For Gretchen Birch, her mother, Caroline, and her aunt, Nina, doll collecting is a family affair. They may disagree on other things, but when it comes to dolls, they share a passion that goes way beyond children’s toys—to the most exquisite (and expensive) creations in history.
Caroline Birch. Put her away. The message was clutched in the fist of a destitute former doll collector found dead at the bottom of a cliff with a valuable French-doll’s parasol in her pocket. And the person seen fleeing the crime scene fits Caroline’s description. All evidence points to her as the killer, but Gretchen and Nina know she’s innocent. The problem is, Caroline has disappeared—and she’s left them an urgent warning that Gretchen is in danger, too...
Very hard to find
Nacho, the homeless man, wore the same clothes he’d worn the night before and had the same black garbage bag tucked under his arm. As he approached, his gaze fell on Nina’s red Impala, and he froze in place.
“What…?” Gretchen began, confused by his response. Nacho hadn’t seen her in the passenger seat yet. He was reacting to the car as though he knew it. She jumped out when she saw him running away.
“Stay here,” she commanded Nina, slamming the car door and breaking into a run. He turned a corner. Gretchen’s pulse throbbed as she gave pursuit but Nacho had a wide lead. He cut across the street against the lights. Horns blew. Someone shouted.
Gretchen looked ahead just as he left the sidewalk and disappeared between two commercial buildings. Nacho was the path to her mother, the key to Martha’s murder. She felt sure of it. This might be her only chance, and she wasn’t about to blow it.
He ran like a desert coyote, like his life depended on it, his arms pumping hard and his eyes, when he glanced back, frightened.
Gretchen remembered the alcohol on his breath from the night before and wondered where his stamina came from. Maybe his fear was greater than hers, and his fear drove his momentum. Although he had nothing at all, he might have more to lose than she did. If that were possible...
“A fun, frantic, and thoroughly engaging mystery set against the fascinating backdrop of doll collecting.”—Sandra Balzo, Anthony Award–nominated auther of Uncommon Grounds
