A Devious Lot (Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries Book 5) (32 page)

“That was crazy!” Molly said breathlessly as she collected her pottery. The bizarre image of George-Bradley examining his belly was replaced by the memory of grabbing her fabulous snake pitcher.

“Wonderful, isn’t it?” Clara beamed.

“Actually, yes. I have to admit, that was like being on a roller coaster. Thirty seconds of pure adrenaline and it’s still pumping.”

Molly looked around for George-Bradley’s bulky form, but he was nowhere to be found.

“Let’s pay for our stuff and get something to eat,” Clara suggested.

As they moved into the checkout line, Molly noticed that the tension permeating the air all morning had vanished, now replaced by a vibrant camaraderie. This was illustrated by a great deal of backslapping and cheek kissing among the fellow collectors. Buyers congratulated one another as if they had just returned from a dangerous mission in space, holding out their new pieces, admiring how each was made or glancing sorrowfully as a desired piece went home with another owner.

Molly felt rather smug and very affable herself. She chatted away with those in front of her in line and complimented a woman behind her on the beautiful brown and beige swirl tea pitcher she’d claimed. Molly held out her own snake pitcher and preened as it received praise. It was as if the pitcher were a newborn child instead of her first piece of pottery.

Clara’s face was radiant with happiness. “It’s just like a good auction,” she said. “You’re the worst of enemies while the things you want are for sale, but once it’s over, you’re all best friends again. It’s pretty much the same group of people at all of these openings, so you may as well call a truce at the end of the day. They are your brother and sister collectors. They’re practically family.”

“And no one even looks at the prices.” Molly indicated the tag tied to her piece. “Is every collector this insane?”

“Yes. It makes us a tight group.” Clara’s eyes narrowed as she noticed a green and brown smudge on her daughter’s pants. “What happened to your clothes? You’ve got grass stains.”

Molly was just opening her mouth to tell her mother about the appalling behavior of George-Bradley when a cry of “Help!” from behind one of the pottery tables rose into the summer air.

Molly craned her head to see that the man whose name was on the tip of her tongue was lying facedown in the grass, his body almost hidden by the other tables. He was completely still, his face an immovable white mask. A face jug with a snarling mouth and a pair of devil’s horns was inches away from George-Bradley’s outstretched hand. It was the very piece he had snatched away just moments before from the petite woman.

Clara drew in a sharp breath, taking in the shocking scene. She grabbed Molly’s arm in alarm and then, just as suddenly, she relaxed her grip.

“Thank the Lord!” Clara exhaled in relief, her eyes glued on the pottery jug where it rested in the grass. “It didn’t break.”

The Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries

Be sure to read all the books in the

Antiques & Collectibles Mystery Series!

A Killer Collection

Molly Appleby is a young writer for
Collector’s Weekly
, and when the attractive reporter isn’t covering auctions and antique shows all over the South, she’s trying to get her new relationship with a coworker off the ground. When her latest assignment takes her to North Carolina pottery country to cover an exclusive kiln opening, she’s certain the show promises surprising offerings and rare finds. What she doesn’t expect to find is a dead body.

George-Bradley Staunton is known throughout the antiques world as a very wealthy and very ruthless collector, and when he drops dead just after the opening, there are all too few mourners and a seemingly endless list of suspects. When the local police are stumped, Molly steps in to put her journalist’s nose to work sniffing out the culprit. But no sooner does she start collecting clues than another dead body falls into her lap.

As Molly digs beneath the genteel surface of antiques and collectibles, she finds a world filled with backstabbing and competition, and what started as a story about rare collections might leave Molly with nothing more than a collection of corpses.

A Fatal Appraisal

Molly Appleby loves her job at
Collector’s Weekly
covering auctions and estate sales all over the South. When her latest assignment takes her to Richmond, Virginia, to interview the staff of the hit TV show
Hidden Treasures
, she’s expecting a quick, fun trip. But when one of the show’s appraisers is found murdered, Molly realizes that once again she’ll have to put on her detective’s cap until the culprit is captured.

As Richmond locals flock to the show hoping their family heirlooms turn out to be valuable antiques, Molly’s busy behind the scenes interviewing the show’s staff and tracking down clues. When yet another staff member is killed and Molly herself is threatened, she’s determined to discover which of the expert cast members of
Hidden Treasures
might be hiding a sinister secret, because no matter how priceless, she knows that no antique is literally to die for.

A Deadly Dealer

Molly Appleby’s career as a reporter for
Collector’s Weekly
is finally taking off, as is her relationship with coworker Matt Harrison. But the more time she spends covering antiques and collectibles all over the South, the more she realizes that she attracts corpses almost as much as the unwanted attention of hopeful suitors. And when she’s sent to Nashville to cover the famous Heart of Dixie auction, where all the major players in the world of collectibles gather, her hopes of steering clear of foul play are quickly dashed when a renowned and well-respected dealer is found murdered.

Sifting through the clues among the aristocracy of antiques is no easy task, and Molly soon discovers the world of high-end dealers is filled with bitter rivalries, questionable tactics, and even more questionable characters. And when one of them makes an attempt on Molly’s life, she realizes time is running out, and as she tries to unlock a mystery shrouded in old secrets and new cover-ups, she just might find that what looks like a priceless antique is the key to a very modern murder.

A Treacherous Trader

Molly Appleby is on cloud nine. The talented reporter and senior staff writer for
Collector’s Weekly
just got engaged to the man she loves. When she takes time off to plan her wedding and shop for a vintage gown, the spunky writer with a growing reputation for finding corpses and solving murders vows to her family and fiancé to avoid trouble at all costs. Until the wedding photographer she visits turns up dead in his home, the victim of foul play.

So when she’s not busy shopping for the perfect dress or sampling endless varieties of cake, Molly once again finds herself attempting to unravel a mystery, and the endless string of women spurned by the playboy photographer leaves no shortage of suspects. When another corpse turns up and Molly discovers that the woman who sold her a gorgeous vintage gown might be the murderer—and that the gown itself may be linked to a decades-old crime—Molly must summon all her sleuthing skills to find the killer before her preparations for the big day become plans for her funeral.

Books by Ellery Adams

Click here to see all the Ellery Adams

books at
Amazon

The Hope Street Church Mysteries

The Path of the Crooked

The Way of the Wicked

The Graves of the Guilty

The Root of All Evil (with Elizabeth Lockard)

Fate of the Fallen (with Elizabeth Lockard)

The Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries

A Killer Collection

A Fatal Appraisal

A Deadly Dealer

A Treacherous Trader (with Parker Riggs)

A Devious Lot (with Parker Riggs)

The Books by the Bay Mysteries

A Killer Plot

A Deadly Cliché

The Last Word

Written in Stone

Poisoned Prose

Lethal Letters

Writing All Wrongs

The Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries

Pies and Prejudice

Peach Pies and Alibis

Pecan Pies and Homicide

Lemon Pies and Little White Lies

Breach of Crust

The Book Retreat Mysteries

Murder in the Mystery Suite

Murder in the Paperback Parlor

Writing as J. B. Stanley

The Supper Club Mysteries

Carbs and Cadavers

Fit to Die

Chili Con Corpses

Stiffs and Swine

The Battered Body

Black Beans & Vice

And by Parker Riggs

Finding Jessica

About the Authors

Ellery Adams

Ellery Adams grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound. Having spent her adult life in a series of landlocked towns, she cherishes her memories of open water, violent storms, and the smell of the sea. Ms. Adams has held many jobs, including caterer, retail clerk, car salesperson, teacher, tutor, and tech writer, all the while penning poems, children’s books, and novels. She now writes full-time from her home in Virginia.