Mind Over Murder

Table of Contents

 

 

“Those idiots at the police station are holding Molly for questioning in Ana’s murder.”

“
What?
” For an instant Clara remembered the soft voice trying to tell her something when Molly was talking. Impatiently brushing the memory aside, she asked sharply, “Have they charged her?”

“Not yet. She asked Tim to let me know she might not be at work tomorrow.” Stephanie sounded close to tears. “Oh, Clara, I know Molly didn’t kill Ana. I just know it. We’ve got to help her.”

Clara blinked. “Us? How can we help her? We’re not lawyers.”

“We have to find out who did kill Ana. Until we do, everyone will think Molly did it. Even if the cops can’t prove it. It will destroy her.”

Clara gripped the phone, praying that Stephanie didn’t mean what she thought she meant. “Just how are we going to do that?”

The dreaded words echoed in her ear like the sound of doom. “You can do it, Clara. You have to use the Quinn Sense and find out who killed Ana Jordan.”

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

 

MIND OVER MURDER

 

A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

 

PRINTING HISTORY

Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / September 2011

Copyright © 2011 by Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

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ISBN : 978-1-101-54986-5

 

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Many thanks to my editor, Michelle Vega, for all your hard work, great ideas and infinite patience. Your efforts are truly appreciated.

Grateful thanks to my agent, Paige Wheeler, for steering me in the right direction and for being there for me when I need you. You know what that means to me.

To my good friends Sam Willey and Mr. Bill, for assisting me with my research and for all the wonderful pics of the Maine coast. They are invaluable.

“Stephanie Quinn Dowd, you’ve got to be kidding!” Clara Quinn stared at her cousin’s serious face and suppressed an urge to laugh. “I’ve never worked in a bookstore. Or any store for that matter. Why in the world would you want me to manage yours?”

The other woman puffed a strand of fair hair out of her eyes and dumped a pile of books onto the counter in front of her.

“Because you’re smart, you’re personable and you have a degree in literature. I need someone for the afternoon shift. Twelve till eight. I’ll be here most of the day. Besides, you need a job, and I desperately need help. Look at this!” She swept a hand around her in a wide arc.

Clara gazed around at the rows of shelves loaded with books, the tables displaying classic titles, the posters on the walls and the cozy corner with its deep armchairs and large coffee urn.

It didn’t look much different from the last time she’d seen it, shortly after Stephanie had opened the store three months ago. Except for the sinister-looking stuffed raven perched on a light fixture and the sparkling colored crystals slowly spinning from the ceiling on golden cords. Oh, and maybe the life-size figure of a fortune-teller hovering over a crystal ball. Clara grinned. “I didn’t know you still had Madam Sophia.”

Stephanie’s laugh seemed to echo along the shelves. “Do you remember when we rescued her from that awful carnival?”

“How could I forget? I was the one who climbed up that huge pile of trash to get to her.”

“We were so excited. Then my mom saw us carrying it upstairs to my room and just about went berserk.”

Clara shook her head. “Poor Madam Sophia. Relegated to a cold, drafty garage.”

“We didn’t sleep all night worrying about her.”

Clara joined in her cousin’s laughter. “Well, she looks healthy enough now.”

Stephanie’s grin vanished as the sound of angry voices erupted on the street outside. “What’s going on out there?”

“Sounds like someone’s upset about something.” Clara glanced at the old-fashioned grandfather clock by the door. “I’d better get going. I’m supposed to be looking for an apartment.”

“Wait! Are you going to help me out or not?”

Clara paused, reluctant to give an answer. It was true she needed a job. She just wasn’t sure this one would be a good idea. For a lot of reasons.

“Please?” Stephanie looked worried. “Ever since I started serving coffee and snacks in the Reading Nook, we’ve been swamped with customers. Molly’s been doing the afternoon shift now that Jonathon has gone back to college, but I really need her here in the mornings, and I must have someone reliable to take over for her in the afternoons.”

“Have you tried advertising the position?”

“Of course, but this is a small town, and it’s hard finding someone suitable for the job. My mom’s been taking care of the kids while I’m here, but once school starts next week she’ll be back at work, and I can’t rely on George; he has his own job to worry about. I’m pretty desperate, Clara.”

Again Clara struggled with her conscience. “I’d like to, Stephanie, but I don’t really have the time.” Seeing her cousin’s face freeze, she hurried on. “I’m still getting settled in, I’m looking for an apartment and I have to find a teaching position—”

Again the raised voices interrupted her. Glancing at the window, she puffed out her breath. From the day they were born, just two months apart, she and Stephanie had shared everything from baby formulas and childhood nightmares to adolescent dreams. Since neither of them had siblings, they’d turned to each other, forming a sisterhood that had lasted thirty years and would continue, Clara hoped, for as long as they lived. They trusted and relied on each other as only close family can.

She would do almost anything for Stephanie, and now her cousin needed her. She just couldn’t see any way she could refuse without seeming selfish and heartless.

Swallowing her reservations, she held up her hands. “All right. I’ll do it. On the condition that it’s only until you find someone permanent.”

“Great!” Stephanie’s face glowed with excitement. “Can you start tomorrow? Perhaps come in a little early? I could use the extra help for the sale.”

Clara gave her a reluctant nod. “Okay.”

“Thanks. It’ll be fun; you’ll see.”

“I’m not so sure.” Clara waved a hand at the shelves. “You know how I feel about all this magic and spiritual stuff.”

“I know you used to love it as much as I do. Until you found out you have the Quinn Sense.”

And there it was. Clara waited a full five seconds before answering. “We’ve talked about this before. That’s why I left Finn’s Harbor in the first place. To get away from all that.”

“And now you’re back.” Stephanie came out from behind the counter and laid a hand on her cousin’s arm. “I don’t know why you’re so determined to ignore the fact that you have the gift. It’s a family heritage, and I’d give anything to have it.”

“I’d give anything if you had it instead of me.”

“I know. That’s what makes it so frustrating.” Stephanie dropped her hand and frowned at the window as the sound of angry voices outside intensified. “I’d better go and see what all that is about.”

Heading for the door, she threw words over her shoulder. “Be a dear before you leave and go to the stockroom for me? I need the box marked “High School.” The books are required reading for the students, and I need to get the rest of these tables set up if we’re going to start our back-to-school event today.” She disappeared, leaving her cousin no chance to answer.

Shaking her head, Clara set off down one of the aisles to the back of the store. Talk of the gift had unsettled her, as it always did. Most members of the Quinn family had some psychic ability, and she wasn’t happy about being included in that favored circle. In fact, it had become such a burden that she’d left Maine in the hopes that she could forget all about the family curse, as she called it, and feel less of a freak.

At first, in the excitement of attending college in New York, she’d managed to ignore the odd moments when she could read people’s hidden thoughts or have a momentary glimpse into the future. For a while she’d almost felt normal.

But life in New York was so different from the life she’d left behind in Finn’s Harbor. She missed her family and friends, and Stephanie most of all. Each time she’d visited, it had gotten harder to leave.

There was a time when she’d resented the small-town community, where it seemed that everyone knew everybody’s business. She’d found out, however, that a big city could be incredibly lonely, and true friends were hard to make. In her need for companionship, she’d sometimes been too quick to trust, and it had backfired on her. Big time.

Coming back to Finn’s Harbor, however, meant facing the same demons that had sent her away in the first place. Pushing open the stockroom door, Clara sighed. All she could hope was that she’d made the right decision to come back to her hometown. Only time would tell.