Trouble Vision (18 page)

Molly muttered something under her breath. “If you won’t do anything, then I will. I love this job, and I’m not going to let a miserable old hag take it away from me.”

“Well, I appreciate you coming in early to help.” Stephanie hurried back to the counter for more books. “I’m going to need more boxes from the stockroom. I’m counting on this sale to buy school clothes for my children.”

Molly sighed. “I’m going. But don’t think I’m going to forget about it. Ana Jordan has a nasty shock coming her way, sooner or later.”

She rushed off toward the back of the store, leaving Stephanie to stare after her with a worried frown. “That girl is a good worker, but she’s got a temper that would curl the devil’s toes.”

Clara laughed. “I seem to have heard that somewhere before.”

“You know as well as I do that I’ve gotten a lot better at controlling my temper.” Stephanie carried more books over to the table. “Though my kids do know not to push me too far.”

“I bet they do. Well, I’d better get over to the rental agency.” Clara headed for the door. “They’ve probably rented that apartment by now.”

“You don’t like living with Aunt Jessie?”

Clara hesitated. “It’s okay, I guess. It’s just that I’m used to living on my own. So is my mother. She’s gotten a lot more independent since Dad died.”

“I know. It’s sad. They were so happy together. I miss Uncle David and his silly jokes.”

“We all miss him.” Clara pulled the door open, jingling the bell and letting in the warm sunshine.

“Clara? Did anything . . . weird happen in the stockroom?”

Clara paused, one hand on the door handle. “Weird?”

“You know.
Weird
.” Stephanie looked uncomfortable. “You had that odd look on your face you always used to get when—”

“Nothing happened.” Clara made an effort to soften her tone. “Good luck with the sale. I’ll see you in the morning.” She didn’t wait for an answer.

Once outside, she pulled in a deep breath of the fresh, salty air. Main Street stretched ahead of her for several blocks, sloping down toward the harbor.

In summertime, the town was always crowded with tourists, and today was no exception. On either side, people strolled along in front of the quaint shop windows, peering under the colorful striped awnings at souvenirs, antiques, artwork and beach supplies.

At the bottom of the hill, boats bobbed around in the bay, their white sails gleaming in the sun, while behind them a thin line of fluffy white clouds separated the pale blue sky from the deeper blue of the ocean.

Clara’s heart warmed at the sight. This was what she’d missed so much—this little town with its friendly people; its unique little shops and charming, narrow streets; the bustling activity of the picturesque bay. Here she could find peace and put all the problems of New York behind her. This was Finn’s Harbor, Maine, and this was where she belonged.

Glancing across the street, she saw a man standing in front of the hardware store, one hand shading his face as he gazed at something farther down the street.

He didn’t seem to be a tourist, and Clara stared hard for a long moment, trying to recognize the rugged features that were half hidden behind his hand.

Deciding that she didn’t know him, she was about to turn away when he twisted his head in her direction. He apparently realized she’d been staring at him, as he touched his fingers to his forehead in a mock salute.

Embarrassed, she ducked her head and took off down the hill. Things had changed a lot since she’d left, twelve years ago. People had gone, and others moved in, and although she’d come back to visit several times every year, it wasn’t the same as living there. She felt like a stranger now in her own hometown.

She wondered if the man across the street was a stranger or if he had lived there long enough to become a familiar member of the community. Then, wondering why on earth she was still thinking about him, she headed for the rental agency.

The following morning, Clara arrived on the doorstep of the Raven’s Nest just as Stephanie was opening up the store. “I couldn’t sleep,” she explained, in answer to her cousin’s raised eyebrows. “I thought I might as well come down early and give you a hand.”

“Well, good. That will give me time to show you the ropes.” Stephanie walked in ahead of her. “It will be a long day, though, and you’ll probably regret coming in early by the time it’s over. Molly won’t be here for another hour. She stayed late last night to clean up, and I told her to sleep in. As you can see,” she said, and flapped her hand at the neat tables, “she did a great job.”

“She sure did.” Clara studied the stack of books on the table closest to her. “You should have called me. I could have helped. I wasn’t doing anything.”

“Did you find an apartment?”

“Nope. The one I saw was too small and didn’t have a dishwasher. I’ve got to have some place to hide my dirty dishes.”

“You only saw one apartment?”

Clara made a face. “This is Finn’s Harbor. There’s not a lot of rentals to choose from.”

“Well, it’s not New York, I give you that.” Stephanie took a bunch of keys out of her purse and unlocked the cash register. “You’ll just have to be less fussy about where you live.”

“After looking at what’s available out there, my mother’s house is beginning to look a lot more comfortable. Even with her in it.”

Stephanie laughed. “You’ll be good for each other. Now come over here, and I’ll show you how to ring up purchases.”

Clara did her best to remember everything, jotting down notes as Stephanie explained her duties. The next half hour passed quickly, and by the time they were done, Clara felt reasonably confident she could handle anything, barring an unforeseen emergency.

“You can always call me if you’re in doubt,” Stephanie told her as she closed the file that held customers’ new-book reservations. “I can be down here in a few minutes if you need me.”

“I’ll be fine,” Clara assured her. She looked around, smiling as her glance fell on Madame Sophia. “I think this will be fun.”

“I hope so. I want you to enjoy working here; then, maybe you’ll stay.” Stephanie grinned. “Now, I need you to go to the stockroom. The copies of Wayne Lester’s new astrology book came in yesterday, and we need to get them out on the shelves. A lot of customers are waiting for that book.”

At the mention of the stockroom, Clara felt a stab of uneasiness. She nodded, carefully keeping her expression blank.

Her cousin, however, knew her too well. “What’s the matter?” Stephanie frowned. “Am I being too bossy?”

That made Clara smile. “You’ve always been bossy, but it’s okay. You’re the boss. You’re entitled.” Before Stephanie could probe anymore, she took off down the aisle and headed for the stockroom.

The disturbing sensation she’d felt the day before came back to haunt her as she opened the door. It didn’t mean anything, she assured herself. She had moments like that all the time. Most of the time they went away without her ever knowing what was behind them. This was just one of those times. Even so, she braced herself as she pushed open the door and flipped on the light.

She had taken only two steps into the room when she saw the huddled figure on the floor. Shock slammed into her chest, making it hard to breathe. She tried to shout for Stephanie, but no sound would come out of her mouth.

She took a wobbly step or two forward and uttered a whimper of horror. The shattered pieces of Edgar Allan Poe’s bust were scattered on the floor. In the center of them, Ana Jordan lay face-up, a puddle of dark blood spreading out from under her head.