The Christie Curse
Read The Christie Curse Online
Authors: Victoria Abbott
Accidents will happen…but will
they happen twice?
As I stepped out the rear door, trying not to grin at thoughts of lounging in my very
own claw-foot tub, I bumped into the invisible man. Well, I suppose he wasn’t really
invisible, but he was so fair and so pale that he seemed almost translucent. I could
almost have sworn that the postal uniform was walking on its own.
“So, it’s you,” he said.
“Sorry?”
“The new one. You are the new one.”
I stared. “The new what, exactly?”
He blinked and raised his pigment-free eyebrows. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“About what?”
As he walked past me into the house, he said with a small, reassuring smile, “I’m
sure everything will be fine this time. That other thing might have been an accident
for sure.”
This time I stared at his back and watched as the dark old-fashioned door closed behind
him, leaving me more than a little creeped out. Our postman just drops off the mail.
He doesn’t walk right into the homes on his route.
Almost an accident?
Why did everyone in the Van Alst vicinity speak in riddles?
And what kind of accident?
THE
CHRISTIE
CURSE
VICTORIA ABBOTT
BERKLEY PRIME CRIME, NEW YORK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
USA / Canada / UK / Ireland / Australia / New Zealand / India / South Africa / China
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
For more information about the Penguin Group, visit penguin.com.
THE CHRISTIE CURSE
A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author
Copyright © 2013 by Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed
in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in
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Purchase only authorized editions.
Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group.
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®
PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME
logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
ISBN: 978-1-101-61944-5
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / March 2013
Cover illustration by Mary Ann Lasher.
Cover design by Olivia Andreas.
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.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as
written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs
that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse
reactions to the recipes contained in this book.
| ALWAYS LEARNING | PEARSON |
For Giulio Maffini, our miracle man. Welcome back!
We are grateful to so many people who helped us in the course of this book. Some brought
information, others inspiration, while many shared the kind of support and friendship
you need to write a book.
Thanks to mystery readers and book collectors everywhere and to the booksellers and
dealers who help them feed their habit. But special thanks are due to Jeff and Donna
Coopman of The Usual Suspects, Don Longmuir (and family) of Scene of the Crime, Maggie
Mason of Mary Mason Bookseller and Dee Suchall for insight and “intel.”
Wendy Bartlett and her colleagues at the Cuyahoga County Public Library showed us
the potential of a proper attic in the right mansion at the South Euclid Branch and
inspired Jordan’s garret.
We appreciate our lovely, supportive agent, Kim Lionetti at BookEnds, and at Berkley
Prime Crime, our always urbane editor, Tom Colgan, the very helpful and capable Amanda
Ng and our brave, mysterious copyeditor.
Thanks to our pal Erika Chase and our friends in the Ladies’ Killing Circle, Mystery
Lovers’ Kitchen, Killer Characters, and
Crime Writers of Canada who have been so supportive in a tough year. With Linda Wiken,
we share a love of collecting books that has been known to end up in the purchase
of a bookstore.
Much gratitude is due to Kory Webber, Pat Connolly and Doug Martin for endless support
and to Giulio Maffini for his amazing Lazarus routine.
We would also like to pat each other on the back because we are still alive, smiling
and plotting away, ready to launch our first collaborative effort and knee-deep in
the second,
The Sayers Swindle
. We have to admit, any errors are entirely ours.
Last but not least, where would we be without the great Agatha Christie? She taught
generations of readers and writers to look at everything and everyone differently
and gave the world her enduring legacy.
CHAPTER ONE
I
F I HADN’T been desperate for a job and a new place to live, I might have made a run
for it as soon as I got a good look at that sour face. But I was feeling the pinch,
and in a sea of want ads seeking waitstaff, topless dancers and telemarketers, this
job description was clearly written for me.
RESEARCHER REQUIRED
Discreet, flexible and educated individual required to research documents and artifacts.
Must be free to travel, and possess valid driver’s license and reliable vehicle. The
successful applicant must be willing to relocate to Harrison Falls, New York. Accommodation
will be provided. Do not bother to reply unless you have an excellent grasp of the
English language. Knowledge of Latin will be considered a distinct asset. Good personal
hygiene and formal wardrobe required. Should be able to cope with irregular schedule.
Must appreciate cats. No allergies please. Three
references, official transcripts and other documentation to be produced at interview.