Island Getaway, An Art Crime Team Mystery Read Online Free Page B

closed it again. Her cheeks flushed and she blinked
owlishly at him from behind the glasses. “Why would you want to
have dinner with me?”
    “I already told you.”
    “We Americans have to stick together?”
    “Exactly.” He flashed her a grin, and had
the pleasure of seeing another blush stain her pale cheeks before
he turned away.

Chapter Three
     
    She didn’t have anything to wear.
    That wasn’t what she should be worrying
about, frankly—not with everything else going on—but it was the
topmost thing on Annika’s mind right at the moment.
    Of course, that could be because she was
standing in front of a boutique window in Gamla Stan, Stockholm’s
Old Town, looking at the most gorgeous summer dress she’d ever
seen.
    It was blue. Pale blue, like the sky, or
like those little flowers she’d read about but never
seen—forget-me-nots. And it wasn’t slinky and sexy at all, not a
dress a femme fatale would wear to a casino in Monte Carlo for a
rendezvous with a dashing spy. But it was long enough to cover her
scabby knees—which were not sexy at all—and the shape—curved and
swingy—would make her look like she had more of a figure than she
did, while the color would play up her own blue eyes and pale
complexion and fair hair. She’d never be competition for the women
Nick usually had dinner with, but at least he wouldn’t be
embarrassed to be seen with her.
    Although why he’d want to...
    Something was going on there, something more
than just ‘us Americans have to stick together.’ She could sense
it. He hadn’t invited her to dinner because he wanted to get to
know her better; she did know that much. She’d heard him on the
phone before exiting the bathroom at the airport earlier. He’d told
someone he’d keep an eye on her, that he wouldn’t let her out of
his sight until they knew more about what was going on.
    She had no idea what he thought might be
going on, but it sounded like it might have something to do with
that missing bag.
    But why would he be interested in her
father’s ashes? No one else was. Even her own family couldn’t
understand why Annika had felt she had to make this trip. They’d
all refused to go with her.
    All right, so maybe it made sense that her
mother didn’t want to go to Sweden to bury her late husband’s
ashes. They’d been separated for more than fifteen years, and
things hadn’t been great while they were together. Besides, Anne
had a job. An important job. She couldn’t just up and leave.
Especially with the end of the semester and exams coming up.
    But Astrid and Andy... Andy was down there
in Costa Rica, running his surf school; it wasn’t like anyone would
miss him if he took off for a week to go to Sweden with his little
sister. And Astrid was in Paris anyway, working on next year’s
collection of swimsuits. Would it have killed her to take a few
days to go to Gotland with Annika? So the three of them could carry
out their father’s wishes together?
    But no, when she’d suggested it to Andy, not
only had he said no, he’d been rather rude about it. “Just toss him
in the Hudson River, sis. It’s not like he’s gonna know the
difference, is it? Where he is, he has bigger concerns.”
    Annika wasn’t sure whether she’d been more
aghast at Andy’s suggestion about the Hudson River, or his
implication that their father hadn’t gone on to a better place.
Sure, Carl—Calle—might not have been the greatest father in the
world, but... “I can’t believe you said that!”
    The only answer was a shrug she could hear
all the way from Costa Rica. And Astrid... well, she hadn’t been as
insensitive as Andy. Nobody was as insensitive as Andy. And she had told Annika to call her once she arrived in Stockholm,
just in case Astrid could get away for a bit. But it wasn’t the
same as having company and support on the way here.
    If Astrid had been around, they’d still have
the bag with the ashes. They’d be in Gotland by now. Astrid
wouldn’t