A Sinister Sign by Beth Prentice

Author:Beth Prentice
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Beth Prentice

“Hi, Bianca.” My heels dug into the dirt when I stepped on to the remains of the front lawn. I raised a hand, shielding my eyes from the bright sunlight.

“Oh, hi. It’s Lizzie, right?” She checked her tablet as her friendly smile radiated.

“That’s me.”

“Fantastic. Yes, I have it here that you’re registered to bid today, which is excellent. I think we’re going to have a good crowd, despite some of them being here out of morbid curiosity. I’m unsure whether the news piece last night was a hindrance or a blessing.” Her nervous laugh quivered on the breeze.

“I just heard about that. What happened to Bob?”

She rolled her eyes so far into her head, I wondered if she were passing out. “What would I know? I’m just the assistant. All I know for sure is that I received a phone call on Friday night from him stating that he was quitting on the spot and I needed to get to the house ASAP.”

“That’s when he disappeared?” My mouth dropped open and a fly nearly buzzed in. Yeww.

“Yes. Ever since he took over from Zac he’s not been coping with the stress of this house. We all thought he was going to have a weekend without a phone, but when his wife called us yesterday wondering when he was coming home from the retreat, we started to question what was really going on.”

“I’m guessing there was no retreat.”

“Nope.” She frowned.

“So, Bob has gone, and not even his family knows where he went?”

Her silky-smooth hair tumbled around her shoulders as she shook her head.

I bit my lip looking up at the house. “Did he say anything to Elijah before he left?”

“Nothing to indicate where he was going.”

“Why did he leave mid-viewing?”

“I honestly have no idea. He just called me in a panic stating there was a prospective buyer in the house, and he had to leave immediately. I was to get there as quickly as I could, but one of my kids was feeling unwell, so I called Elijah and asked him to go instead.”

“I think I was the person in the house, but if Bob needed to go so urgently, he could have just asked me to leave.”

“Don’t stress, Lizzie. Bob hasn’t been his usual self lately. I’m sure when this auction is over, he’ll come back with a smile on his face.”

“Well… I guess if no one’s worried then I shouldn’t be either.”

“Of course not! Bob’s never been a fan of hard work. Thankfully, I have Elijah for that.” Her grin was large and fast as we turned to look across the lawn at Elijah greeting some new bidders.

“He’s really, umm, enthusiastic.” I was going to say creepy, but that felt rude.

“That’s one way to describe him.” She beamed. “He just started with the company, and I don’t think they knew what to do with him.” Bianca shrugged. “He seems pretty interested in the house though, so that’s a good start, right?”

As I scanned the crowd meandering around the grounds, my stomach cramped.

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