Cracked to Death Read Online Free

for you. Robbing the cradle, are we?” Faith’s eyes crinkled with glee as she once again finished her sister’s thought.
    Amanda pressed her lips tightly together and rolled her eyes at the irrepressible twins. “Ladies, really? Let’s concentrate on our lesson, shall we?”
    Savannah covered her mouth with her hands to hide her chuckle. She then gave a little wave, intent on heading toward the front door, but she halted in mid-step when she noticed that Martin had removed two small deep blue bottles from his paper bag and had placed them on his worktable. “Martin, these are not modern.” She picked one up and ran her finger along the seam that went from the bottom of the bottle to the bend in the neck.
    SueAnn stood and leaned over to peer at the bottles. “They look like old-time medicine bottles. Does one of them still contain the liquid?”
    Martin turned to SueAnn. “There were no stoppers. The liquid is long gone.”
    â€œWhere did you get them?” asked Savannah.
    â€œI found them on the beach near the Intracoastal Waterway near Treasure Island.”
    â€œOn the beach?”
    â€œWell”—he shrugged his shoulders—“sorta near the beach. I found them where I was diving.”
    â€œI don’t think they’re modern. They could be quite old.” Savannah looked at the bottom of the bottle. “They may even be valuable.”
    â€œExactly what I’m hoping you guys can find out. They look too unique to go into the kiln for melting into cheese trays. I was hoping you might be able to research their origins.”
    Savannah held the bottle up to the light. “They could be quite old. Do you mind if I talk to a couple of experts I know?”
    â€œNo. I would appreciate it,” said Martin. “That’s exactly what I was hoping you would say.”
    Savannah placed the bottle back down on the worktable. “I’ll pick them up after class.” As she headed to the classroom door, she looked back at the cobalt bottles. “I’m curious, wildly curious.”
    On her way to the rear door, her phone pinged, alerting her that she had received a text message. Savannah pulled out her phone and tapped the screen to display the text. It was from Jacob’s mother.
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    Where r u?
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    â€œRats!” Savannah quickly texted, On my way , and then bolted out the rear door of the shop.

Chapter 2
    Monday Morning
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    Savannah pulled into the large barely graveled parking lot of the warehouse she had recently converted into Webb’s Studio. As Savannah had anticipated, Frances Underwood was pacing the small concrete pad in front of the entry door and jingling her car keys. Her son, Jacob, was leaning against his mother’s silver BMW, with a backpack over his shoulder and his black and tan service dog, Suzy, snuggled in his arms. She was a bit small for a beagle, but that made her easier for Jacob to handle.
    Savannah quickly climbed out of her car. “I am so sorry, Frances. I completely misjudged my time.”
    Frances smoothed the front of her custom-tailored navy suit. “It’s not like you to be late. Even so, you should have called or texted.”
    â€œArghhh!” Savannah palmed her forehead. “Of course I should have.” She placed a hand over her heart. “I apologize. It’s Amanda who has me off kilter. This morning is her first day as an instructor for a workshop. I should have anticipated she would be nervous and I would need to hang around the shop a little longer than usual.”
    A smile tipped the corners of Frances’s precisely made-up lips. “A nervous Amanda would be a challenge. There was an incident I wanted to talk to you about, except I’m due in juvenile court in ...” She looked at her small Rolex. “Goodness! Twenty minutes.” She raised her beautiful eyebrows slightly. “It sets a bad tone if I’m late. The lawyers