Read Online Whispers in the Mist by Lisa Alber - Free Book Online

the festival. Right now I’m most interested in fixing the chain on my necklace.”
    Malcolm pursed his lips, and Merrit felt compelled to compliment the jewelry again. She found herself promising to return when she had more time. Malcolm relaxed and said that he’d see her necklace fixed good as the day it was made.
    With her stated business complete, Merrit had no excuse to stay. Still, she loitered, picking up the Firebird Designs artist’s statement and willing Danny to approach. She had a feeling Malcolm would be insulted if he knew that she was pretending to be interested in the jewelry as a way to talk to Danny about Liam. Malcolm seemed the sensitive type that way.
    She read the statement, curious despite herself. Signed “J,” the statement professed a need to create jewelry that reflected inner beauty. Your inner beauty made manifest for all to see . The picture that accompanied the text showed a man of indeterminate age wearing a brimmed hat and sporting an unruly beard. He hunched over a work surface scattered with gems.
    Finally, Danny arrived. “Time to escort Miss Chase outside.”
    Malcolm called out a promise to have the necklace ready for her on Sunday. Almost to the door, Merrit told Danny under her breath that maybe he could have a word with a couple of tourists named Gemma and Dermot McNamara to tell them to lay off Liam. They claimed that Liam had matched their mother to her murderer.
    “I heard,” Danny said. “But there’s nothing criminal in having a belief.”
    “So you won’t talk to them?”
    “No.”
    Beneath Danny’s gruffness, Merrit caught a hint of something else; he wasn’t as disinterested as he let on. Liam had always been a surrogate father to him. More importantly, Liam missed Danny’s visits. It would be up to Merrit to bridge their gap since she was the one who had caused it in the first place.
    “Liam could do without the extra stress,” she said. “He’s still fragile. Besides, don’t you have strict slander laws over here?”
    “I think the word you’re looking for is defamation .”
    “Whatever. At least they don’t know where Liam lives, and no one’s going to tell them, right?”
    “Let’s hope not.” Danny handed her off to O’Neil. “No more visitors until we’re done.”
    She grabbed his arm. “You still care for Liam. Don’t pretend otherwise.”
    He shifted backwards a step and spoke as he turned away. “Don’t go there. Playing the guilt card on me won’t work again.”
    Bloody Merrit. Of course Danny cared about Liam’s welfare, but she’d have to excuse him if he didn’t feel like jumping when she called “boo.”
    “Let’s wrap this up,” Danny called.
    The few partials they’d retrieved might come back with a match. If not, they were back to nothing with Lost Boy.
    Danny surveyed the shop, wondering why Lost Boy had entered. To buy an overpriced heraldic name plaque or Irish turf incense? Danny thought not. He approached Malcolm and asked him to go over his interaction with the deceased once again. “Is there anything else that comes to mind?” Danny said.
    Malcolm’s fingers wandered amongst the pieces of jewelry in his case, twitching them by minute degrees until he was satisfied with their arrangement. “Perhaps if I give Merrit a discount, she’ll wear a necklace or bracelet while she works the festival—”
    “Malcolm.”
    Malcolm straightened. His lips puckered up to his nose as if he smelled something bad. “That lad, yes. I have an instinct about people, and this one, he didn’t come off right from the second he entered the store. I was onto him, you might say.”
    “Oh? You didn’t mention that before.”
    “I was trying to keep to the facts, but now that I’ve thought it through and seen how diligently your men powdered the areas he pawed, I realize that my observations are as important as the facts.”
    Malcolm had first caught sight of the boy as he’d strolled back and forth outside the shop. He was