A Treacherous Tale--The Cambridge Bookshop Series by Elizabeth Penney

Author:Elizabeth Penney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

CHAPTER 11

“Ah, this is so nice.” I sat back in my chair, beer in hand, and surveyed the bookshop garden. The three of us were eating dinner outside, big salads featuring local vegetables and a tantalizing array of toppings.

“What a day,” Mum said. “My feet actually hurt.” She wiggled bare toes. After our lengthy trek through the Deep Woods, we had returned to Thomas Marlowe to find Aunt Violet surrounded by demanding customers from a bus tour. We’d jumped right in to answer questions, guide book choices, and ring up sales.

“I’m starting to regret adding our shop to the bus tour list,” Aunt Violet said, stabbing her fork into her salad. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“They spent a lot of money, at least,” Mum said. “Swarmed in like locusts, bought everything in sight, and left.”

“True,” Aunt Violet said. “Oh, wanted to tell you. I finally added upcoming tours to the desk calendar. Today’s totally slipped my mind.”

I poked around in my salad, trying to decide what I wanted in my next mouthful. Chickpeas, avocado, or a chunk of cheese. Maybe all three. “We wouldn’t have left if we’d known,” I said. “The bookshop is our priority.”

Aunt Violet’s smile was mischievous. “You mean over discovering an Anglo-Saxon crown? I still can’t believe it.”

“Me either,” I said. “The coroner’s office carried it away for safekeeping and I guess there’s going to be an inquest. I hope Iona can keep it. Or at least get some money for it.” I was pretty sure the crown would be declared to be treasure and thus have to go to a museum.

“I wonder where Nate found it in the first place,” Mum said. “Did he dig it up in the back garden?”

“That’s a possibility, I suppose,” Aunt Violet said. “That would probably mean that there’s a grave there. A piece that valuable wasn’t disposed of by accident.”

I shivered at the idea of a grave behind Strawberry Cottage. Although Thornton Hall’s fields were dotted with barrows, so it wasn’t that far-fetched.

“Why didn’t he tell his wife about it?” Mum asked. “If they found it fair and square, they could have gotten some money.”

I couldn’t help but think that there was more to the story and Nate had hidden the crown for a reason. I was about to say so when a shrill voice hailed us from the back gate.

“Violet. Nina. Can I come in?” Aunt Janice stood at the gate, fiddling with the latch. After discovering a murdered woman in the garden a couple of months ago, we had installed a bolt. A little too late, but an instinctive reaction.

Shifting in her seat, Mum huffed in annoyance. “I’ll go,” I said. “Hold on, Aunt Janice. It’s locked.”

She continued to flick the latch. “Why? It’s never been locked long as I’ve been coming here.”

I didn’t bother to answer. As I hurried across the grass, I wondered how she dared to show her face after the way she’d treated my uncle—Mum’s brother. Surely she didn’t expect to get sympathy from us.

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