Perilous Pranks (Renaissance Faire Mystery) Read Free

documented the receipt of the loom, I admired it and the rest of the tapestry exhibit we’d managed to put together so far. There was a great richness and history to what we were trying to do. It was different than the rest of the Village. People could learn here, as well as enjoy themselves.
    I ran my hand along the rough wood of the loom, thinking about the hands that had worked on it. I imagined the tapestries that had been produced on it.
    Beside the loom were glassmaker’s tools that had been donated by Roger Trent from the Glass Gryphon, a shop in the Village. He was also one of the Village craftspeople who would demonstrate his skills at the museum when it opened in November.
    His wife, Mary Shift, was a Gullah basket weaver. She’d promised to spend a day here too. I’d learned to weave sweet grass baskets with her.
    My foot scuffed something on the hardwood floor. I looked down and saw a glint of color where it didn’t belong.
    It was Wanda’s missing bracelet.
    Of course, there was blood on it, and I’d put my hand into it. The smell of fresh blood made me want to vomit.
    It looked like the real killer was trying to frame me for Wanda’s murder.
     

Chapter Three
     
    “Who else has been in the museum this morning besides you and the loom movers?” I tried not to panic as I wiped my hands on a handkerchief in my pocket.
    “The museum was empty when I came here this morning,” Manny said. “The loom movers came later, and then I went to find you. Why? Is something wrong? What is that smell?”
    Manny and I were the only ones with keys to the museum. He was new to the Village. I had no reason to suspect that he might be involved with what had happened to Wanda. The killer probably came in while he was gone and hid the bracelet because he or she knew I could be blamed for Wanda’s death.
    “Nothing is wrong.” I looked at the bracelet and wished I had a plastic bag to put it in. The only thing I had was my free drink mug that all employees carried. When you presented it at any of the eateries in the village, you got a free drink.
    Could I ever drink out of the mug again if I stored Wanda’s bloody bracelet in it until I could give it to Chase or Detective Almond?
    I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t walk around with it in my hand either. Grimacing, I dropped the bracelet into the mug. That was that. I’d have to get a new mug.
    “Blood.” Manny sniffed again, moving closer to see what I was doing. “ New blood . What did you find?”
    “Nothing. I-uh-cut myself shaving this morning.” I didn’t want to discuss this with him. I knew how the Village gossips worked. One word and everyone would know.
    “Really?” His dark eyes gazed into my face as though trying to discern the truth. “It doesn’t smell like you, Lady Jessie.”
    That was weird .
    I took a few steps back from him and put my hand across the top of the cup. “I have to go. You have to go too.”
    “Why? I have a lot of work to do here today. I can’t leave.”
    I nudged him out the door. “Yes, you can. Consider it your day off.” I closed and locked the museum door behind us. “Don’t set foot inside until tomorrow, or when the police tell you to.”
    “The police?” He put his hand lightly on top of mine, the one that was covering the cup that held Wanda’s bracelet. “You can trust me with your secrets, Lady Jessie. What has happened?”
    “I can’t talk about it yet. I’m sorry.” I jerked my hand, and the cup, away from him. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Manny. I’ll tell you later. I promise.”
    He peered at me with such intensity in his eyes that I thought lasers might come out of them. It was scary. I thanked him for his help, as I always did, and ran down the stairs to the cobblestones.
    I knew Detective Almond would want to look over the area where I’d found the bracelet. Clearly, the killer had been in there. Maybe he or she had left some fingerprints behind. They could probably get something