A Grave Mistake by Leighann Dobbs Read Free Book Online Page B

loaded some greens into the tunnel of the juicer and switched it on. The noise made it impossible to talk, so Jolene thought about the facts of the case while the machine made its headache-inducing noise.
    So far, all they really knew was that Ezra Finch had hidden an important relic decades ago. That relic was infused with energy from an energy master, which could be disastrous if it fell into the wrong hands. One or more groups of paranormal bad guys were after the relic, one of whom had a penchant for Black Crow licorices and had already killed at least one person. They had no idea what the relic was or where to look next.
    Mercifully, the whirring of the juicer stopped and Jolene watched Celeste pour the green, gloppy liquid into a glass. “So, it looks like we’re up against both the licorice killer and Bly’s guys. But who has the relic?”
    “The licorice killer must have it, since it was no longer in the cornerstone,” Morgan said.
    Johanna’s left brow rose a fraction of an inch. “ If it was in there in the first place.”
    Fiona nodded. “That’s right. We only know that the licorice killer was in there before us. We don’t know he actually found anything.”
    “And if the bearded attackers reported back that we were in the cornerstone, than Bly probably thinks we have it and he’ll be coming after us,” Celeste said over the rim of her juice glass.
    “ Breeeow! ” Belladonna’s paw shot out at lightning speed, sending the object zipping across the floor. Jolene frowned as she watched it. It didn’t look like a milk carton ring or any of Belladonna’s usual toys. She stuck her foot out to intercept it. The object bounced off her foot, then spun to a stop an inch away. It was an old, brown cork. She slid off her stool and grabbed it off the floor then stood, holding it up in front of her face. “What is this? I’m not sure Belladonna should be playing with it.”
    “ Brrrrrowgh. ” Belladonna glared at Jolene as if to say that she was perfectly capable of figuring out what was safe to play with on her own.
    Morgan squinted at the cork. “That looks like one of my remedy bottle corks.” She held her hand out and Jolene dropped the cork into her palm. “Yep. It’s okay. My remedies are all natural.”
    Jolene narrowed her eyes. “But don’t you use antique bottles. What if the cork still has some old poison on it?”
    Morgan closed the cork in her fist and put her hands on her hips. “I sanitize the bottles and the corks, of course. You don’t think I’d be giving remedies to people in bottles with poisonous corks, do you? But anyway, I have no idea how she got this. I don’t leave my stuff lying around. I just thought she was batting around some balled-up masking tape.”
    “Me, too.” Jolene felt bad that she’d thought the cork might not be sanitized. She knew Morgan was diligent about safety with her remedies. Still, it unnerved her that the cat was batting around the cork and she hadn’t noticed what it was. Which made her wonder what other items the cat played with that she assumed was one thing when it was really something else. Assumptions were too easy to make, and Jolene knew from her private investigator training that assuming was never a good idea.
    And that thought made her wonder if they were making too many assumptions about the relic and the parties involved. “I’m not sure what to think about this. We can’t assume anything about Bly and the licorice killer, or even that they are the only two groups after the relic.”
    Celeste said, “Sheesh, how many people do you think are looking for the darn thing?”
    “The amount of people looking for the relic isn’t what worries me the most,” Morgan said. “What worries me the most is who has it now.”
    “Nobody has it.” A voice shot in from the hallway shortly seconds before its owner, a tall, sharply-dressed woman appeared in the doorway. Jolene recognized the woman as Dorian Hall, Luke’s mysterious boss.