Wicked Scene on Wicked Wednesday by Lawrence E. Rothstein

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Wicked Scene on Wicked Wednesday by Lawrence E. Rothstein

WICKED WEDNESDAY

Today's guest on Discover... for Wicked Wednesday is Lawrence E. Rothstein. He's sharing a wicked scene from his book, Venetian Bind.

Scene:At the Venice casino. Su has copied some pictures from the Casino securityvideos and is confronting some of the suspects who are also at the Casino thatnight. Korb is in the card room playing high-stakes bridge. There are severalwicked characters here: The leader and enforcer of an Italian neo-fascistorganization and a woman who was an intelligence officer for Serbianparamilitaries in the Bosnian war. Of course, our heroine, Kelan Su is wickedlyclever and tough. Her boss, the corpulent Marko Korb, normally a brilliant,armchair detective, succumbs to a very wicked impulse.

Chekovastood up. “I’ve looked at your pictures. I think we’re done here.”

“I’llhave to ask your new friends about them,” said Su also rising.

“Suit yourself, honey. But be careful.They’re not as tolerant as I am,” said Chekova.

Suwatched Chekova leave the bar and followed her out. Chekova headed straighttoward Porello who had been waiting nearby. She whispered a few words to himand nodded her head in Su’s direction.

Sustrode directly toward Porello just as he looked toward her with a heatedglare. “Signor Porello, I have some photos to show you and some questions,”said Su evenly.

“Screwyou!” said Porello with a deadly grimace.

“Ithink you’d be smarter to answer my questions rather than those of the police,”said Su.

“Idon’t give a damn what you think --- and the police, phah,” Porello spat outwith a derisive chortle.

“Oh,I think we can take care of your police protection. You should check out mypictures. I hear Pakulić really added to your fascist scum’s string offailures,” said Su with a broad smile.

Itwas too much for Porello. He lunged at her.

Screamsand the rising and falling reverberation of voices signaled a commotion outsidein the ballroom. Korb was shuffling the cards expertly, riffling them betweenhis pudgy hands. He slapped the cards down with a crack and laboriously pushedhimself up from the table. He moved surprisingly quickly in a gimpy waddletoward the door of the card room. He was sure that whatever was happening, Suwas in the middle of it.

Notto worry, he thought. Su could more than take care of herself. She wasskilled in martial arts and trained with a variety of weapons. She was hisprotection after all. He also had confidence in her discretion.

Heopened the door to the ballroom and scanned the milling throng of gamblers. Su,at over six feet and in her red dress, was easy to spot. She was standing overa large, shaved-headed man sprawled on his back. Her dress was ripped and herhair, which had been pinned up high, had come down. She was poised ready tostrike again. Korb nodded to himself as he approached Su. He was about to askher what had happened when another man stepped out of the crowd toward them. Hehad a narrow, weaselly, pockmarked face that was contorted into a grimace ofintense hatred.

“Youfat meddling fool,” the man hissed. “You and your drag queen Chink whore betterget out of Venice or you’re dead.”

Korbwas not fazed by threats or insults, but he felt his face flush and sweat breakout on his forehead. When the man suddenly turned to Su and spat in her face,Korb lost control. With his teeth bared and ears ringing, he stepped up to thecur and dealt him a tremendous backhand clout to the side of the head. The whopof the blow was audible to the entire noisy crowd which seemed to exhale inshocked unison. Without a sound, the man sank to his knees and then crumpledface down on the floor.

Asthe heat of the moment began to cool, Korb was surprised to find that, ratherthan embarrassment over losing his composure, he was light-headed with elation.Su was looking at him with her eyes wide and her mouth gaping. She shook herhead once and slowly a small smile dawned on her face. She moved to Korb’sside, put her arm through his, and began to lead him toward the lobby. Themurmuring crowd parted before them.

From: VenetianBind soon to appear from The Wild Rose Press

Venetian Bind has many wicked good gourmet dishes mentioned. Pictured are three of the Venetian
dishes from the book that I and my family made on October 29 and which will be posted on my website.

Venetian Bind, introduces Marko Korb, afat, egotistical, and brilliant detective and his associate, Kelan Su, aChinese-American woman former Chicago police officer, licensed attorney, andmartial arts expert. Korb, a Bosnian Jew,in the U.S. for the past 20 years and renowned for his investigative
work,arrives in Venice to investigate the murder of Stefan Pakulić a former Serbianparamilitary leader and accused war criminal. The daughter of a Bosnian expat who had rescued Korb from Pakulić’sclutches during the war is a suspect in the killing. Korb is torn betweenfinding the murderer and his sympathy for the Serbian’s killer -- the Venetianbind.

Theinvestigation leads to Pakulić’s connection with Italian neo-fascists planninga terrorist action in Venice. It takes Korb’s genius and the intrepid sleuthingof Su to find the murderer, forestall the terrorist action, and protect thedaughter of Korb’s rescuer.

Ifyou like cerebral, intellectual detectives like Nero Wolfe or Hercule Poirot,you’ll love the brilliant, obese and sedentary Marko Korb. If you are a fan ofthe energetic and intrepid V.I. Warshawski, Carlotta Carlyle, Archie Goodwin,Perry Mason or Kinsey Milhone, you will find a home with Kelan Su in theTri-Star Investigation series.