Little Ghost Lost (Destiny Bay Cozy Mysteries Book 5) Read Free Page A

an antique.”
    “You’ve certainly got some beauties here.”
    “Oh yes. Jerry finds them everywhere and he brings them home and I keep the records on what we have. It’s a partnership, you see. We’re both heavily involved.”
    The doorbell rang and she smiled.  
    “That must be Richard,” she said confidently. “He called to say he was dropping by. Now, if you want to meet an expert on silver antique pieces, he’s your man. He’s been Jerry’s consultant for ages and knows everything about the field. I’ll just go let him in.”
    I listened as she opened the door. Her visitor didn’t waste any time in getting to the point.  
    “Jerry’s in Santa Barbara, isn’t he?” I heard a male voice say, sounding angry.   “You might as well admit it, Celinda, Henry Kramer called me from the auction and told me he was there. If he’s going to keep going behind my back…”
    “Hush now,” Celinda said urgently. “I’ve got company. Come on in and meet her.”
    She was back in no time with a tall, handsome man of middle years.  
    “This is Richard Karl. Richard, let me present Mele Keahi. She works for the city and is evaluating the Pennington House. They seem to think they’ve got it in their hip pocket. The fools don’t understand how serious Jerry is about claiming the place himself.”
    “Ah.” Richard blinked at Celinda’s tirade and held out his hand to me, his eyes warm. His friendly look belied the accusatory tone he’d used at the front door. “Miss Keahi. I’ve heard a lot about you, all of it good. So pleased to meet you.”
    He was handsome and interested, a combination hard to resist. From the way he was smiling at me, I was pretty sure he considered himself quite a charmer, and if I didn’t watch out, I was going to be swamped with charisma like a bear in a honey tree.  
    “Richard. I’m glad to meet you. Please call me Mele.” I shook his hand and smiled at him, determined to get in a bit of substance before the swamping happened. “You’re an expert on antiques, I hear. Maybe you can tell me if I should be worried that I didn’t find any antique silver pieces in the Pennington House today. How much do you know about the inventory there?”
    For a quick few seconds, I thought I saw a strange look pass behind his eyes. But then he smoothed all that away with a laugh.  
    “Any treasures Alexander Pennington had were long gone by the time he died,” he told me. “He was pretty much at the stage of selling his cufflinks for latte money toward the end.”
    “Ouch. I suppose that would apply to all the furniture as well?”
    “The good pieces. Sure. There’s probably some junk left, but…”  
    He frowned, noticing a beautiful silver pitcher sitting in the middle of a large, solid wooden table.  
    “Celinda!” he said, looking alarmed. “I told Jerry that this piece should be somewhere safe. You can’t just leave it out like this. It’s worth a fortune, and if someone who knows what they’re looking at decides to….”  
    He glanced at me and the words stopped, almost as though he thought I might be one of those nefarious people. “You’ve got to take care of this,” he said more quietly. “Really, Celinda. This is impossible.”
    “Oh I know, Richard, but I’ve been so busy getting ready for this show in Cambria, I’ve just had no time.”  
    I looked at the piece and it was stunning. Huge and elegant, it had lacy leaves and flowers inlaid on the silver, and insects, lizards and small animals made of copper and brass, wandering, seemingly at random, across the surfaces. I’d never seen anything like it.
    “What is this?” I asked him, amused by the perfect rendition of a common house fly sitting on the lip. Despite the fact that it was formed of beautiful silver, it was basically a disgusting sight. In a way. “What do you call the style?” I flashed him a sassy look and added, “In case I need to fence it some time soon.”
    His mouth dropped open.