Trouble in the Treasure by Heather Huffman

Author:Heather Huffman [Huffman, Heather]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Heather Huffman
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Maybe Rafael’s paranoia was getting to her because after they parted ways, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being followed. She and Margo headed to the shop, looping around the block an extra time to test her theory. Nora knew she looked like a crazy person as she walked down the street, randomly stopping, turning, or dipping into alleyways to see if she could catch someone in the act.

She also knew that in all likelihood, if she was being followed, her pursuer would now be aware that he’d been busted, so her antics might have scared him off. Regardless, the feeling abated and she went to the bookshop, hoping it would provide a worthwhile distraction from all things treasure.

Pru was spending her day at the art studio, so Leo and crew were taking advantage of her absence to set about the noisy work of moving the recording equipment into the loft. Casimir sat on her counter, watching everyone else work with a look that reminded Nora of a bored king looking down on his subjects.

She knew that if she’d walked in to find Pru, Leo, or August sitting on her counter, she wouldn’t have thought anything of it. But Casimir doing so irritated her. Perhaps it was petty, but she reminded him they were a business, and a customer might need to set books on the counter.

“Aw, babe. Don’t be that way. You’d be so much prettier if you’d smile more.”

She suspected he thought the grin he was giving her was infinitely more charming than it actually was. Nora didn’t reply to his comment. Rather, she stopped what she was doing and fixed him with her gaze, arching an eyebrow and waiting for him to get off her counter.

After an awkward moment, he coughed uncomfortably and slid down from his perch. Nora turned, to go back to helping move books when a man walking past the store caught her attention. She was sure she’d seen him walk by just minutes before.

Telling herself she was imagining it, Nora hauled another stack of books up the stairs, handing them off to August to shelve before trotting back down the stairs for more. Two trips later, she saw the man walk by again, this time ducking into the shop next door.

Nora debated going next door to see how the guy would react. Before she could work up the nerve, he reemerged, locking eyes with Nora for a suspended moment before ducking his head and hurrying off.

It was driving her crazy—she knew she’d seen him somewhere before; she just couldn’t place where. Even as she wracked her brain trying to remember, Mykal popped in the door with a cheerful smile.

“I come bearing gifts,” she announced, holding up the boxes in her arms.

“Pru will be sad she missed this.” Nora forced a smile. Maybe she was just unsettled by the mystery man, but the timing of the visit seemed suspect.

“So—” Mykal leaned in conspiratorially. “What’s this I hear about you and Detective Medero going hiking?”

Nora shot August a look, who shrugged innocently.

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.