Page 116 of Girl Between (Dana Gray FBI Mystery Thriller #5)

Dana walked the short distance from her hotel to Chartres Street, slipping into the little bookstore on the corner.

Crescent City Books was everything Dana had expected.

She was greeted by the familiar scent of old books and a large tabby and white cat named Isabelle, who purred lazily from her perch on an antique chair.

Dana knew she shouldn’t be doing this. She’d told George she’d wait. But she couldn’t get the image of the emerald locket out of her mind. Before she could stop herself, she was calling Miriam. Her next call was to George’s mother. And that was that. The plan came together effortlessly.

She wouldn’t have pursued it if the women were busy. But they were both available, eager even.

Dana checked her watch. She was a few minutes early.

Deciding to put her time to good use, she perused the books. She stopped at the display of a new series celebrating werewolves and hunky shirtless men near the front window. The sign read: Crescent City Wolves, by Bella Night.

Dana smiled, letting her finger trail over the colorful bindings. This was what she loved about New Orleans. The city was willing to celebrate the occult. But she wasn’t a fan of how fiction twisted fact to suit itself.

The bell at the front door jingled, drawing Dana’s attention. She looked up, her gaze landing on Marjorie George. Miriam walked in behind her, eyes bright, glimmering with questions.

“Do you have it?” Marjorie asked.

Miriam nodded, her hand going to the locket at her throat.

“Then let us begin.”