The little brass key with the jagged teeth, which had sat in that dish for twelve years, was gone.

The blue porcelain dish was completely empty.

I paused, my hand resting on the smooth leather strap of my purse.

Through the wide archway into the dark living room, I noticed something new behind the tall back of the plaid sofa.

A large, long rectangular shape rested on two low wooden trestles in the corner by the window.

A heavy dark blue velvet cloth covered the whole thing, its thick fabric pooling onto the beige carpet.

Julian stepped up beside me, holding my winter coat open by the shoulders.