5) Slayer

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

I've set a precedent for lengthy acknowledgments, but this time I'm going to cut back. Most of these people have been thanked at length in the previous documents. Please note: I am not in any way feeling less grateful this time around, I simply want you to get through this page without requiring a nap or a lunch break.

First and foremost, I must thank my brilliant editor, Marysue Rucci, and my amazing agent, Stephanie Kip Rostan. You both are not just colleagues, but friends. I am very lucky.

Many other wonderful people at S&S must be acknowledged: Carolyn Reidy, David Rosenthal (aka Dr. Ira), Victoria Meyer, Deb Darrock, Aileen Boyle, Sophie Epstein, Michael Selleck, Leah Wasielewski, Jonathan Evans, and Nicole De Jackmo; and my new publicity team, Julia Prosser and Danielle Lynn. You all have been very good to me and I am extremely grateful.

At Levine Greenberg Literary Agency: Jim Levine, Dan Greenberg, Monika Verma, Melissa Rowland, Elizabeth Fisher, Miek Coccia, Sasha Raskin, Lindsay Edgecomb. You are all far too wonderful.

My mother, Sharlene Lauretz: thank you for everything.

My family: Bev Fienberg, Mark Fienberg (reluctantly, I'm still holding a grudge), Dan Fienberg, Jay Fienberg, Anastasia Fuller, Uncle Jeff, and Aunt Eve. If I haven't mentioned you, that doesn't mean we're not related or that I don't appreciate you.

My friends, who help me survive everything: Morgan Dox, Steve Kim, Julie Ulmer, Peter Kim, Carol Young, Frank Marquardt, Stephanie Dennis, and Charlie R. Merci. This list could be endless, so I'm merely mentioning the people that I've harassed the most in the past year.

Other people: Once again, I must thank the booksellers who shove my book into unsuspecting customers' hands, as if not reading it might cause a severe rash to break out. As promised, thank you, Scott Butki for your endless support. Also, thank you to the wonderful media escorts who help me survive the tour and remind me where I am and where I'm supposed to go.

Last but not least in any way: Dave Hayward, my friend/subordinate: I'm pleased to announce you have been named employee of the year. A fruit basket will be forthcoming.

1 Miami, specifically.

2 Ex-boyfriend #12, Connor O'Sullivan, bartender by day, bartender by night.

3 Eighty-five years old, to be exact.

1 The Spellman Files, Curse of the Spellmans, Revenge of the Spellmans--all available in paperback!

2 The parental unit claims to have plans for their retirement, but so far none sound even remotely plausible.

3 Her words, not his.

4 Finger quotes.

5 Excellent for two reasons: 1) Business is a bit slow and so there's not that much work for Rae anyway; 2) Mom wouldn't mind another person with a graduate degree in the family.

6 An evil PI who needs taking down.

1 Yes, we think of everything.

2 Like you're supposed to!

3 Don't ask. I didn't.

4 My regular bar for years. Now with the added perk that I'm dating the barkeep, so my drinks are almost always free. Except when he's mad at me, which is fairly often. Let me recalculate: My drinks are free about 60 percent of the time.

1 Thirty-year-old Glenlivet. If you're not paying for it, go for the best, is my motto.

1 I'm speaking of people from the U.S. I'm not commenting on the Canadians. I wouldn't dare lump us into the same category.

1 The unfortunate name of Morty's retirement community.

1 See previous documents for examples.

2 Come to think of it, I never did send a thank-you card for Fake Drug Deal #1.

1 A lie, I know. But I wasn't in the mood to tell Connor about Prom Night 1994.

1 None of your business!

2 Finger quotes are hard to do while driving, but I felt they were necessary.

1 Heads of insurance companies, please don't assume I'm implying anything about you as a group.

1 Namely adultery, when he was married to Petra.

2 Actually, I didn't. But I thought it best not to ask.

1 Yes. That's what they call it. It's just like any other kind of room where you can sit and stuff.

2 Let us not forget that this is an undercover operation and the employment hierarchy should reflect that.

3 E-mails. Mr. Winslow had an account, but typically a member of his staff would access his e-mail and print the correspondences.

4 Sorry, it's really just easier to type "Len."

1 No, not the real reason; but if I didn't tell Connor about Prom Night 1994, I'm certainly not going to tell Gerard.

1 Crack cocaine is sold in different sizes of "rocks."

2 "No speaking today!"

3 All on his business card.

4 I suppose one should not label someone a nemesis before proper introductions are made, but turns out I was right.

5 In the event of my untimely death, I'm happy to donate any or all of my organs, but you might want to take a pass on my liver.

6 A figure of speech, of course. "Burn" sounds much more permanent than "delete."

1 Morty's grandson. Current boyfriend to my childhood best friend and brother's ex-wife, Petra Clark.

1 For the record: I love you all. You have no idea how much you mean to me.

1 One must assume that David kicked Maggie under the table.

1 And you'd definitely need transcripts. Larry's slurred speech was almost beyond recognition. Fortunately, I'm fluent in slur.

2 Have to make sure that employment status is affirmed or the date can be tossed out of the official list.

3 I had to try to come up with a plausible explanation for the slurred words and snoring and the utterly desperate tone in Larry's voice. Otherwise my mother would accuse me of hiring winos to play my lawyers.

4 One of the five required date questions. If you're paying attention, you'll catch them all.

5 It looked like Larry was going to cry again, so I figured I'd cut my losses.

1 Everyone likes a good Christopher Walken impression, since it's typically the closest you get to the real thing, but Len's overuse could be positively maddening.

1 Morty's ears are positively enormous.

1 Just a regular landscaper. Nothing suspicious about that.

1 True. But these sessions are personal, so I'm going to keep them that way.

1 An asterisk marks where a dating rule from the magazine has been broken.

2 I know, I was breaking character, but I needed more liquid courage. I found my own performance deeply disturbing.

1 Indeed, it is.

1 Bernie Peterson, ex-cop. Old guy I sublet from. If you want to know more about Bernie, read previous documents.

2 Bernie's ex-showgirl sweetheart. They live in Vegas, in case you were wondering.

3 I'm not saying another word.

1 I used finger quotes, yes.

2 The pistachio thug turned out to be none other than Jeremy Pratt. I left him in the hallway too long and he got bored, as boys like him tend to. I remember smelling pistachios on his breath. When he emptied his pockets of paperwork, no shells flew out. They had to go somewhere. It took my mom this long to notice the empty shells since Rae liked to replenish the bowl whenever it dipped just an inch.

3 Mom's slightly unstable older sister.

4 See, an utterly appropriate response.

1 We found it amusing too.

1 I learned to ask questions like this in therapy.

1 Don't worry. Robbie threatens this every time we get into a fight. He never follows through.

2 Even I have to admit, it's genius. Better than Get Smart and Doctor Who.

3 And if I'm calling it amateurish, you know it's bad.

1 Don't ask.

1 It's a beautiful city, with wonderful residents, but the per capita crazy has got to be the highest in the country.

1 I checked the pantry on my first inspection. No popcorn in sight. And that smell lingers. There was no smell. What do they take me for?

2 To be explained shortly.

1 Petra is a hairstylist. In the past she's kept my locks within the borders of presentable.

1 Miniature golf.

2 Not a complete untruth, minus the killer part. I've played tennis before, is my point.

3 If there was one thing I was going to miss from these dates, it was the good food and drink. Although I'd have preferred to consume it in casual attire.

4 Yep, I called him garcon.

5 He was paying.

1 For details, see previous document-Revenge of the Spellmans-now available in paperback!

2 Always get a last name.

1 Which sort of implies that there are more than seven.

1 Right about then I could have used a shot of bourbon.

1 And I'm not saying Irishmen make more messes than any other kind of man.

2 It had been stipulated that the David bar closed after one beverage.

1 Pronounced fuh, not foe.

1 Seventeen.

1 See previous document-Revenge of the Spellmans-now available in paperback!

2 The unit actually agreed to three viewings in a row, but that wasn't enough for me.

3 Honestly, I was really surprised Mom didn't go for that one.

1 There are two camps of instructors at Rae's high school: pro-Rae and anti-Rae. The anti-Rae camp is fairly proactive.

1 Theft of property under $500, typically.

2 A spot of blood can be found anywhere, any time. Blood is all over the place. Or so I've heard.