I picked one out and settled back in the chair, excitement causing my pulse to pick up speed. Early books were rare and could be worth a lot of money. I opened the book, carefully fingering the thin, yellowed pages. I could see foxing—brown stains of water damage—on the edges. That would affect the value, but the book had gorgeous, hand colored plates inside that would make up for it.

Pandora got bored with sniffing the box while I was studying the book. She trotted over to the living room and started to bat around one of her cat toys. The toy made a familiar jingling noise that stirred a memory, stealing my attention from the book I’d been studying.

I’d heard that noise somewhere else recently—where?

It came to me in a snap. Emma had been hiding something that made a similar noise behind her back at the church.

Emma had gray hair.

Emma had mentioned the church’s desperate need for money.

Lavinia had some sort of secret that had to do with the church.

“Could Emma be the killer?” I said out loud.

“Meow!” Pandora went crazy, throwing the ball up in the air and pouncing on it. It was almost as if she was trying to tell me something. Too bad I had no idea what that something was.

“It doesn’t seem like she would be the killer.”

“Mew.” Pandora stopped her antics and stared at me. I picked her up and cuddled her in my lap, stroking her soft fur.

“Little old ladies don’t clobber other little old ladies and push them down the stairs, do they?”

Pandora answered by purring and kneading her razor sharp claws into my arm.

I didn’t know what that meant, but I did know one thing … I was going to pay Emma a visit and find out why both Lavinia and Ophelia had lied about lighting candles at the church and what—if anything—that had to do with Lavinia’s murder.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

The next morning, I contemplated my plan of attack over peanut butter toast. I wanted to visit Emma at the church and find out Lavinia’s secret and I also wanted to take the photo album to the Bates’ and, hopefully, to find out about the bronzes.

The problem was that I didn’t want to leave the shop closed too long. I’d been opening late, taking a long lunch and leaving early a lot lately and I didn’t want to put customers off. Lavinia might have been murdered, but I still had to earn a living.

I decided to visit the Bates’ during lunch and the church later in the afternoon. I didn’t usually get too many customers after three, so I’d close early and still be able to get to the church before Emma went home for the night.