Haunted Echoes
Conceived in love and forged in stone,
Legend says in her belly alone Lie the hidden seeds of eternity —
The Lady, the Babe, the Sword and Key — And he who holds her safe from strife Shall be rewarded with the Gift of Life.
— from the Legend of the Lady
The soaring notes of the aria washed over me, exquisite. Like Swiss chocolate melting into satin decadence on my tongue. Well, okay. Maybe not that good. But close. I have a few guilty pleasures in my otherwise bland life, and opera and fine chocolate are two of them. On my salary I can't afford either often, but when I do, I make sure to savor every last morsel.
The opera was close to ending when something vibrated against my right hip. Oh, hell. It was Saturday night for goodness' sake. I was off duty. But my cell phone continued to vibrate insistently. I leaned over to the side and made the guy beside me grumble as I dug out my phone and flipped it open. And gulped. Uh-oh. Armande St. Germain. My boss's boss. A big dog in the hierarchy of Interpol. Chief of the Stolen Cultural Property Group, also known as the Painting and ... read full excerpt from: Haunted Echoes ebook