“I know, Regan, but listen to her. It sounds like she’s begging people to stay and buy my books.”

The front door flew open. “Nora!” Edna called. “I have someone here who wants to buy one of your books, but only if you’re willing to personalize it—yes, or no?”

“Of course,” Nora answered as sweetly as she could.

“Come on out here!” Edna ordered as the house phone started to ring. “Regan, would you get that, please? I’m very busy.”

“Certainly.” Regan and her mother exchanged looks of amusement, then headed in different directions. Regan hurried to the kitchen, where two women were examining the table and chairs. They seemed to be in a world of their own, and didn’t notice the loud ringing of the phone, or Regan’s presence in the room.

“It’s a pretty nice table and a good price, but, eh, I’ve seen nicer.”

Regan grabbed the cordless phone from the wall. “Frawley residence,” she answered.

“Hello, is Cleo Paradise there?” a woman asked.

“No, she’s not. Who’s calling?”

“My name is Daisy Harris. I’m a good friend of Cleo’s. When will she be back?”

“Actually,” Regan said cautiously, “she’s not living here anymore.”

“She’s not?” Daisy sounded surprised and a little upset.

“No, she’s not.”

“Where did she go?”

“I don’t know,” Regan responded. “I just answered the phone for the woman who owns the house. She’s busy right now.”

“I heard that woman is having some kind of sale where she’s selling things that belong to Cleo. Is that true?” Daisy asked incredulously.

Regan felt embarrassed. “Yes, Mrs. Frawley is having a garage sale …”

“This is crazy!” Daisy exclaimed, sounding more and more upset. “Cleo wouldn’t leave her things behind. When did she leave?”

“Last Friday, I believe,” Regan answered. “She left Mrs. Frawley a note saying she was off to do a movie.”

“A movie! But I just talked to her Monday night. She didn’t tell me anything about a movie or that she had moved out of the house. She was waiting for me to finish work on a film I’m doing in Florida and then we were going to drive back to California together.”

I knew it, Regan thought. I had the feeling that there was something odd about Cleo’s sudden departure. “Maybe she’s nearby and just wanted to leave this house for some reason,” Regan suggested, in an attempt to comfort Daisy.

“Then why wouldn’t she tell me?” Daisy asked, her voice rising. “Why?”

“When you talked to her the other day, was she on her cell phone?”

“Yes. I tried calling it just now but there’s no answer. I left a message.”

“I’m sure she’ll call you back.”