Threads of Deceit (Vineyard Quilt Mysteries Book 1) Read Online Free

full-size quilts that hung from the walls. “Drunkard’s Path, Victorian Crazy Quilting, done in the traditional velvets—very nice, Double Wedding Ring. And this last one isn’t actually quilting at all.” He gestured to a coverlet done in jewel tones and black. “Cathedral Squares.”
    He turned back to Julie, a twinkle in his gray-blue eyes. “So can I rent a room?”
    Julie blinked, finding his intense gaze more than a little unnerving. “I stand corrected. You clearly know a great deal about quilts.” Even so, she wasn’t particularly comforted. Someone in the business of stealing antiquities might have all kinds of unusual knowledge.
    “I’m full of surprises.”
    Julie made a noncommittal sound and strode to the front desk. The man followed close behind.
    She opened the ledger. “I’m afraid the only suite available is on the third floor. It’s the tower room. Both the room andthe bath are smaller than what’s offered in the second-floor suites, and there is no separate sitting area.” Julie offered a discouraging frown.
    “I don’t need a lot of room.” He pulled a credit card from his wallet and held it out to her.
    Julie looked down at the credit card, then up at him. “I’m also told it’s swelteringly hot up there. You might be more comfortable at the inn down the street, Mr. …?”
    “Franklin. But call me Daniel, please. And I’m not worried about the heat.” Daniel wiggled his credit card in the air. “I’ll open a window. I’ve been in hotter places, I’m sure.”
    Julie smiled tightly and took the card. She gestured behind her toward the breakfast room. “The only meal we offer is breakfast. On Sundays, we have a more extensive buffet, and the hours we serve are extended.” Then she turned to nod toward the other set of French doors on the opposite side of the foyer from the breakfast room. “We have a small quilt shop, which also serves tea and pastries throughout the day. Anything you need for your quilting project, you should be able to find there. If we don’t have it, our shop manager, Shirley, can definitely find it for you. She’s positively magic that way.” Julie finalized the transaction and pushed the guest ledger toward him to sign, still wary of his story. Over the years, she’d developed a fairly accurate sense about people. And something about Daniel Franklin didn’t add up.
    “So I’m officially booked into my room?” he asked.
    “Yes, though the room isn’t ready yet. I can store your luggage if you like and have it taken up to the room by two o’clock at the latest. Until then, you’re welcome to use any of the public rooms down here.”
    “As long as I’m official, and you can’t back out, I suppose I should come clean.”
    Julie tensed, wishing she had some kind of makeshift weapon at her disposal besides a ballpoint pen adorned with a spool of thread. Surely he wasn’t simply going to admit he’d come to exact revenge for her interfering in the art theft ring’s business, was he? “Come clean about what, Mr. Franklin?”
    “I’m not actually a quilter.”
    Julie gulped. “What are you?”
    “I’m a historian. My focus is on American arts, which is how I know all those quilt patterns. I’ve looked at a lot of historically significant quilts during my career.”
    “I see.” Julie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “So, are you on the trail of a rare quilt?”
    “No. I’m tracking something much bigger.”
    Again Julie felt a frisson of worry. Was he toying with her? She didn’t say anything, but merely raised an eyebrow.
    His grin grew. “I’ve come to find the final resting place of The Grand Adventure , a side-wheeler steamboat that sank over a hundred and fifty years ago on its first trip up the Missouri River.”
    Julie’s unease was immediately replaced by curiosity. “I don’t see any diving equipment,” she said. “I think you’ll have trouble renting it locally. We don’t have a lot of people diving in the