Read Online Poisoned Prose (A Books by the Bay Mystery) by Ellery Adams - Free Book Online Page A

bear. The legend was that anyone who came too near the treasure would hear the man’s growl and be forever cursed with bad luck, sickness, or death.
    Her strange tale left the audience reeling in horrified delight. Violetta delivered the last sentence and then simply strode from the stage and into the darkness beyond.
    “There’ll be a reception in the lobby when the lights come back up,” Lowell announced when she was gone. “We hope you’ve enjoyed our Appalachian tales.”
    The crowd applauded timidly at first, still too stupefied by Violetta’s final story to make much noise. Olivia shook herself from the storyteller’s trance and clapped louder. Soon enough, the room swelled with appreciative noises, including whistles and cries of “wonderful!” and “amazing!”
    “I couldn’t agree more,” Olivia said to Rawlings. “I could have stayed here all night listening to her. It was like being under a spell. An extraordinary spell.”
    “She certainly drew me in,” Rawlings agreed. “I forgot where I was.
When
I was.”
    Millay pointed at the oil lantern. “What was with all the blue light? That woman’s eyes were crazy blue, and the skin around her eyes seemed kind of blue too. She must have gotten hold of Dixie’s makeup kit. It was kind of creepy. She looked like an alien.”
    “All the better to hypnotize you with, my dear,” Harris said, doing his best imitation of an old crone. “By the time we see her out in the lobby, she’ll probably blend right in with the crowd.”
    “She won’t be there,” Laurel said. “She only appears in public when she’s telling stories. And she always performs in partial darkness like she did tonight.”
    Olivia studied her friend. “Have you been researching her for an article?”
    Laurel nodded. “At first, I was just going to highlight a few of this weekend’s key performers, but Violetta stands above the rest. She’s as strange and mysterious and beautiful as a fairy tale queen. That’s partially why she’s become so well known among the country’s storytellers, though as you saw, she possesses plenty of talent too. She rarely gives interviews. The last one was over a decade ago.”
    Suddenly, the overhead lights were turned to their brightest setting, and Olivia blinked her eyes in discomfort. The abrupt flood of light broke Violetta’s spell. People ceased whispering, and the nervous energy they’d held on to all evening burst forth in rapid, animated speech. Gathering their belongings, they filed out of the room. Laurel lingered behind, and because she was seated at the end of the row, none of the Bayside Book Writers could move.
    “Why are we waiting?” Harris asked. “They’ll eat all the good stuff if we don’t get out there.”
    “The reception is being sponsored by the
Gazette
,” Laurel said. “Trust me, there isn’t anything too impressive. And we’re waiting because I want to introduce myself to Dixie’s cousin. Dixie promised to put a bug in Lowell’s ear about getting me an interview with Violetta.”
    They heard a rustling behind the stage, and Lowell came out. Without looking at them, he extinguished the oil lamp’s flame, folded the stepladder, and gently laid it down on the stage floor.
    Laurel made her way toward him. “The show was wonderful.”
    Lowell turned. “Thanks,” he said and continued to collect his instruments.
    “We’re friends of Dixie’s. She told us you were first cousins. I can see the resemblance. You have the same color eyes.” Laurel’s words poured forth like a rushing river. “Listen, I know you’re still working, but I wanted to find out if Miss Violetta had any free time tomorrow. I’m a reporter with the
Gazette
, and I’d love to talk with her.”
    “She’s not gonna see you,” he replied as he packed his fiddle into a case. “It don’t matter who you know or what you’re willing to pay. She wouldn’t sit down with God Himself even if He asked her real nice, so you don’t