by J. B. Lynn
Sandy nodded and took another bite of her cookie, now that the danger had passed. “You are never going to believe what I found.”
“Considering some of the stuff that comes into this shop, I’m perfectly sure I will be able to,” Amanda told her. Still, she was curious because she could feel Sandy’s excitement.
“I can’t carry it myself, it’s in my car. Come see.”
She hurried out, not waiting to see if anyone was going to follow her. Amanda glanced at Winnie. “I’ll take care of this. You take care of her.”
Winnie nodded, her arm wrapped around Bea’s shoulder.
Amanda hurried out to Sandy’s vehicle. She already had the trunk open, and she was holding out her arms like she was a model from a cheesy game show. “You will not believe the find we found for you today,” Sandy said in her best game show announcer voice.
Amanda braced herself, with the reminder that no matter what she saw in that trunk, she should keep her expression neutral.
Sandy stepped aside, revealing the contents.
“Oh. My. God,” Amanda said, totally forgetting her plan. The face staring up at her from the trunk was familiar, even though it was smiling coquettishly and blinking overly long eye lashes.
“It’s Angus’s mate,” Sandy declared, clapping.
Amanda agreed with her. It was the same size as Angus, but instead of holding an ashtray, it held a serving tray. And this one wasn’t wearing any clothing.
“Isn’t she just perfect?”
Amanda nodded. “How are we going to get this inside?”
“I could do that for you,” Hank said gruffly.
Amanda had completely forgotten that he was hanging around, ready to scare off Richardson, or any other threat that came their way.
“It’s heavy,” Amanda said, knowing how much Angus weighed.
“And I’m strong,” Hank told her. To prove his point, he reached in and grabbed the statue. He struggled a little bit getting it up the stairs to the shop, but then carried it into the store, huffing and puffing.
“Well, hello, gorgeous,” Angus leered. “Aren’t you one to blow my kilt up?”
Amanda swatted the monster on his snout. “Behave,” she whispered.
Hank placed the female monster in the open spot where the cookware section had been, and Bea gasped in delight. “I love it.”
“Oh yay,” Winnie said sarcastically. “Now we’ve got two of them.”
“What do we owe you for it?” Amanda asked Sandy.
The blonde picker shook her head. “Nothing. They were meant to be together. I’m just glad to help reunite them.”
With that, she grabbed another cookie and left the store.
“How long does it take to get a glass of water?” Winnie complained.
Amanda looked at her sharply. “Greta still isn’t back?”
Winnie shook her head. “We haven’t seen her.”
Suspicious that Greta had been in their living quarters for so long, Amanda raced up the stairs to the apartment. She certainly wasn’t expecting to find what she found.
13
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Amanda demanded to know when she cleared the top of the stairs and found Greta lying on her bed.
For the first time in her life, she wondered why the three bears hadn’t just gobbled up Goldilocks and gotten rid of her.
The blonde employee sat up quickly. “I just became overcome,” Greta said. “First, all of the excitement, and then Bea passing out, and then I ran up the stairs, and I was feeling weak, so I lay down, and…” she trailed off and hung her head guiltily. “I guess I wasn’t too much help.”
Amanda wanted to tell her that she’d been no help at all, but she bit her tongue. Letty wouldn’t have approved. For some reason, Letty had been fond of Greta. Except for her penchant for taking in strays, Amanda had not been able to figure out why. Unlike Rena, this woman was unreliable, and she had a weird sense of what she found exciting.
“Maybe you should go home,” Amanda suggested instead.
Greta nodded. “Maybe I should.” She disappeared back down the stairs, while Amanda got Bea a glass of water. By the time she had gotten back down to the shop, Greta had left.
“What did you say to her,” Winnie asked.
“I just suggested she go home,” Amanda said.
“What was she doing up there for so long,” Bea asked.
“Playing Goldilocks,” Amanda said, handing her the glass of water. Bea sipped it gratefully. Glancing around to make sure there was no one else in the shop, Amanda asked her, “What was your vision?”
“The pirate’s flag,” Bea said.
“Probably because Peabody was just here talking about treasure,” Winnie muttered.
Amanda nodded, but Bea didn’t look convinced.
Amanda’s cell phone buzzed, and she glanced at the display. A thrill went through her, but she tamped it down, figuring he was calling about business, not pleasure. “It’s Tom Keller,” she told her sisters.
They gathered around the phone, and she put it on speaker so they could all hear.
“Hello?” Amanda answered.
“I’m sorry,” Tom said, getting right to the point. “Richardson got out on bail.”
Bea began to tremble again, Winnie was frowning, and Amanda asked, “Who paid his bail?”
“I don’t know,” Tom said. “But I’m going to do my best to find out.”
“Hank is here,” Winnie told him. “He said he’d keep an eye on us during the day.”
“That’s an excellent plan,” Tom said. “I’m trying my best to get this cleared up as soon as possible.”
“We appreciate that, Detective,” Amanda said.
“Tom,” he corrected. “Is it really so hard to call me by my name?” With that, he disconnected the call.
“We should probably warn everybody else in the strip mall,” Amanda said.
Winnie nodded. “I really need to draw right now, can you do it?”
“Sure,” Amanda agreed.
“Take Nutmeg as protection,” Rupert urged.
Amanda glanced over at him. “Really?”
“What did he say?” Bea asked.
“He thinks I should take Nutmeg.”
“Excellent idea,” Bea agreed. “We’ve got Hank, you’ve got Nutmeg.”
“I think you got the better end of the deal with that.” Amanda chuckled, but she grabbed the dog’s leash, and headed for the door.
She made quick work of informing Harmony and Piper about Richardson’s release. While they were concerned, nobody seemed as nervous as Bea. Her last stop was Jim’s. She didn’t really want to walk into his office with the dog, but she was afraid to leave the animal outside, so she scooped Nutmeg into her arms and knocked on the door.
Jim smiled when he saw it was her. “Come in,” he said, opening the door.
“I can’t leave the dog,” she said apologetically.
“He can come in, too,” Jim said. “After all, he helped save you.”
Amanda nodded and stepped inside, taking in how sparse the office was decorated. “You don’t have the same look of disgust your sister did,” Jim said with a chuckle.
Smiling slightly, Amanda said, “It’s just a little bare.”
“She said sparse,” Jim said with a laugh. “What can I do for you, Amanda?”
“I thought you should know, Detective Keller called to let us know that Richardson has gotten out on bail.” She squinted at the accountant. “You didn’t post it, did you?” she asked, knowing that he’d been the one to bail out Hank when he’d been arrested for robbing One Woman’s Junk.
“You do remember I helped save you from him, don’t you?” Jim shook his head. “How can I help?”
“Just keep your eyes open,” Amanda said. “You’ve already done so much for us.”
“You could all stay here,” Jim said. “If you don’t want to stay over your shop or something. I don’t live in the apartment attached to t
he office.”
Amanda shook her head. “We’re not giving up our home.”
A smile played at Jim’s lips. “It wasn’t that long ago that it wasn’t your home.”
“It is now,” Amanda said. “And we’re not going to be scared out of it.”
Jim nodded his approval. “I don’t suppose your sister would agree to go out to dinner with me tonight, after all that’s happened.”
“Actually,” Amanda said quietly, “I think that would be an excellent idea. She could use the distraction, and you obviously can protect her.”
“I’ll pick her up,” Jim said.
Amanda nodded. “I’ll make sure she’s ready to go.”
She and Nutmeg returned to One Woman’s Junk to find that Winnie was still furiously sketching, sitting by the cash register, and Bea remained in the velvet chair by the dressing rooms. “Now everyone knows,” Amanda announced. “And you’ve got a date with Jim tonight.”
Winnie looked up from her drawing. “What? I can’t do that.”
“You have to,” Amanda told her. “I already promised him you would.”
Ash strolled into the shop. “Well,” he said to Bea, “I was going to offer to take you out tonight, but you seem to have had enough excitement for the day.”
“We can’t go anywhere,” Bea said. “I’m not leaving my sister here alone.”
Ash nodded his agreement. “I’ll bring back some dinner for the four of us.”
“Three of us,” Amanda corrected. “Winnie has a date.”
Winnie shook her head, but she closed her sketchbook and went upstairs to the apartment to change clothes.
While Ash went to find dinner, Amanda locked up the store, feeling Bea’s eyes watching her every move. “What?” she asked her younger sister, finally, once she’d gotten Angus inside.
“You’re different,” Bea said. “Stronger,” she added with a smile.
“We’re stronger together,” Amanda told her.
Little did they know how much that strength was going to be tested.
14
Their dinner with Ash quickly morphed into a community potluck, as Winnie convinced Jim they should stay at the shop, and Rena, Piper, Hank, and Harmony all stopped by the closed store to check on the Concordia sisters. They didn’t have enough chairs, so most of the people ended up sitting on the floor, except for Harmony and Bea who both needed the chairs for support. Everyone brought something to eat, and there was a lot of laughter and storytelling going on.
Amanda smiled as she looked around the crowded space. She was part of a community; it was like they had an extended family. Their fondness for one another filled the room and, more than once, Amanda, overwhelmed by it all, had to walk back to the storeroom for a breather. The emotions were good, but she wasn’t accustomed to dealing with so many at once.
Rupert, sitting on top of the bookshelf, caught her eye and winked at her.
She would have liked to know what he was thinking, but there was no time to talk to the ghost when there was a room full of real live people. Eventually, the conversation turned to Peter Perkins, and how much everyone hated him. It appeared that everyone in the room seemed to think he was responsible for hiring Richardson to kill Letty.
“He’s a cold one,” Hank complained.
Harmony, who was sitting beside Hank, nodded. “Not a good soul.”
“He’s just a greedy SOB,” Piper said with a level of viciousness that seemed out of character with a woman who wore her hair in pigtails.
Amanda sucked in a breath, Piper’s animosity slicing like a knife through the room’s good vibes.
“He has a dark spirit,” Harmony intoned. Then, as though she suddenly reminded herself, she said, “We have to charge.”
“Charge what?” Ash asked.
“The crystals,” Harmony announced, as though it was the most normal thing to say.
Ash blinked, shook his head, and returned to eating.
Harmony held her hand out to Bea, who she sat beside. “Hand them over.”
Bea covered her agate ring protectively and shook her head. “No.”
“You have to,” Harmony explained. “You can charge them in the moonlight.”
“I’m not taking it off,” Bea said.
Amanda bit back a smile, recognizing her sister’s stubborn streak. Harmony didn’t stand a chance of getting her sister to give her ring up, if the way her jaw was set was any indication.
Winnie, obviously thinking the same thing, looked over at Amanda and winked.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea to take them off,” Amanda said.
Harmony turned on her, a look of disapproval deepening the lines of her face. “But you have to.”
Meanwhile, Bea was giving her a look of gratitude, having taken some of the pressure off her.
Amanda did her best to keep her tone neutral. “It’s not something that’s open for discussion.”
Tension filled the room, and the other “guests” shifted uncomfortably in their seats, all conversation dying out, as Amanda clashed with Harmony.
“We appreciate your help,” Winnie interjected, taking on the role of middle child, always the peacemaker, “but we’re really pretty set in our decision.”
Harmony frowned and said, “Well, I hope you’re prepared to pay the consequences.” Huffing her indignation, Harmony got to her feet and walked to the door.
“You don’t have to go,” Bea called after her.
“I have rituals to perform,” she told them. She unlocked the door and let herself out.
Everyone remaining just looked around at each other, slightly surprised for a moment.
“She shouldn’t walk back by herself,” Hank declared, getting to his feet and hurrying out after her.
“I guess I should go, too,” Piper said, standing up. “I’ve got an early morning.”
“I’ll walk you back,” Jim offered. He pecked Winnie on the cheek and murmured something that Amanda couldn’t make out before he and Piper left.
“I guess that’s our cue to clean up,” Ash said.
He and Rena helped Winnie and Amanda clean up the remains of the impromptu picnic.
“That was fun,” Rena said. “Can we do it again sometime?”
“Sure,” Bea promised, without confirming with either one of her sisters.
Even though they’d practically wrecked the store, Amanda agreed it would be a good idea to do it again sometime.
“I’ll take you to walk Nutmeg before I leave,” Ash offered.
Winnie went and grabbed the dog’s leash. “That’s a good idea, we don’t want anybody out there alone in the dark.”
Before she could catch the canine, who was dancing around excitedly, the bell over the door jangled, startling them all.
Amanda looked up just in time to see Tom Keller walk in. He was obviously off duty, wearing a faded t-shirt and jeans. “What can we help you with, Detective?” Winnie asked.
“Did something else happen?” Bea asked worriedly from her seat on the velvet chair.
The dog, ignoring Winnie and the leash, ran up to Tom, barking excitedly.
He bent down and scooped him up. Nutmeg licked his chin.
“I just wanted to check and see how you ladies were doing,” he said. “I ran into Piper and she said you just had quite the crowd in here.”
Winnie nodded. “That’s very nice of you.”
“That’s the least I can do,” Tom said distractedly, not paying attention to Winnie as his eyes searched for Amanda. His gaze locked on hers. Returning his attention to Winnie, and seeing that she held the dog’s leash, he held out his hand. “I can take him for you.”
Winnie handed over the leash without argument. “I’ll go with you,” Amanda offered before she even knew the words were going to come out of her mouth.
Tom grinned, and even with the threat of Richardson being free, a little thrill went through her. “Come on, then.” He snapped the leash on the dog’s collar and led Amanda outsi
de, leaving Bea, Winnie, Ash, and Rena, behind.
A full moon was shining brightly, casting an almost silvery light over everything.
“Why are you really here?” Amanda asked as they began to walk.
“I wanted to check on you,” Tom said. “I know it’s upsetting to you that Richardson is out.”
Amanda nodded, but felt that he was holding something back. She could feel the energy reverberating inside of him.
“But there’s something else,” she guessed. “There’s another reason you’re here.”
He stopped and searched her face.
Looking up at him, she tried to feel his emotions as much as read his expression. She was new to this, and it was all very confusing to her.
“I wanted to see you,” he admitted quietly.
Amanda blinked; that was not what she’d expected him to say.
“Me?” she squeaked.
He nodded. They stood there for a long moment, not saying anything else to each other, just absorbing that information. Amanda had a million questions running in her head, but Tom was a man of few words, and she wasn’t surprised that he wasn’t offering an explanation on his own. He began to walk again slowly, with Nutmeg tugging them along, and she fell into step beside him.
“That man must never sleep,” she said, jerking her head in the direction of the bakery. They could see that a light was on inside.
Suddenly, Nutmeg began to growl.
“What’s wrong, fella?” Tom asked.
Amanda didn’t miss that his hand went back toward his hip, and she wondered if he was reaching for his gun.
Nutmeg continued growling.
“Maybe we should head back to the shop,” Tom suggested.
Amanda didn’t need to be told twice. She spun on her heel and hurried back toward One Woman’s Junk.
15
Amanda did not sleep well, worried that Richardson was going to show up. She’d spent half the night listening to Winnie’s soft snoring, despite the fact that Pim, Angus, and Rupert had all promised to keep watch over them.
As soon as morning light began to trickle through the windows, she quietly got out of bed, stepped over Nutmeg, who was lying at the top of the stairs, and made her way down to the shop, taking care not to wake Winnie.
