Bats and Bling Read Online Free PDF Page A

the case?”
    “Not directly but he’s keeping me in the loop.”
    “Well then you know he will make sure the cops are doing everything they can. Listen sweetheart, I’m really sorry but I have to run to a meeting. I’ll call you this afternoon ok.”
    “OK. When are you coming home?”
    “Hopefully in a couple days. I should know more after this meeting when I’ll be able to wrap things up.”
    “I’ll talk to you later then. I love you.”
    “Love you too, babe.”
    “How’s Cooper?” Anna asked when I hung up. She’d been leaning on the kitchen counter drinking her coffee while I was on the phone.
    “Wonderful as ever. If only he were here and not always flying off to places without me,” I grumbled. Cooper ran a security firm and represented clients all over the United States. If this meeting went well then maybe the world. He was currently in London meeting with the CEO of a software company who believed he had someone on the inside selling secrets to competitors. I used to travel with him sometimes but after buying Silk I didn’t have the flexibility to do that very often. I wouldn’t trade it, I loved my business, but I hated being away from him too.
    The store was hopping when I arrived. That was a positive. Though I couldn’t help but think about how many dresses it would take to pay off what that brooch cost. I had to stop obsessing. Worrying didn’t solve anything.
    Katy had opened the store for me so she hadn’t been home when I talked to the insurance company and I filled her in.             
    “How are we supposed to figure out who took the brooch?” she asked when I finally stopped talking and telling her the only solution I could come up with.
    “That’s the million dollar question. I don’t know if whoever took it was trying to get at Veronica, or Silk, or me, or just really likes bats and couldn’t afford their own gaudy brooch. Though it’s not like a lot of people knew we had the brooch in the safe. Just us, Yvette, Veronica, and her friends. That significantly narrows down the suspect pool.”
    “Surely it’s someone who wants to get at Veronica. Why would anyone want to hurt Silk or you? Besides if they were out to get you then it was coincidence the brooch was even in the safe.”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Why don’t you ask her friends?” Yvette said from behind us and Katy and I turned around.
    “I didn’t hear you come up,” I said.
    “Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. But maybe ask her friends who might have wanted to steal the brooch or who her enemies are. People who might be out to get her.”
    “That’s a good idea but I’m not sure her friends would want to talk to us any more than she would want to talk to us right now. I’m sure she’s already called them and told them to boycott Silk,” I said. “They’d probably hang up if I called.”
    “She has a point, Presley,” Katy said. “What do we have to lose by asking? Maybe we could even have a special shopping event to get them here. If they are shopping and getting great deals maybe they would be more inclined to talk.”
    “That’s a great idea. We could serve wine and loosen them up a bit get them talking,” Willie said. “You might be surprised at what they might say after a few drinks.”
    “I’d be willing to help you put it together. I love organizing parties,” said Yvette. “How about a Halloween themed event. We have all those props and decorations we bought for the fashion show. We might as well use them instead of letting them go to waste.”
    “That’s brilliant! It’s already Thursday. Do you think we could pull this together for Monday? We could close an hour early and have an invitation only sale? Mondays are slow anyways so maybe we could drum up a little more business with all this great new fall merchandise,” I said.
    “It’ll be a lot of work but we can pull it off,” Katy said.
    “I’ll print off our preferred guest list, which I know Veronica