Fatal Fortune (Blackmoore Sisters Mystery Book 8) Read online

  Fatal Fortune

  Leighann Dobbs

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Also by Leighann Dobbs

  A Note From The Author

  About the Author

  Chapter One

  Celeste Blackmoore ducked behind a tall oak tree, her palm resting on the rough ridges of bark as she watched her sister, Jolene, walk down the opposite side of the street. Faded jeans, gray hoodie, long brunette ponytail pulled through the back of her navy-blue Red Sox baseball cap. She looked as if she was on a covert mission, which she probably was, judging by the way she kept glancing behind her as if she was worried someone might be following her.

  Celeste slipped out from behind the tree, sending a pile of yellow, orange, and red leaves swirling on the sidewalk as she shuffled through them. She snugged her black leather jacket tighter to ward off the crisp fall air, happy to be out from the shade of the tree and into the sun, where its rays could warm her.

  Jolene continued down the street, and Celeste followed about twenty feet behind. It was noon, but the pedestrian traffic was light, and Celeste had to dart into alcoves and doorways so as not to be spotted. She wasn’t really sneaking around behind Jolene’s back—she’d happened to see Jolene’s car heading out of town and just wanted to catch up with her. Or so she told herself.

  So what if she just wanted to hang back a bit and see what had really brought her sister to this small town, a few miles from their hometown of Noquitt, Maine, before announcing her presence? Was that so bad?

  If her suspicions about Jolene following up the lead they’d received earlier in the week were true and their adversaries were following the same lead, then Jolene might need her help. Not that Celeste would be much help. She didn’t possess the same magically heightened defensive skills as Jolene or her other sisters and was rarely useful in a fight. Come to think of it, her lack of paranormal gifts made her rarely useful on their missions in general.

  The four Blackmoore sisters worked for a clandestine government agency that used individuals with paranormal skills on various missions. Most recently, they were tasked with finding twelve ancient energy-infused relics to keep them from falling into the hands of an evil and powerful paranormal, Dr. Bly.

  Recently, their contact, Dorian Hall, had passed on new information on recovering one of the relics—a large energy-infused crystal—rumored to have been hidden somewhere by pirates in the late 1700s. According to her information, a clue to the location had been “hidden in plain sight” in a town in Maine right near them.

  The girls had been working all week to narrow down exactly where this clue might be. Jolene was a whiz with the computer, so she was usually the one to do any online research. Knowing Jolene, Celeste figured that she’d found something and come out here to check it out so as to make sure it wasn’t a dead end before bringing it to the others. A pang of guilt shot through Celeste. Here she was skulking around behind her sister, almost as if they were in competition or something, but that wasn’t the case. The sisters always shared all the clues and worked on their missions together.

  But something about their missions had been gnawing at Celeste for quite some time now. The truth was that Celeste felt that she wasn’t pulling her weight. She was always in the shadow of her other sisters, who were much more powerful when it came to paranormal abilities.

  Her oldest sister, Morgan, was blessed with very strong intuition and a way with herbs. Her sister Fiona had an energy connection with stones and crystals. She could heal mortal wounds and use pebbles as flaming projectiles to fight off enemy paranormals. Jolene was the strongest of them all, being able to sense auras and warp energy in a way that could zap an enemy attacker before they even knew what hit them.

  Celeste had none of these gifts. Her only gift was being able to talk to ghosts. That hardly ever came in handy when they were being attacked. Sometimes she’d talk to ghosts that would point them in the right direction, but that was just a minor part of their missions. She was afraid she wasn’t useful and her sisters only let her tag along because she was related to them.

  Even on their last mission to Salem, Massachusetts, where she’d picked up the inklings of the skill of spell casting, she’d felt her efforts had only a minor role in the success of the mission. She hadn’t yet successfully honed her skills with charms and spells, but being desperate to prove she could contribute, she’d cast a coaxing spell this morning with the hopes of attracting the clue to her. That was why she was following Jolene. If Jolene had a lead on the clue and Celeste’s spell had worked, maybe she could help her sister find it.

  Her gaze drifted from Jolene to the shops that lined the street. It was a typical old New England town with brick buildings that dated to the early 1900s. Some had been kept in good condition. Others showed their age with peeling paint and dirty windows.

  Dorian had said the clue was hiding in plain sight. Apparently, it had been stored here for decades, quite possibly by George LeBlanc, a treasure hunter from the mid-twentieth century, who had spent his lifetime trying to recover old pirate treasure.

  But where would it be hidden?

  Celeste scanned the rows of stores. There was a jewelry store, an antique store, a cafe, a sandwich shop, a library… Maybe the clue was hidden in an old book sitting in the library. It wouldn’t be the first time the sisters had found a clue in an old book. And a book in the library certainly would be in plain sight.

  Her eyes drifted back to Jolene. Jolene wasn’t heading toward the library, but Celeste was certain she must be here researching the clue. Why else would she be here? And why would she be glancing around behind her as if she was paranoid?

  Jolene turned down a side street, and Celeste picked up the pace, her boot heels making hollow noises on the pavement as she hurried to catch up. She rounded the corner just in time to see Jolene dart into a small alleyway between two tall brick buildings.

  Celeste hurried to the opening of the alleyway, slowing just before peeking around the corner. A niggle of trepidation ruffled the hairs on the back of her neck.

  Why would Jolene go into an alley?

  She glanced at the shops on either side. A Chinese-food restaurant and a gift store. Jolene certainly couldn’t be following the clue into the alley here, could she?

  Celeste cautiously peered around the corner.

  Two hands shot out toward her.

  Her heart jerked as someone grabbed her by the sides of her jacket and pulled her into the alley.

  Startled, she instinctively moved into one of her karate stances, ready to lash out, fearing that somehow Jolene had wandered into a gathering of paranormal bad guys who were also looking for the clue.

  But Jolene was the only one in the alley. And she did not look happy.

  “What are you doing following me around?” Jolene demanded even as she let go of Celeste’s lapels.

  “What are you doing sneaking around?” Celeste straightened her jacket, and the two sisters stared at each other. The alley was shadowed by the buildings on either side, and Celeste felt a chill. Her nose twitched at the smell of pork fried rice and garbage from the rusted blue dumpster at the end of the alley
.

  Jolene sighed, and her ice-blue eyes—the same color as Celeste’s and a Blackmoore family trait—softened. “I’m not sneaking around. I’m hiding from Matteo.”

  Celeste frowned. She could have sworn Jolene had a thing for Matteo Ortiz, the handsome paranormal who was somewhat of a guardian angel for the sisters. In fact, during their trip to Salem, Celeste had gotten the distinct impression that the two of them had grown very close. “Why are you hiding from Matteo? I thought you guys were an item.”

  Jolene scrunched up her face and fiddled with her ponytail. “He’s gotten so moony eyed ever since I saved his life. He keeps going on about how we’re bonded together forever. It’s a turn-off. I don’t know if I want to be bonded together with someone. And now he keeps showing up everywhere. I liked it better when he was more mysterious and you never knew when he was going to show up.”

  Celeste’s lips quirked up. Wasn’t that always the way? Men usually were more appealing when you didn’t know if they were interested, especially if they were mysterious and unpredictable like Matteo. Celeste was glad she was over that phase in her life. She’d been seeing her current boyfriend, Cal, for a few years now. They’d been friends since they were kids in a purely platonic way and had recently taken their relationship to a deeper level. Celeste appreciated the stability and comfort of knowing where her relationship was going.

  “So, you’re not here looking for the clue?” Celeste asked.

  Jolene glanced back toward the street. “My research indicated it might be in this town, but I’m not one hundred percent sure. I wanted to scope things out before I wasted everyone’s time. And besides, Vinnie’s has a great cheese-steak sub, so it was a good excuse to come out and grab one. You want to join me?”

  Celeste thought back to earlier in the morning. She’d cast the spell and then headed out to the yoga studio. On the way, she’d seen Jolene’s car on Route 1, and her gut instinct had been to follow her. Maybe that hadn’t been just gut instinct, though. Maybe the spell was working, pulling her toward this town. Toward the clue. “I could go for lunch. But maybe we should do some research first. If the clue were here, where do you think it would be?”

  Jolene shrugged. “According to what I discovered, LeBlanc had a shop here in town back in the 1950s.”

  “He did? That sounds like a good lead. Which shop is it?”

  “That’s the thing. The shop isn’t here anymore. It was somewhat of a novelty shop—a treasure-hunting shop with things for kids and metal detectors and stuff back in the day.” Jolene spread her hands. “But it’s long gone now.”

  “But maybe we could find out—”

  Crash!

  The metal door to the gift store flew open and smashed against the brick side of the building. Two masked men ran out, their dark beards hanging down from hooded masks. They barely glanced at Celeste and Jolene before shoving them out of the way and running out into the street, where a car screeched to a halt. They jumped in, and the car sped off.

  “Paranormals!” Jolene yelled and ran after them.

  Celeste was about to follow her when she heard moaning from inside the building. Someone was hurt in there. She hesitated for a second. Jolene was a powerful paranormal, but Celeste didn’t want to leave her to fight off two guys on her own. Then again, the only defensive skill she had was her karate moves, and that wasn’t much protection in a paranormal fight. She was usually more of a hindrance than a help.

  “Help me.” A weak voice drifted out, and before Celeste knew what she was doing, she’d turned and run inside.

  An old man lay on the floor. A gash on his forehead dripped blood down his cheek. He turned when he heard her come in, his eyes sparking with anger then flooding with relief when he realized she wasn’t one of the thieves.

  She bent down next to him. “What happened? Are you okay?”

  “Dang hoodlums.” He swatted away her attempts at helping him up. “I can get up. I’m not hurt bad.”

  He struggled to sit up, and Celeste stepped back, letting him do it on his own. She could see that it was a matter of pride for the old man, and other than the gash on his head, he seemed fine. Still, she readied herself in case he wobbled or fell.

  The man pulled himself upright by holding onto the edge of the counter and then brushed the dirt off his tan chinos.

  “Thank you, young lady. I think I’m okay.” He glanced at the open back door and out into the alley. “I don’t suppose you saw which way they went.”

  Jolene appeared in the doorway, her face concerned. “They took off in a car, but the plate was covered in mud, so I couldn’t get it.”

  Her eyes met Celeste’s, and she gave her a knowing look. Obviously, the man would think it was a regular robbery, but the girls knew better. Apparently, Dorian Hall hadn’t been the only one to receive the clue.

  Jolene pushed the back door shut and tested the lock. “It still works. Did they damage anything in the shop? What did they take?”

  The man gestured toward a knocked-over display. “They didn’t do much damage, just kicked this over and yelled a lot. You ask me, they had more brawn than smarts.”

  “Why do you say that?” Jolene picked up the display and started putting the items back on it.

  Celeste watched her pick up small treasure chests and fake bags of gold. Looking around, she saw the store was some sort of specialized gift shop, a section of which capitalized on local legends and lore, like the many pirate legends tied to the coast of Maine. Her heartbeat picked up the pace. Pirates were rumored to have hidden the very relic they were looking for.

  “They came in here all hepped up, looking for old inventory.” The man glanced toward an open door, beyond which Celeste could see stairs leading to the basement. “They made me let them into the basement, and they went down and took some of the old stored boxes. Then they clonked me on the head and took off out into the alley. They didn’t even bother with the cash register.”

  “Can we see what’s down there?” Jolene asked.

  “Ain’t much there, but I guess so.” The man started toward the stairs then turned and narrowed his eyes. “You don’t think they were looking for drugs or something, do you? I don’t have any drugs in here. Seems strange they would leave the money in the cash register.”

  “I don’t think they were looking for drugs. I think they might’ve been looking for something that had been stored here a long time ago. Has this store been here for a long time?” Jolene asked.

  The man continued down the stairs, and they followed, the air becoming moldy as they descended into the dimly lit area. “I’ve owned the store for a good twenty years. Bought it from an old treasure hunter. Course, he had it set up all different. He was into treasure hunting and had all kinds of treasure paraphernalia. But that’s a small market, and people don’t do much treasure hunting now, so I added in general gift store items shortly after I bought him out.”

  The basement was surprisingly empty. A few water-stained cardboard boxes were lined against one wall. Another had wood shelving loaded with seashells, boxes of sunglasses, rubber coin purses, and some old pirate hats.

  “Is this all the old storage?” Jolene asked. “Those guys only had two boxes, and there doesn’t seem like very much here for an old shop that has been through two owners and around for decades.”

  “Well, I don’t like to keep a lot of old inventory. There’s no sense in it. I have a lot of big sales to get rid of the excess,” the man said.

  Celeste’s heart plummeted. “So all the inventory from the original store has been sold off in yard sales?”

  “Now, I didn’t say that. I said I sell off my stuff. Still haven’t gotten around to selling off old George’s stuff.”

  “Is that what is in these boxes?” Jolene waved her arm to indicate the cardboard boxes.

  “Nope. The original store was much bigger, but over the years, we got less and less traffic, so I moved into this smaller building and rented the original to Slim Lee at the Lucky Drag
on.” The man nodded toward the alley side of the store. “I never did get around to moving all the old boxes out of the basement, though, so I reckon they’re still over there.”

  Chapter Two

  It turned out that the storage boxes were still in the basement of the Lucky Dragon. Not only that, but the old man was more than happy to sell the useless inventory to Celeste and Jolene for five hundred dollars.

  The girls happily paid him then headed back to their house in Noquitt with five boxes of old inventory to sort through and an oversized paper bag filled with Chinese takeout.

  Celeste, Jolene, and their sisters, Morgan and Fiona, lived in their ancestral family home along with their mother, Johanna. The house was a big old three-story mansion with dozens of rooms. It sat on a prime piece of land with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the channel that led to Perkins Cove on the other. It had been in their family for over three hundred years. It had stood there long before the fishermen’s shacks alongside the water had turned into trendy shops and the cove itself had been dredged to accommodate the dozens of lobstering, fishing, and sailboats that called it home. Generations of Blackmoores had expanded on and added to the house. The quaint town of Perkins Cove had grown to a tourist haven, but the house itself still stood alone on the cliff, overlooking the ocean in the same spot first purchased by their ancestor Isaiah Blackmoore.

  But even though they had so many rooms to choose from, the sisters always gravitated to the small sitting room off the kitchen when they wanted to plan and discuss their missions. Maybe it was the soft muted colors or the comfy overstuffed furniture or the large bay window that boasted an unobstructed view of the Atlantic Ocean. Whatever the reason, that was where they sat now with the store boxes laid out on the floor, a pile of square white plates sitting on the desk and the savory smell of eggrolls and sweet-and-sour chicken wafting from the white Chinese-food containers strewn about the coffee table.