Her limbs were a little too long for her body, her cheeks like razor blades. And she had that extra little shimmer around her. Probably Fae then. Maybe Summer court? I couldn’t tell for sure. Ghosts were my specialty, not any of the other crazy things that called the Hollow home.

  Though, I was getting better with faeries, on account of Cain’s sister being Queen of the Winter Fae. Or Princess, at least, until she took the throne. Yeah, that had been a trip for Cain to find out. I wasn’t sure who was more surprised by it, him, or Taliyah.

  Once the gal was in the middle of taking some paintings down from the walls, I crept back to the main hall, and then dropped all attempts at sneaking. Instead, I craned my head around, staring at the walls like some tourist.

  The gal turned around, looking surprised. “Can I help you, miss?”

  I tried not to let the ‘miss’ part make me smile. I still had it. Though, come to think of it, even though she looked about twenty, Fae were tricky like that. She could have been older than me, even with my stint as a stiff.

  I gave her ‘the look’, all wide eyes and flushed cheeks. “I’m so sorry! I left to use the powder room, and I got all turned around. This place is so big!”

  The Fae woman relaxed, and if her smile was tinged with a bit of condescension, then that was okay. It meant she wouldn’t think I was up to something. If I was just some Dumb Dora who couldn’t find the bathroom, so much the better.

  “I understand.” She smoothed the front of her dark skirt down and folded her hands in front of her. “This place can be a little confusing, until you’re used to it. The closest washroom is just down this hallway—the fourth door on your left.”

  “You’re a life saver,” I told her, putting some relief into my voice. “This place is just soooo huge. But you must be used to it. Have you worked here long, miss?”

  I might not know much about the oogly booglies that called Haven Hollow home, but I’d picked up a thing here and there. One of those was, never ask a Fae for their name. Ask how they referred to themselves, or just leave it open ended so they could give whatever name they wanted to.

  The Fae twitched, shoulders tensing before they relaxed again. “Sage, Miss. They call me Sage. And yes, I’ve worked here for some time.”

  Alright, excellent. Servants were almost as good as ghosts when it came to dishing the dirt. I just had to ease my way into my questions.

  “It’s terrible, what happened.” I waved back toward the direction of the wake. “It’s nice that so many people came out, though. She was a special lady.”

  Sage looked at me like I’d grown a second head. Her smile was tight. “Yes. Special.”

  Okay, time to change tracks.

  “Sure is a lot of hubbub going on though, eh?” I gave her what I hoped was a conspiratorial look. “What with certain things going missing.”

  That was bad.

  Right. I didn’t need Cain’s muttered commentary to tell me as much. I was pretty sure if he’d been able to, he would have slapped his own forehead. I was a good actress, but I wasn’t exactly a trained gumshoe.

  Something sparked in Sage’s eyes, and a grin curled the edges of her mouth. “Oh, my goodness, the uproar when it couldn’t be found. I thought the family was going to pull the entire manor apart, stone by stone.”

  The laugh that slipped out of Sage’s mouth was full of a wicked kind of glee.

  Cain and I both stared. That had been easier than I thought. Someone might just have a bit of resentment bottled up about the Erepto family. And I couldn’t blame her. I’d spent a few minutes in a room with one of them and I was ready to crawl out of my skin with nerves. I couldn’t imagine working for them full time.

  “They freaked, huh?”

  “Lords and Ladies, you have no idea.” Sage leaned closer. “I thought Manos and Sophia were going to brawl, both of them accusing the other of stealing it. I’m surprised they waited for Magda to die before trying to get their hands on the thing. You ask me?” She jerked a thumb over her finger towards the closed double doors at the end of the hallway. “The old lady took the idol with her when she died. That would have been right up her alley. Then watch the whole family implode from wherever she ended up.”

  Yeesh, what a nice family.

  I made a show of glancing around, making sure there was no one here but Sage and me. And, well, Cain, but she didn’t need to know about him. “So, they still don’t have any idea where it is?”

  Sage shook her head. “They have no idea where it is. Or if they do, they haven’t brought it up around me. And I’m basically furniture to them so they wouldn’t care what they said around me. Half the time, I don’t even think they realize I’m there.”

  “Could it have gotten mixed in with this other stuff?”

  Sage sniffed, glancing around at the half-boxed wing. “No—the idol isn’t the kind of thing you could misplace.”

  “Too big?”

  She shook her head. “It’s not very big, but it’s very… distinct.”

  Okay, that was promising. Sophia hadn’t gotten around to giving me a picture yet, so I still had no idea what the doohickey even looked like.

  “Distinct,” I prompted.

  Sage’s eyes widened with vicious delight and I was suddenly happy that she clearly disliked the family enough to want to gossip with me about them—because by now she had to realize I was snooping. She bent closer, until our faces were almost touching, looking like she was going to impart the secrets of the universe.

  “That thing,” she began with relish. “Is the most hideous thing I’ve ever seen in all my days. And I’ve seen trolls attempt abstract art.”

  My mouth popped open, a shocked laugh slipping free.

  Sage nodded, looking satisfied with my response. “Oh, yes. It’s a horrendous monstrosity, barely bigger than my fist.”

  “What is it?”

  “A woman all in gold with snakes wrapped around her. It even has the tackiest red ruby eyes you’ve ever seen.” She gave a theatrical shudder. “If it fell in with the rest of the junk being packed up, I’m pretty sure the other stuff would curdle, or crawl out on its own, just trying to get away from the ugly thing.”

  Well, it sounded distinct. At least I’d be able to recognize it if I saw it.

  “Hoo, boy. That sure sounds like something. So, is the family always… like that, then?”

  “Probably,” Sage said, rolling her eyes, before she settled them on me once more. “But how do you mean?”

  “Well,” I said, thinking fast. “They’re all smiling and gracious and all that, but it’s like they’re all trying to murder each other with their eyes. I saw Sophia yelling at her son like he’d committed the worst crime ever.”

  Sage’s lip twisted up. “That’s Dimitri. He’s useless. He gets his fun by making work for the rest of us, the little brat. He’s terrified of Sophia, though. Wait.” Sage grabbed my arm. Her hands were surprisingly strong, for a dame. “Sophia was yelling at him?”

  “Yeah. It looked like she was going to rip him a new one,” I continued, using one of the newer phrases I’d cottoned onto.

  “Oh, that, I would love to see.” Sage strained forward like a hound begging to be let off the leash.

  “Go, go, I’m sorry to have held you up.” I flapped my hands at her and started down the hall. “I’m just going to make a stop at the ladies’ room.”

  Sage hesitated, like she wasn’t sure she should leave me alone. But it looked like her eagerness to see Sophia harassing her son won out over whatever loyalty she had to the family. “Just follow the ugly suits of armor to find your way back to the reception room.”

  With those instructions tossed over her shoulder, she took off down the hall, long legs eating up the distance. She was gone in seconds.

  I waited a few more to make sure she didn’t come back, but it looked like the coast was clear. Then I gave the other rooms (a parlor, library, and a bathroom with a tub I could have done laps in) a once-over, but didn’t see anything of interest. I figured if the idol was anywhere, it would be in Magda’s bedroom.

  Unless Sage’s half-joking suggestion was true, and Magda had taken the thing with her to the beyond. Maybe that was why her ghost had taken off lickety-split? I’d heard weirder things.

  Regardless though, Magda’s bedroom was still probably my best bet. So I eased the big white doors open and slipped inside.

  The bedroom was huge (no surprise there), but weirdly stuffy, like it had been shut up for more than three days. It didn’t help that everything was covered in those huge swaths of white fabric. It made me think of a hospital.

  The massive four post bed that dominated the room had been stripped of its covering and drapes, leaving just a sad bare mattress. Any paintings or decorations had been packed away, removing any hint of personality of the life lived in this room. It made me sad, that a person could just be erased like this and so quickly.

  There was also a ghost hovering over by the windows, wringing her hands as she looked around the room.

  “Oh, dear,” she mumbled to herself, shaking her head. “Oh, this isn’t right. This isn’t how it should be.”

  I took a few steps into the room and raised a hand to catch the ghost’s attention. “Excuse me?”

  The ghost sharpened around the edges, her form a little more distinct than it had been. “Who are you? You’re not supposed to be here.”

  Cain tensed.

  I wasn’t worried. Ghosts could be dangerous, sure. Especially ones that went violent and turned into poltergeists, like that bum Frank. But I didn’t think this dame was going to go all scary spook on us. She looked too prim for any of that.

  She was pale, even for a ghost. Her uniform was a bit like Sage’s, but more old fashioned, with a longer skirt and a starched apron. Her fair hair was pulled back into a bun so tight, it pulled her eyebrows up into a permanently surprised look, and her lips were pursed into a little rose bud.

  While I was sure she wouldn’t start tossing half the room at me, that didn’t mean the ghost couldn’t make my life difficult if she wanted to. And she looked like a real stickler for the rules, so I slapped on my most professional smile.

  “Actually, I am supposed to be here. I’m Darla, Darla Rowe, and I’m working for the Erepto family.”

  She gave me a suspicious look, her hands folded primly in front of her. “I’ve never seen you here.”

  “I’m new.” I didn’t give her a chance to question that any further, and just kept on talking. “I’ve been hired by the family to search for the missing idol. You’re familiar with it, aren’t you?”

  I’d put on my poshest voice, with a hint of an accent, so I sounded like a real snooty broad, and the ghost woman definitely seemed to notice.

  “Of course,” she said with great dignity. “I keep the rooms. This is my responsibility, and I know how everything is supposed to go.”

  She cast a look around, taking in the stripped bed, the bare walls, and she looked a little frazzled.

  “This is wrong. All wrong.”

  The boxes trembled like there was a small earthquake, the bed creaking as the few things not packed away rattled and shivered.

  Yikes. Maybe I was wrong about that whole ‘not going poltergeist’ thing.

  Careful, Cain barked.

  “I understand.” The trick was keeping my voice soothing, but brusque. And trying to get on her good side. “You’ve done an excellent job, all things considered.”

  That had her attention snapping back to me, and the intensity was a little creepy.

  “I do. I do a good job.”

  “You do.” I tugged at the hem of my skirt, trying to smooth it out. Some of the woman’s starch must have been catching. “What is your name?”

  “Clarice,” the ghost answered.

  “Pleased to meet you,” I said with a smile. “And... can I ask you: when did you last see the idol?”

  The ghost’s nose went up into the air, her mouth puckering like she’d bitten into a lemon. “When that rude little Dimitri put it in his pocket. Imagine, stealing from his own family! And his matriarch not even cold.”

  I felt my jaw drop and then hang open for a long second. Even Cain seemed shocked silent. “Wait, you saw Dimitri steal the idol?”

  She sniffed. “I did. I see everything that goes on in these chambers.”

  I threw my arms out to the sides, baffled. “Why didn’t you tell Sophia? They’ve been tearing the house apart looking for it!”

  Clarice sucked in a shocked breath, her hand fluttering up to her chest like I’d said something rude and she couldn’t believe I’d dare.

  “Speak to one of the members of the family? About their own kin? Oh, no! I could never. It’s not my place.”

  Of all the stupid, old fashioned, ridiculous reasons—

  “Besides, no one has ever seen me anyway so I wouldn’t even know how to get their attention if I tried.”

  Well, that made a little more sense.

  “Okay, well, thank you very much, Clarice. You’ve been very helpful. I’ll let you get back to your duties.” I turned and almost ran out of the room.

  That little sneak! And to think I’d felt sorry for the kid, getting dressed down like that in front of guests, however quietly it was being done. Meanwhile, he’d been stealing from his own great-grandmother and throwing his whole family into turmoil!

  She might have been lying, Cain said as I peeked around a corner to make sure the coast was clear.

  She might have, I agreed. But I doubt it. I mean, what would be the point?

  Maybe she’s protecting someone?

  I shrugged. Who would she be protecting? Besides, it makes sense.

  Does it?

  I nodded. The idol would have to have been taken by a family member. Who else would have had access to it?

  A servant.

  True, but I’d wager the servants get searched whenever they leave—this place has too many riches to take any chances.

  That’s a good point.

  I nodded again. Dimitri is the most likely suspect. He’s got means and opportunity.

  Cain made a little amused huff of sound. Well, listen to you, sounding like an investigator. I guess I’m rubbing off on you.

  I actually got it from watching Colombo, but I wasn’t about to tell Cain that. Most of my modern lingo came from decades of sporadic television watching.

  I managed to get back to the main gathering without getting detected by any of the family or the staff and slipped back into the crowd with no one the wiser.

  Next things next, I had to find that rotten Dimitri, and I could have the whole case wrapped up before dinner. Maybe I’d celebrate with one of those little brie bites.

  Three O’clock, over by the bar.

  Cain spotted him before I did. I turned, and sure enough, there was Dimitri Erepto standing by the bar, drinking like it was a sport. Knee deep in his cups, as my granny used to put it.

  I went storming right up to the palooka. There wasn’t any need to drag him off somewhere private; the rest of the guests were treating him like he was radioactive. Even the bartender was making busy work down at the other end of the bar, pointedly not answering Dimitri’s finger snapping for another drink.

  I couldn’t blame the guy.

  “I need to talk to you,” I told him when I was close enough.

  The rat fink didn’t even look at me, too busy trying to get the server’s attention, a little too zozzled to realize that the fella was ignoring him on purpose. “I doubt that.”

  “Listen, fella, I know you took the idol. Just hand it over, and all this stops here.”

  That got the dope looking at me. He was pale under his tan, but he rolled his eyes at me. “I didn’t take the idol,” he answered with a little laugh, like just the idea was silly.

  “Of course, you did,” I insisted.

  “Who put you up to this?” he laughed. “Because it’s not funny.”

  “No one put me up to it.”

  Then he looked at me with a frown. “And who the hell are you, anyway?”

  “I’m the person your mother hired to find the idol and now that I’ve found you, I want to know where it is.”

  He shook his head. “Look, I don’t know who you are or what my mother was thinking in hiring you, but I don’t know where the thing is because I didn’t take it.” Then he chuckled once more, rolling his eyes like this was one big misunderstanding. “What would I even do with the thing? It’s not like I’m in line for clan head.”

  He tried to turn his back to me, the fine hairs at his temples suddenly damp with sweat. The kid was no actor. I’d seen toddlers that could sell a lie better than that.

  “Baloney,” I hissed at him. “Cut the horse feathers. I got an eye witness. I know you took it.”

  “What’s your name again?” he demanded.

  “That don’t matter. All that does are two things; why you pinched it in the first place, and where it is now.”

  Dimitri tried to laugh me off, but the sound was a little brittle around the edges. “You’re crazy.” Then he shook his head before looking at me once more. “Now get lost. I don’t have it and I don’t know who does.”

  I’d done bad cop. It was time for worse cop.

  “Okay.” I smiled at him, big enough to flash the dimples that were my secret weapon. “I guess I’ll just have to take this to Sophia then. Maybe your mother can help us get this ‘misunderstanding’ sorted.”

  If the kid had been pale before, he was downright pasty after that. He breathed in real deep like then gave me another look. “It would just be your word against mine and you really think she’s going to believe some woman over her own son?”

  “It wouldn’t be your word against mine when I have a witness who watched you take it.”

  “That’s impossible. Who’s your witness?”

  “I’m tired of playing games with you,” I answered as I whipped out my cell phone and looked for Taliyah’s number.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Calling the Chief of Police in Haven Hollow who happens to be... my sister-in-law,” I lied.

  Your sister-in-law? Cain guffawed.

  Hey, I want it to look like Taliyah and I are close.