Phoebe was already screaming at the top of her Lungs. At the Last second the poor woman leaped from the conference table and took refuge behind Matthew, who stood like a statue, observing the madness.

“Matthew...Matthew, help me! Please..." Phoebe cried hoarsely.

“Honey, don't help her! There's no need for that at all!" Erica countered, trotting after her.

White as a ghost now, Phoebe gave another scream and bolted from the room.

The door closed with a bang.

After a moment of dead silence, Lyman gingerly lowered himself from the table, then helped Fanya down as well. Trailed by the guard, they hurried from the room without so much as a goodbye.

ALL in all, it was a noteworthy day for the employees at Hilton Group.

A great many of them had seen the Campbell family strut into the building Like they owned it; now they saw them rushing out, looking mortified and embarrassed!

When the Campbell family had left, Erica was quick to make sure the meeting room door was shut. If either of the snakes managed to get out, they could cause all sorts of trouble and would be hard to catch again.

Matthew watched, impressed despite himself, as his wife rounded up the second snake-the one that had gone to the corner-with her bare hands.

Erica put them in the box which the Campbell family had brought in, adding it to the third snake inside. Arching an eyebrow, Matthew asked,

“Aren't you afraid of snakes at all?"

“Oh, of course not! How could I be afraid of such cute little things?"

Erica looked down at the box and tapped the lid, adding, "Isn't that right?"

A weary smile took over Matthew's face. He sank into his seat at the table, not knowing whether to Laugh or cry.

“This wasn't your attitude when your brother tried to get you to eat a peeled snake," he ventured. That had been during some kind of survival training class. In fact, Erica had run away and left the class on the very day of that incident.

“Well, maybe I am afraid of eating snakes," Erica admitted, “but that doesn't mean I'm afraid of Live ones!" ‘Well, except for the poisonous kind, ' she thought. Now those she did fear. Handling one wrong and getting bitten would be very dangerous indeed.

But she kept that fact to herself. If everyone thought Erica wasn't afraid of any kind of snake, poisonous or not, that was all right with her.

“I think I've figured something out," Matthew said.

“You had that hole in your pants-that was from climbing onto the balcony of the Campbell family's house. That was when you put the snake on Phoebe's bed.

Right?"

Erica gasped in mock amazement.

"Wow! You figured it out? I'm so impressed." Her husband was as smart as her father and brother!

Just then the headache that Matthew had begun to feel moments ago erupted full-force.

"Get out of here!" he snapped. He didn't want to see her again for a while.