“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Eve stood up and crossed the kitchen. “The only thing I use is Tupperware, and that’s definitely not gold or brass. And for the last couple weeks we haven’t been cooking or storing—” She stopped as she saw the object Jane was holding. “What is it?”
“That’s what I asked you.”
The gold cup in Jane’s hand was really a goblet that looked like something from a medieval feast. It was intricately carved with script and scenes that appeared to be taking place in some ancient dining hall.
“I never saw it before,” Eve said flatly.
“Joe?”
“I’ll ask him. But it’s not his style. He’s not a collector, and this appears to be something you’d see in a gift shop at a castle. Or one of those art magazines that sell medieval movie memorabilia.”
“I don’t think so. It’s nice work, not cheap.” Jane was turning the goblet. “Beautiful carving. I can’t make out quite what it—” She lifted the cup to her nose. “It looks like a sort of dark red paste, dried . . . but it smells . . . coppery.”
“Copper?” Eve took the goblet and looked down at the dark red contents. A chill was going through her. She had smelled that scent before, and it was hard to forget. She lifted the goblet and smelled it. Definitely copper. The muscles of her stomach clenched as she tried to keep from being sick.
Jane was watching her expression. “Is it what I think it is?”
Eve looked down at the cup. Beautiful goblet. Shimmering and full of artistry and scenes of times gone by. Yet all she could think about was the dark red contents staining the goblet.
“Blood.” She quickly set the goblet on the counter. “It’s full of blood.”
________
“ YOU’RE SURE?” JANE ASKED.
“Yes, blood coagulates very quickly, but this goblet must have been full to the brim of liquid at one time.”
“What do we do?” Jane asked. “You’re sure you’ve never seen it before?”
Eve shook her head. “No.” She added dryly, “I don’t generally keep goblets of blood on hand.” She swallowed. “And it’s scaring the hell out of me. I feel . . . violated. How did it get in my house?” She forced herself to look back at the cup. “As for what we do, first we should find out if that blood is human.”
“And like you, I’m wondering how it got here,” Jane said.
Eve nodded. “Joe and I were both away from the cottage for those days we were down in Okefenokee Swamp. It would have had to have happened then.” She added, “But I know Joe set the alarm before we left.”
“You can get around alarms. And my dog, Toby, wasn’t here. You said Patty is still taking care of him?”
Eve nodded. “I’m glad he wasn’t here. He may be half wolf, but I think the golden retriever dominates. He doesn’t have the killer temperament.”
Jane nodded. “There’s something very creepy about the idea of goblets of blood. Sort of vampirish. Shades of Bela Lugosi.”
That comparison was too close to what Eve had been thinking. “You would have to bring that up. As far as I remember, he didn’t use goblets. He took his blood straight from the victim.”
“Whatever.” Jane glanced away from the goblet. “I suppose it could be a practical joke or something. Your profession could make you a target for that kind of thing.”
Eve shook her head. “I’d like to believe that but I don’t. It’s too . . . ugly.”
“Absolutely. I want to get rid of it,” Jane said. “Let’s send the damn thing away and get the blood analyzed. And I want someone from the department out here to protect you. Do you call Joe or do I?”
“I’ll do it.” Eve dialed Joe’s cell. It rang five times before voice mail picked up.
She frowned as she slowly hung up. “No answer. But he has to be on his way to the precinct. Maybe he’s on a call. I’ll try again in a few minutes.” She moved toward the bedrooms. “In the meantime, let’s go through the house and see if we come across any more charming mementos.”
“THE CRIME SCENE IS IN THE woods along Lake Allatoona. Near Kellogg Creek,” Detective Gary Schindler told Joe when he called him on his cell.
“Why me?” Joe asked. “I’m still working the Kistle wrap-up.”
“The captain wants you on this one. Hell, she’s going to want everyone on this one. It’s my day off, and they called me at home and told me to get my ass out there. The victim is Nancy Jo Norris, and the media is going to be all over us.”
“And who is Nancy Jo Norris?”
“Daughter of Senator Ed Norris. She was a sophomore at the University of Georgia and only nineteen years old.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. Pretty kid. The forensic team should be there by the time we get there.”
“I’m on my way.” Joe hung up and turned right toward the freeway. It was just as well that he wasn’t going directly to the precinct. In his present frame of mind, paperwork would have driven him nuts.
Nuts. Not a comfortable word to use right now after what had happened before dawn this morning. Hallucinations were definitely signs of instability. Seeing the spirit of Bonnie Duncan verged on insanity.
Screw it. There was nothing wrong with him. He’d been under stress for months, years, and it had all been connected with Eve’s daughter, who had disappeared all those years ago. This latest disappointment in trying to
