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Authors: Annette Blair
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authorities.”
“The poor things,” I muttered.
Ethel’s wail was losing steam and sounding breathy. I had to give her something to hang on to.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “You don’t really think that was our Dolly Sweet at Kennedy Airport, do you? That’s ridiculous. Impossible.”
“Sweet?” Paisley said, her chin coming up, her brow puckered. “Sweet,” she repeated, lowering her head, concentrating, and slipping that thumbnail to her teeth.
Dante appeared beside me, out of nowhere, for the second time in two days, surprising me so I jumped, while everyone else looked behind them to see why I jumped.
“Sorry, guess I’m a bit skittish,” I said, though Nick looked like he knew there must be a different explanation.
Eve didn’t know about Dante, and she never would. Scrap silk, she practically pissed her pants when I got a psychometric reading in her vicinity. If I told her my shop had a ghost, she’d never step foot in the place.
“Mad,” Nick said. “Road trip tomorrow?”
He’d thought this through. I’d seen his mind working. “Mrs. Meyers, Ethel, do you think you can watch the shop tomorrow? We’d like to do a little sleuthing on Dolly’s behalf.” Maybe. “And, Ethel, I think it would be good for you to keep busy, don’t you?”
Olga patted Ethel’s shoulder. “It would be good for you to keep busy, and I’d be here for you to talk to. You wouldn’t have to wait for news alone at home, imagining all sorts of things.”
“Thanks, Olga. You’re right. Sure, Mad,” Ethel said. “I’ll work tomorrow.”
“Eve?” I asked. “What about you? Are you busy to-morrow?”
“I’m teaching in the morning, but I’ll arrange for those auditing classes while I’m there, then I’ll come here to help Mom and Ethel.”
“Thank you. I owe you,” I told my BFF.
Nick nodded his thanks. Heaven forbid he should be nice to our savior. “That’ll give us a full day,” he said. “I’d like to get an early start. You, too, Paisley.”
“Where to?” she asked, and curiosity won the day as everyone waited for Nick’s answer, a plausible one that I could see him search his mind for.
I cleared my throat. “Nick and I have to consult the FBI database at his house tonight before we map our strategy.”
Nick breathed again and picked up the beat. “Absolutely.” He checked his watch. “We should get going, so we can get our approach all worked out tonight.”
Eve left with her mother and Ethel while Paisley went out to my car.
Dante appeared behind us near the door. “Where are you going to look for Dolly?” he asked.
“What do you think, Nick?” I asked. “What’s on your mind?”
“A little boat trip to Paisley’s island,” he said, urging metoward the door so we could leave, but the lights went back on. All of them.
“Madeira,” Dante said standing right behind me. “How is going to that island going to help find Dolly?”
“Nick, you want to turn off the lights upstairs?”
“Sure thing.”
“We’d be looking for clues to Paisley’s past,” I whispered. “You’re the one who pointed out how Dolly and Paisley resembled each other, and therefore seem connected. I was just trying to calm Ethel when I said it was for Dolly.”
“It should be for Dolly, damn it.”
“All set upstairs. Ready to go?” Nick asked.
We locked up and Nick got behind the wheel of my Element in the parking lot.
“Madeira,” Paisley said, looking back at the shop. “Your lights are going on and off.”
“I have a test sensor.” A ghost having a temper tantrum. “They’ll go off in a minute.”
Nick gave me a double take, but said nothing. We headed toward his fairly new home on a road parallel to mine. Previous to that, he’d lived closer to the New Haven FBI headquarters and to my brother, Alex, but he’d moved to Mystick Falls some months ago.
“Wow, Nick.” Paisley craned her neck to see his beautifully landscaped villa. “You have an awesome house.
“The poor things,” I muttered.
Ethel’s wail was losing steam and sounding breathy. I had to give her something to hang on to.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “You don’t really think that was our Dolly Sweet at Kennedy Airport, do you? That’s ridiculous. Impossible.”
“Sweet?” Paisley said, her chin coming up, her brow puckered. “Sweet,” she repeated, lowering her head, concentrating, and slipping that thumbnail to her teeth.
Dante appeared beside me, out of nowhere, for the second time in two days, surprising me so I jumped, while everyone else looked behind them to see why I jumped.
“Sorry, guess I’m a bit skittish,” I said, though Nick looked like he knew there must be a different explanation.
Eve didn’t know about Dante, and she never would. Scrap silk, she practically pissed her pants when I got a psychometric reading in her vicinity. If I told her my shop had a ghost, she’d never step foot in the place.
“Mad,” Nick said. “Road trip tomorrow?”
He’d thought this through. I’d seen his mind working. “Mrs. Meyers, Ethel, do you think you can watch the shop tomorrow? We’d like to do a little sleuthing on Dolly’s behalf.” Maybe. “And, Ethel, I think it would be good for you to keep busy, don’t you?”
Olga patted Ethel’s shoulder. “It would be good for you to keep busy, and I’d be here for you to talk to. You wouldn’t have to wait for news alone at home, imagining all sorts of things.”
“Thanks, Olga. You’re right. Sure, Mad,” Ethel said. “I’ll work tomorrow.”
“Eve?” I asked. “What about you? Are you busy to-morrow?”
“I’m teaching in the morning, but I’ll arrange for those auditing classes while I’m there, then I’ll come here to help Mom and Ethel.”
“Thank you. I owe you,” I told my BFF.
Nick nodded his thanks. Heaven forbid he should be nice to our savior. “That’ll give us a full day,” he said. “I’d like to get an early start. You, too, Paisley.”
“Where to?” she asked, and curiosity won the day as everyone waited for Nick’s answer, a plausible one that I could see him search his mind for.
I cleared my throat. “Nick and I have to consult the FBI database at his house tonight before we map our strategy.”
Nick breathed again and picked up the beat. “Absolutely.” He checked his watch. “We should get going, so we can get our approach all worked out tonight.”
Eve left with her mother and Ethel while Paisley went out to my car.
Dante appeared behind us near the door. “Where are you going to look for Dolly?” he asked.
“What do you think, Nick?” I asked. “What’s on your mind?”
“A little boat trip to Paisley’s island,” he said, urging metoward the door so we could leave, but the lights went back on. All of them.
“Madeira,” Dante said standing right behind me. “How is going to that island going to help find Dolly?”
“Nick, you want to turn off the lights upstairs?”
“Sure thing.”
“We’d be looking for clues to Paisley’s past,” I whispered. “You’re the one who pointed out how Dolly and Paisley resembled each other, and therefore seem connected. I was just trying to calm Ethel when I said it was for Dolly.”
“It should be for Dolly, damn it.”
“All set upstairs. Ready to go?” Nick asked.
We locked up and Nick got behind the wheel of my Element in the parking lot.
“Madeira,” Paisley said, looking back at the shop. “Your lights are going on and off.”
“I have a test sensor.” A ghost having a temper tantrum. “They’ll go off in a minute.”
Nick gave me a double take, but said nothing. We headed toward his fairly new home on a road parallel to mine. Previous to that, he’d lived closer to the New Haven FBI headquarters and to my brother, Alex, but he’d moved to Mystick Falls some months ago.
“Wow, Nick.” Paisley craned her neck to see his beautifully landscaped villa. “You have an awesome house.
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