The Invisible Hand: A Pareto Sisters Mystery by P.E. Klein

Author:P.E. Klein [Klein, P.E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Story Merchant Books
Published: 2023-06-18T00:00:00+00:00

Trap

Emma shoved Charlie away from the bulk of the paper slide, representing hundreds of pounds of debris. It was a close call. Charlie could have been crushed. The most powerful part of the avalanche missed them.

A double choir delivered the climactic Dies Irae from Verdi’s Requiem as they dug themselves out of the papers. Although Charlie and Emma were covered with dust, there was no serious damage. Roberta had not been in the slide’s path, so she was able to give assistance to Charlie, brushing off her back.

The elderly homeowner was shaken by the mishap. She profusely apologized, bewildered by the cause of the avalanche. As Charlie continued to dust herself off, June called out from behind a wall of paper, pronouncing the house too hazardous for visitors. She asked Emma and Charlie to leave, insisting that she and Roberta would restore order to the house. The two said their farewells to Roberta, without making return plans.

Later in the day, Charlie shared with Emma her suspicion that the mishap at Roberta’s house might not have been an accident.

“I agree,” Emma said. “Something fishy is going on there.”

Charlie frowned. “It’s as if Roberta is being controlled by her foster brother and June. It’s really depressing. And I’ve been feeling low lately. Seeing those people—who don’t seem to like each other—makes me think that some people aren’t meant to live together. I’m wondering if Operation RECLAIM was ever a good idea.”

* * *

Three days after the avalanche at Roberta’s house, Emma and the sisters set off to Seaside Park. Clarke had revealed that the orange gorillas were prizes given away at the midway’s high striker. Their plan was to observe the game throughout the day, looking for the dogwalker. The girls would pass the day with two school friends they would meet there. Emma would provide the transportation and accompany the girls.

Before heading to the amusement park, the group made a stopover at Chuck’s Donuts. Charlie ordered her usual powdered sugar doughnuts. These white sugar doughnuts, called Sweet Snowballs, left a trail of white powder in their wake. Running late, Emma asked the girls to eat the donuts on the way to the park. Charlie used zip-lock plastic bags as gloves and as receptacles to catch the spilled powdered sugar.

Emma had not cleaned her car in months. Since the seats and floor of her car were crowded with empty soft drink cans, free-floating vitamin pills, candy, fast-food wrappers, a couple of unpaid parking tickets, and small sheets of foil, she told Charlie that she was not concerned about the sugar further degrading the interior of her vehicle.

Emma was relieved to find a mostly-legal parking space close to the entrance of the amusement park. The girls met their friends, Yinyue and Aurora, next to an antique carousel. Yinyue was Clarke’s peer and Aurora was Charlie’s age. Charlie shared Aurora’s name when debuting the amusement park plan with Emma. Before this, however, Charlie had not mentioned the friend. Emma did not ask Charlie if Roberta’s counseling reprioritized her punch list.

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