Deadly Curiosities by Gail Z. Martin Page B

bad memories that a particular item brought to mind? I wondered. What if certain pieces soaked up memories and events more than others?
    Normally, I could tell right away whether or not a new item had any kind of supernatural residue, good or bad. That’s what was baffling me about the B&B problem. Did something happen after we sold the pieces that turned regular objects into dangerous items?
    Soon enough, I’d get the chance to see the Gardenia Landing ghosts up close. The more I heard about the B&B’s new haunting, the more it looked like trouble.

Chapter Five
    I WAS READY for the floor refinishing crew when they knocked on my door bright and early. I’d already dropped Baxter off at the puppy spa. As much as I hated to be away from him for a few days, I knew he would have fun at the dog resort. And while Baxter enjoyed his occasional visits to Trifles and Folly, he wouldn’t like being there alone at night, especially since dogs are sensitive to supernatural activity. Even I didn’t want to be there overnight. I’d lived in the apartment over the shop when I first inherited Trifles and Folly, but being that close to some of the sparklers and spookies was just too much.
    Once I’d gone over the instructions for refinishing the floors with the workmen and handed off my keys, I tossed my laptop and luggage into my little blue Mini Cooper and headed for the shop.
    Thankfully, there were no new reports of perfectly normal old items suddenly turning into haunted horrors. I basked in the boredom, compared to the unsettling events of the last few days.
    “I’ve got a list of contacts for the people who sold us Gardenia Landing’s items,” Teag said. “I made a few calls yesterday evening, and some this morning. Want to know what I found out?”
    “Sure,” I said, pouring a cup of coffee to fortify my resolve.
    Outside, a steady rain deterred shoppers, giving us the chance to talk undisturbed. Teag leaned against the counter with his cup of tea.
    “The tea set came from Avery’s Auctions,” he said. “Belinda Avery remembered it. G.R. Collis silver.
    She wasn’t aware of anything unusual in its background, but she said she’d call the former owner and ask.”
    “I had to leave a message for the mirror lady,” he continued. “Helen Butler used to own the tablecloth.
    She was pretty hesitant about talking at first, but I finally got her story. Seems the tablecloth belonged to her grandmother, and it was used for holiday dinners. One holiday, Mr. Butler’s grandfather had a heart attack at the table and died.”
    “Oh my,” I said. “Still, lots of linens and furnishings are present when someone dies, and they don’t become haunted.”
    He nodded. “Unless there’s something else at work. The vase originally held funeral flowers and was used for special occasions for fifty years or so. The owner’s daughter sold it because she didn’t like the style.”
    I remembered the vase, a heavy cut glass piece, early 20th century – not very old by Charleston standards. I had thought it was pretty. “No hints at all?” I pressed, disappointed.
    “I even asked her about the funerals where the vase was used,” Teag said. “Most were deaths from old age or natural causes, nothing dramatic. But the first funeral, when the vase came into the family, was different.”
    “Oh?”
    Teag nodded, and his grin slipped away. “Pretty tragic, actually. Back in the 1920s, the owner’s great aunt and uncle lost two young children to scarlet fever.”
    “So funerals, but no ghosts, huh?” I said, chewing my lip as I thought. “I guess we’ll have to see who – or what – the vase conjures up at Gardenia Landing.” I set my coffee aside. “How about the lamp and the picture frames?”
    “They came from a moving sale. The people who live at that house now aren’t the ones who sold the picture frames.”
    “So a dead end.”
    “Yeah,” he replied. “As for the lamp, the couple who sold it are out of town