Blue Moon?” Melanie asked.
    “ The Blue Moon is one thousand fifty dollars,” Joan said.
    “ I’ll take it. Can you gift wrap it very special? I want to impress someone.”
    “ The Blue Moon will definitely impress your client,” Joan assured us, and removed the glass globe from the display case to take around the counter to wrap while Mike wrote up the sale.
    “ Melanie, that is some extravagant gift,” I said. “And you know how fickle your clients can be. There’s no assurance this couple will buy from . . .”
    “ Melanie!” a woman screeched from the open door.
    I turned to see a petite woman with shiny blue-black hair. She had large dark eyes and was dressed in tights with one of those bulky knit tunic sweaters that were so popular this winter but that Melanie assured me would quickly go out of style. They were so unflattering.
    “ Candi!” Melanie greeted. “What a surprise to see you here, sweetie. I thought you’d be preparing for the party.”
    The Chinese woman approached us with a large, pleased-with-herself-smile plastered on her face. She waved a hand, indifferent. “Oh, I’ve got a party planner to handle all that for me.”
    Her speech was rapid-fire, high-pitched, choppy, and as irritating as nails on a chalkboard.
    “ Candi, this is my sister Ashley. Ashley, this is my new client Candi Cheng.”
    Candi’s hand was birdlike in mine as we shook hands. “I’m pleased to meet you, Candi.”
    Candi flicked me over with a cool glance, made a quick decision that I was unimportant, then fixed Melanie with the most intense stare. In fact, I could see immediately, this woman was very, very intense. She vibrated almost as eerily as the glass jellyfish.
    “ Melanie! Your office told me I could find you here. I had to come right away. I have found it!”
    Melanie just looked at her, unblinking, uncomprehending.
    “ The house!” Candi shrieked. “I have found the house. I must have it. A glorious white mansion up on the hill.” She waved a child-size arm. “Enormous white two-story columns! There is even a fountain in the roundabout out front.”
    I knew exactly which house she was referring to. Intelligence shot across Melanie’s face as she got it too.
    “ It’s called bell something,” Candi shrieked. “The bell something mansion.”
     
    “ Melanie!” I shrieked almost as piercingly as Candi had. “The Bellamy Mansion is not for sale. What is it with you and your crazy clients? Only recently you represented those dreadful Pogues who insisted they were going to buy Captain Pettigrew’s house even though it was not for sale.”
    Candi