Proof of Murder (Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery #4) - Lauren Elliott Page 0,58

sandwich board on the sidewalk, pick up the newspaper from beside the door . . . darn it!”

“What?”

“This morning the front-page headline caught my eye. It was about Hill Road House, and I started reading the article and didn’t do my inspection.” Her gaze dropped. “I won’t let it happen again.”

“Don’t worry about it. I just can’t believe that someone threw books on the floor.” Addie bent down to retrieve one and then stopped. “Paige, look at this.” Her cheeks burned with righteous anger. “All the books down this aisle in the supernatural mystery section have been tossed, too!”

“It looks like someone ran down here with their arm out in order to fling all the books to the floor.” Paige picked up a copy of The Ghosts and Mysteries of Greyborne Harbor. “Who would be so disrespectful to books?”

“I don’t know. None of our usual customers would do something like this.” Addie picked up a book and re-shelved it. “Sometimes they’re not interested in it after reading the cover blurb or reading the first few pages and leave them in a pile beside the reading chairs, but to just throw them on the floor? This is a new one.”

“I think with all the new tourists coming in, we’re going to have to keep a closer watch on things.”

“You’re right. All books, but especially some of the older, rarer ones need to be treated with respect.” Addie slid another book into place. “And when I get my hands on the person who did this . . .” A pounding resonated from the back room. “That must be Serena.”

“You go ahead. I’ll finish cleaning this up.” Paige struggled to stand under the load of books in her arms.

“Are you sure?” Addie helped her to her feet.

“Yeah.” She glanced down the aisle. “I’ll get the cart. It won’t take long.”

“Okay, thanks.” Addie squeezed Paige’s hand and trotted out the back door.

* * *

As they approached number 555 Hill Road, Addie bounced excitedly on the backseat. “Look at the floor lamp that woman is leaving with.” She flung her arm out between Elli and Serena. “That would be perfect in the back corner of my shop. I wonder if there’s another one?”

Elli pulled over at the front entrance. “I hope the best deals haven’t gone already.” Serena cast a leery gaze at the haunted monstrosity.

“I know. It’s nearly eleven, and the sign said it started at nine.” Addie joined her on the sidewalk.

Serena spoke to Elli through the open car window as Addie made her way toward the gate. She relaxed her shoulders. Today it was propped open so there’d be no eerie responses from it. Serena joined her, and they made their way around the house, following the signs and the noise to the back garden. Addie whistled. “I think Martha got it wrong this morning.”

“Why? What did she say?”

“She said half the town was here. I’d say it’s more like the whole town.” Addie looped her arm through Serena’s, and they navigated through the crowd to the closest table set out under a large tent.

“Look at those teapots.” Serena made a beeline over to a table of kitchen goods. “Aren’t they precious?” She examined a delft blue porcelain one. “This would be perfect in my shop. And look at this Chinese stoneware one.” She set down the blue-and-white-flowered one and picked up a beige pot with Oriental markings on the sides. “This is beautiful and would be perfect in my store.”

“If I’m not mistaken,” Addie said as she inspected the pot, “that’s either a nineteenth-century or early-twentieth-century Chinese Yixing teapot. You can probably get it for a decent price since it’s out here on the sale tables.”

Serena went full-seasoned garage-sale shopper on her, gathering items together and group-price bartering with the young woman working the table. It was clear that Serena was no stranger to haggling, and from what Addie overheard from the nearby booths and tables, the townspeople of Greyborne Harbor matched Serena’s vigor in demanding the best deals they could, too.

As entertaining as watching haggling was, Addie wasn’t interested in accumulating more stuff for herself and tugged her phone out to check messages from Simon. Nothing. There were still no missed calls or texts from or about her cousin, either. She shook her head. The police had showed their incompetency in investigating the footprints; she wondered if that was also the reason they were still unable to locate Kalea.

It made her question Ryley’s involvement in all this even more. She’d