A Fatal Collection by Mary Ellen Hughes

Author:Mary Ellen Hughes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: mystery;mystery fiction;mystery;novel;mystery books;fatal collection;cozy;cozy mystery;cozy fiction;antiques;collecting;maine;mary hughes;maryellen hughes
Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Published: 2017-09-18T16:17:27+00:00

Sixteen

After wandering up and down the street in the hot sun, growing warmer but not in regards to finding what she was searching for, Callie finally stopped a cheerful-looking woman with a Keepsake Cove shopping bag over her arm and asked if she knew where the glass collectibles shop was.

“You mean Glorious Glass?” The woman set down her bag, handed a large drink cup to Callie to hold, and rummaged through her large purse, finally pulling out a wrinkled Keepsake Cove brochure that located all the shops on a map. “Here’s where we are,” she said, pointing with a sparkly painted nail, “and here’s where you want to go.” She traced a dark line until it turned right, off the main street. “You can’t miss it.”

Callie thanked her and took off, finding the shop easily with the map she now had in her head. The window of Glorious Glass glittered with all things imaginable made of glass, in every shape, size, and color. Callie gazed, her head spinning as she thought of needing to keep track of such a vast inventory. Her music boxes were hard enough, but their size kept their numbers far lower than Duane Fletcher’s.

She saw Duane through the window, sitting alone behind his counter, and hesitated, unsure exactly what she hoped to accomplish by being there. Then he looked up and spotted her and waved for her to come in. She headed for the door.

“Welcome, welcome to my little shop,” Duane said as he bounced up. “Nothing so grand as yours, of course, but I’m proud of it.”

“It’s beautiful,” Callie said, blinking as the overhead lights reflected off the countless glass figurines, candy dishes, perfume bottles, and vases. “Glorious indeed!”

Duane beamed. “The name comes from my mother, Gloria. It was her love of all things glass that started it all. She amassed a wonderful collection. When she died, it just made sense to bring it all here and carry on in her memory.”

“That’s similar to the beginnings of House of Melody.”

“Mel and I talked about that. And we’re not the only ones. Most of the shopkeepers here in the Cove have turned their personal collections into a business. It’s wonderful to get paid for working at something you love.”

“It is, as long as it can support you.”

“Of course. And I’ve been very fortunate in that. Very fortunate. But,” he said, lowering his voice although there was no one around to hear, “it’s also drawn a bit of envy, I’m afraid.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “It’s to be expected, I suppose, though it hurts. I’ve worked hard at my business and reaped the rewards. I’ve also tried to do my bit by pitching in with the Keepsake Cove Association, and believe me, the treasurer’s job is time-consuming, tedious work. But I’ve been happy to do it, to help out, you know? But doing for others, I’ve found, can turn around and bite you.” He brightened. “But never mind! You’re not here to listen to my little problems. Tell me, how

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.