Free Mission to Murder by Lynn Cahoon Page A

hand. “I am not going over to that old fart’s place.”
    “Aunt Jackie . . .” I started but she shook her head.
    “I’m not subjecting myself to being objectified. You just come back into the office when you’re done telling him how to act at the business meetings. The guy needs to keep his mouth shut. The meetings will go a lot faster that way. You tell him to stay quiet.” Jackie turned, then called after me, “And come sign my check when you’re done.”
    “As if I could have forgotten in the last three minutes.” I watched my aunt power-walk back to the shop. She made a zipper motion on her mouth when she saw me watching, then pointed in the general direction of Josh Thomas’s shop.
    The woman was a nut. When I turned back around, Josh stood in the open doorway to his shop. I waved and he stepped back into the shop, apparently trying to avoid me. After almost sitting on me to make me listen this morning, now he plays vanishing games with me? I lengthened my strides and pushed open the heavy wood and glass door into the antique shop.
    A bell rang over my head, and I blinked my eyes, trying to focus in the dim light. The man kept the shop dark. I’d heard serious antique sellers were concerned about the damage electric light caused to the merchandise. Personally, I thought it was a way of keeping down the utility costs. A musty and dusty smell engulfed me and I sneezed. Pulling a tissue out of my purse, I called out, “Josh? Can I talk to you?”
    No answer. My eyes adjusted to the dim lighting so I gingerly stepped around the displays, heading deep into the building. Boxes lined the walkway, more as I walked farther into to store. The man needed to unpack his merchandise and get it displayed. No one ever bought something out of a box.
    He had an antique cash register sat up on a high bar. I took a peek behind the bar to see if he was asleep in his chair. No Josh, but it looked like he’d been working on some paperwork. I stepped closer and a receipt caught my eye. The Castle’s logo was on the top. On the receipt, Craig had written “appraisal and estimating service, $1000.” I flipped through the file; there must have been twenty more, with the amounts all in four digits. What had Craig needed appraised that often that he would pay these kind of fees for? I remembered Aunt Jackie mentioning the crate at the dock. Would there have been this much stuff to appraise?
    I slipped one of the receipts in my pocket as I heard footsteps coming from the back. Stepping away from the counter, I scanned the darkness farther into the store.
    “Josh Thomas, show yourself or you’re not invited to the next meeting.” I called, my voice shaky.
    A breath on my shoulder made me spin and there he stood. “No need to be controlling, Miss Gardner. I’ve been pulling some boxes for a private client who’s coming in this week.”
    I shuddered, hoping the action wasn’t as obvious as it felt. “Sorry. I’m here to talk about the Business to Business meeting. To answer your questions about our process?”
    Josh started digging in the box he’d set on the counter, his voice muffled. “I don’t have . . . questions.”
    “Then maybe you can answer one for me. Why were you and Craig trying to stop the certification on the mission wall?” Anger flared through me. Trying to tamp it down, I waited for him to answer.
    “Who said I was part of that?” Josh poked his head up over the edge of the box. “I’ve been staying home, keeping an eye out for those ruffians. Day in, day out. I’ve been watching those boys.”
    Yeah, and that’s not creepy at all , I thought. “My consultant on the commission. He says you have some kind of proof.” I watched his face for a response.
    “The man talks too much.” Josh took some statues out of the box and set them on a shelf next to him. “I don’t have anything to tell you.”
    Frustrated, I ran my hand through my hair, trying to think of the right combination of words to