Faerie Dust Dead (The Luna Devere Series Book 2) Read Free

shook her head. “I don’t know if I can
handle another bout of shenanigans.”
    I’d had similar thoughts while
baking the cupcakes, but I’d managed to shove the unwanted and worrisome notion
aside. It was time to face the fact that we might be on our way to another
mystery. A mystery I hoped didn’t include death, danger, or a crazy sheriff.
    “If Dilly could clean the
fingerprint residue from the gift shop before customers arrive, I’d appreciate
it,” I said. “Let’s bring the cupcakes upstairs before I get dressed for work
and then run over to Ari’s to give her the bad news.”
    With a nod, Annie settled at
the dumbwaiter door while I bustled downstairs to load tray after tray of
scrumptious cakes onto the shelves inside the small elevator.
    Once the last batch was on its
way, I went to help Annie place the luscious tidbits into the huge, chilled,
glass cases. We’d finished the job when Dilly scurried in through the back
door, followed by a gust of wind.
    “Good mornin’. Sorry I’m so
late. I couldn’t get my car started. Had to have Harve, my next door neighbor,
come over and give the old beast a jumpstart.” With a disgusted expression,
Dilly shook her head.
    “Good thing you have such a
nice neighbor, Dilly,” I said and when she headed for the shop I hastened
upstairs to change clothes. Once that was done, I pulled a pashmina wrap from
the downstairs hall closet, swathed it around my shoulders, and headed into the
kitchen. “Annie will explain the job I have for you this morning. I have to run
out for a little while.”
    Darting a glance at each woman,
I requested they open as usual and promised I’d be back soon. Annie nodded as
Dilly opened her mouth to ask a question. Of the two women, I considered her to
be a major gossip. If gritty news was floating around, she shared it with
anyone who’d listen. While the gossip wasn’t always accurate, the woman did
manage to insert a truthful nugget of information into each story, and it was
up to the listener to ferret the tidbit out. I quickly escaped her curiosity
with a wave and left by the back entrance.
    I was certain Dilly never meant
to be unkind, but quite often she spoke without thinking of the consequences.
The reason I kept her on staff was up for grabs at the best of times, and I
couldn’t figure out why she was still an employee, though, I guessed it was
because I was plainly softhearted.
    The well-trodden path to my
neighbor’s veered right and left at sharp angles. Thick tree roots protruded
from soft, spongy greenish moss that cuddled around them along the route, as if
placed there to trip the unknowing traveler. I’d stumbled more than once in the
past.
    Forging ahead, I avoided the
roots and wondered if the trees laughed, when, in the past, I’d stumbled and
landed on the ground with a resounding thud. I smiled, knowing my imagination
was hard at work. Trees didn’t laugh, did they?
    The worn track opened onto a
clearing bordered by lilac bushes that had gone to bed for the fall season.
Absent of flowers, they looked forlorn.
    I stepped onto the grounds
behind Ari’s house and listened to the wind sigh through the pine trees near
her studio. The whisper of faerie wings tickled my skin when one of the dainty
creatures hovered close to my face. I sneaked a sideways glance, taking in her
wide, almond-shaped eyes, and sweet-faced beauty.
    “Come here troubled, you do,”
the creature sang in a lilting voice.
    I smiled at her and said, “Bad
news, I’m afraid. Is Arianna about?”
    I met her gaze as she winged in
place, a foot from my nose. She beckoned me toward Ari’s glassmaking studio.
Thanking her, I knocked on the wide plank door. I glanced back before entering,
but the faerie had disappeared.
    “Come in, come in,” Ari called.
She handled the long metal rod with care as she rolled molten glass around and
around, dripping it in puddles on top of itself with the dexterity of a person
used to handling such material.