The Walleld Flower
Read The Walleld Flower Online
Authors: Lorraine Bartlett
PRAISE FOR
A Crafty Killing
(Best of 2011 by
Suspense Magazine
)
“Fun plot, fanciful characters, really fabulous crafts . . . Bartlett put her art and soul into this mystery!”
—Laura Childs,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Scones & Bones
“Bartlett combines murder, a touch of romance, and a lot of intrigue in this charming story. With a cast of personable characters and a lively, fast-paced story line, readers will be enthralled and delighted with this fresh new series.”
—
Fresh Fiction
“A fun new mystery with a cast of charming characters . . . Readers will look forward to more with Katie and the artisans from Artisans Alley.”
—
The Mystery Reader
“A sweet new mystery series by a top-notch author who writes under a few pen names. Katie is a likable heroine, fallible yet strong, tough but tender. A great book for readers looking for something light—and who also look for happy endings. I expect this series to go on for a long time.”
—
Cozy Library
“[A] fantastic start to a new cozy series . . .
A Crafty Killing
kept my attention from the very first word until I turned the last page. The red herrings were aplenty, and the killer a complete surprise. Ms. Bartlett has created a crafty tale that must be read.”
—
The Best Reviews
“This opening tale in a small-town amateur-sleuth series is a terrific first act.”
—
Genre Go Round
Berkley Prime Crime titles by Lorraine Bartlett
A CRAFTY KILLING
THE WALLED FLOWER
The Walled Flower
LORRAINE BARTLETT
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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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.
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 reaction to the recipes contained in this book.
THE WALLED FLOWER
A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author
PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / February 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Lorraine Bartlett.
Cover illustration by Chris Beatrice.
Cover design by Annette Fiore Defex.
Interior text design by Laura K. Corless.
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 or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
EISBN: 9781101560181
BERKLEY
®
PRIME CRIME
Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY
®
PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
For my dear friends
Leann Sweeney and Jennifer Stanley
Welcome back to lovely Victoria Square in the village of McKinlay Mill, New York. I had such fun writing
The Walled Flower
, and had lots of input from my wonderful critique partners and first readers who entered the story at various points in its creation. My thanks go to Gwen Nelson and Liz Eng; Sandra Parshall, Krista Davis, Avery Aames, and Janet Bolin; as well as to Janette McNana and readers of the 13th Precinct.
Thanks also go to my wonderful editor, Tom Colgan, and the world’s best agent, Jessica Faust. Most of all I’d like to thank my husband, Frank, who supports me in everything I do.
To learn more about the series, I hope you’ll visit my website,
www.LorraineBartlett.com
, and will consider signing up for my periodically e-mailed newsletter.
One
Steam seeped through the airholes in the Angelo’s pizza box, along with the aroma of melted mozzarella, pepperoni, sauce, and spices. Katie Bonner clutched the twenty-first-century equivalent of “cake on a plate” that housewives once brought to welcome new neighbors and approached the Webster mansion on the east end of Victoria Square. The day was cool, bright, and beautiful. Perfect weather for early spring in Western New York, but Katie felt anything but cheerful, despite her mission to welcome the newcomers.
She opened the sagging gate and stepped into the small front courtyard, which was littered with rocks, weeds, and remains of rusty old garden urns. As she mounted the rather rickety wooden steps, Katie noticed the mansion’s heavy oak door stood ajar. Katie paused in the doorway, squinting into the darkened interior. Yup, it was definitely
ocupado
. Using her elbow, she knocked on the doorjamb, its blistered, peeling paint just another job awaiting completion on the list of renovation and restoration that was taking place at what was soon to be an upscale bed-and-breakfast.
“Anybody hungry?” Katie called.
A dirt-smudged face appeared around the door. Dusty blond bangs hung over a pair of light blue eyes. More wisps had escaped the faded red bandana that was supposed to protect the rest of the woman’s hair. Clad in a grubby T-shirt and jeans, she held a claw hammer in one hand, the knuckles on her other hand oozing blood.
“Pizza?” the woman said hopefully.
“The best,” Katie assured her, proffering the box. “Where can I set it down?”
“On any flat surface you can find.”
Katie entered and stepped over a fallen two-by-four, tracking through plaster dust to set the box on a makeshift table of boards on sawhorses. “Do you need a Band-Aid?”
The woman sucked at the abrasion. “Not for this.”
“Janice,” came a male voice from the room beyond.
Katie glanced in that direction. The owner of the voice, a dark-haired man in his late thirties, stepped through the doorway, just as dirty as his counterpart. Not surprising in the ruin of what, one hundred years before, had been a lovely home.
“Hi, I’m Katie Bonner. I manage Artisans Alley on the other end of the Square, and I’m president of the Victoria Square Merchants Association. Welcome to the neighborhood.”
“Thanks,” the man said and moved to stand by the woman.
“I’ve seen you working here for the last couple of days and figured you might need a break,” Katie said.
“Do we ever.” The woman moved closer, setting the hammer down and offering Katie her hand. “Janice Ryan. And this is my husband, Toby.”