Silence of the Lamps Read Online Free

Caprice raised her voice a little so Bella could hear her over a sudden burst of loud chatter.
    Bella squeezed the thin slice of lemon hanging on her tumbler into the water and dropped it in with the ice cubes. “The prospective buyers were a young couple, maybe in their midtwenties. They have one little girl who’s two. The real estate agent said they seemed to be interested. It is a perfect starter home. She said they liked the way you had it staged with the sectional sofa, the colorful throw pillows, and the bright stoneware on the kitchen table. Apparently that attracts family buyers.”
    “That’s what I was hoping. Your house is terrific for a family just starting out. Have you and Joe found anything you really like?”
    “We have our eye on a couple of places online, but we don’t want to go look at them and then get disappointed if it takes a long while for our house to sell.”
    “It won’t,” Caprice assured her. “The market’s picking up, and you’re right in the perfect price range.”
    “I wish I had your confidence. Joe insists we shouldn’t seriously look until we sell.”
    “That’s one way to do it, but then everything could happen really fast. You might have to move out of your sold house and move in with Mom and Dad.”
    Bella groaned. “Oh, right, with Uncle Dom there too. Wouldn’t that be a hoot?”
    “I don’t think he’ll be there that much longer,” Caprice confided. “He’s seriously considering setting up a pet-sitting business.”
    Bella shook her head. “I couldn’t even imagine pet-sitting—walking dogs, cleaning up after cats, all day long and into the evening.”
    “If you love animals, it’s not a chore, and I think Uncle Dom really does like caring for animals. Mix in house-sitting, and he could have a good business. It’s hard to find qualified, trusted people who will pet sit or house sit and take care of everything.
    “I think our food’s here,” Caprice noted, catching sight of a waitress who was winding her way toward them with a tray. The brunette with the jaunty ponytail and sunny smile set one dish in front of Caprice and the other in front of Bella.
    She said, “The plate is hot, so be careful.” She took foil packets from her pocket and set three in front of each plate. “These are to wipe sticky fingers. We know our customers like to eat their ribs with their fingers. Enjoy.”
    Once she’d left the table, Caprice glanced down at the ribs. They were heavily glazed and glossy, and did look delicious.
    Bella was shaking her head. “There goes my diet.”
    “You can try just one or two,” Caprice offered. “Isn’t diet all about balance?”
    Bella rolled her eyes. “Let’s see how good these are.”
    Whereas Caprice was pulling the ribs apart with her fingers and then licking them, Bella used a knife and fork. Her sister was particular and wouldn’t get her fingers dirty with something like sticky rib sauce if she could help it.
    Bella stabbed a nice chunk of meat with her fork, smelled it, put it to her lips, and then ate it. Her eyes widened and she smiled. “I don’t think one rib will be enough. Oh my gosh, Caprice, this is really good. If these are the kind of recipes Drew Pierson devises, Nikki’s going to have a battle on her hands.”
    Caprice picked up a rib and, as delicately as she could, ate the meat from it. The taste on her tongue was fruity and sweet, yet with a bit of heat. Bella was right. This sauce was good. Maybe even genius.
    “They’re selling bottles of it up at the cash register,” Bella informed her. “You can bet Drew Pierson will get his cut of each one.”
    Caprice suddenly realized what a lucrative deal this had been for Drew. He was definitely on his way. On his way to destroying Nikki’s business?
    Or on his way to something else?
    * * *
    Caprice sat at her computer working on Wednesday before she changed for her date with Grant. At least she was supposed to be working. But she was thinking about how