The Wolf's Daughter (The Tala Chronicles 1) by Patricia La Barbera Page B

again.
     
    Too overcome
with emotion to continue reading, Tala closed the book. She stared off into
space and wasn’t able to sort her thoughts no matter how she tried to
concentrate. It was all a jumble—how Matt’s reaction to her was so much like
Malcolm’s to her grandmother, the amulet, and yes, even the murders. And what
she really didn’t want to admit: how much it seemed as if Matt were responsible
for Debbie’s death.
    Maeve jumped on
her lap and started purring. She hugged her and sat quietly for a while. The
cat always sensed her anxiety, but even Maeve’s presence didn’t make up for the
fact that Tala would have to read more of the diary. And she feared what the
next passages would reveal.
    ***
    When Matt went
back to his apartment, the first thing he did was take out his high school
yearbook. He flipped to the page with Tala’s picture on it. It was no use. She’d
always be the one. He picked up his cell phone and started dialing her number.
He stopped before the last digit, put the phone down, and held his head in his
hands. There had to be something he could do to change the situation. But no
matter how he tried, he couldn’t come up with an answer.
    His phone rang.
    “Hey, you’re not
going to believe this.” Jack sounded breathless. “They just picked up Vinnie,
the waiter at Dante’s, as a person of interest in the Blackthorn Road murder.
Seems they got an anonymous tip.”
    “You’re kidding?
A flicker of hope charged through Matt.
    ***
    Willis Sharp
surveyed his dusty antique shop, the third one in the family. A banker, who had
gotten his comeuppance, had foreclosed on it. Willis smiled slightly. However,
his grandfather had been able to open another, but the bank also foreclosed on that
one, and the guilty party got his punishment. The family sank into poverty, which
everyone had believed had led to the death of his grandmother and his two frail
sisters.
    His own shop had
suffered serious financial trouble also. He had spent most of his savings to
buy the contents of the Martin house. Sharp intended to get what he paid for. He
didn’t care about the threadbare furniture. But like him, the Martins traced
their roots to an ancient family that could channel energy. He needed more
information...and an amulet. Because of the financial problems caused by Tala’s
ancestors, his family had to sell their amulets. They could never afford to
replace them.
    As he’d aged,
the Violent strain had gotten weaker, even though that had not stopped him from
murdering. Without an amulet, he’d die soon. With one, the possibility of immortality
if he wasn’t killed by another Violent. His father had told him that although
the amulet would grant a certain amount of power to some Violents and Violent
Makers, Sharp’s family was one of the few that had Violents with the chance for
immortality.
    He never thought
Tala would return to Wolfeboro, not after her father’s murder ten years ago.
She put a wrench in the works, but Sharp was confident it was only a temporary
snag. He could turn on the charm when he needed to. He had lots of experience
with flattering well-to-do matrons who didn’t have a clue as to what their
furniture was worth. Sharp had high hopes for his abilities with Tala, even
though things had started out on a bad note. He did have a special card to play
with her, which he’d save to the very end, either to get what he wanted or to
get revenge for not getting it.
    Most
importantly, either he got an amulet and learned the immortality process or he
would die soon. His recent doctor’s appointment had confirmed his fears. Tala’s
mother had told him she had an amulet and her grandmother’s diary, which had
the information he sought. If he couldn’t get them legally...well, there were
other ways to get what he wanted.
    ***
    Tala put the
diary aside for the moment to search in the attic again. She carefully
maneuvered the steps. Her foot was hurting a lot more than usual, and she had
to