A Throne's Stowaway

By Debra Kraft

When Tina Hamilton inherits a warehouse she never knew existed, she sees it as nothing more than a dusty, old, indoor junkyard. Her friend, Kate Mulligan, sees something else entirely. Expecting to find hidden treasures amidst assorted carnival gadgets and Kewpie dolls, Kate insists there's a fortune to be made there. She's bound and determined to find it, even if Tina isn't.

The last thing either of the two long-time friends could have expected to uncover is an enormous throne...and its highly unusual occupant.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Debra Kraft
• Release date: Dec 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301049493

Debra Kraft

A writer by nature, Debra Kraft has never experienced a time in which she has not written, although she has taken a meandering path to publication. Her background includes a fine arts degree and work as a junior- and senior-high school teacher before landing in an automotive industry position in the field of quality management. She has had the good fortune to travel fairly extensively, finding inspiration in Japan, England and Mexico, as well as a variety of places within the United States and Canada.

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A Throne's Stowaway

by Debra Kraft

Text Copyright © 2012 Debra Kraft

Cover Design by Todd Hebertson

bookcoverart.webs.com

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A Throne's Stow-Away

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Chapter 1

Tina Hamilton could almost hear Grandpa Harry laughing at her as she stepped through the dented, steel door of the warehouse he had left her. A warehouse, for Pete's sake! What on Earth could have made that old man think he needed a warehouse? Tina had been asking herself that question for the past week, ever since the reading of Harry's will. 

Jeez, Kate, she said to the woman entering behind her. This is.... But there were no words sufficient to describe the massive, dusty space stacked to the ceiling with seemingly endless rows of broken, moldering furniture, rusty gadgets, worn, cardboard cartons and splintering crates.

Incredible, her friend finished for her.

Absurd's more like it. Tina slapped her overflowing, bracelet-sized key ring against her thigh, creating a jingling rattle that took the edge out of her words. How could that old man do this to her? This has got to be the largest indoor garbage dump in the state of Michigan. Still, curiosity compelled her to reach toward a grease-stained cloth covering a large boxy…something…just inside the door. She carefully pinched the cloth between finger and thumb and drew it back, exposing the face of an antique fortune-telling machine. I rest my case, she added.

This isn't a dump at all, Kate Mulligan answered excitedly, pushing past Tina and hurrying over to a box of Kewpie dolls. More like a museum. I can't believe you never knew about this place. What did he plan to do with it? Why did he even have it?

Who knows? The old man probably won it in a poker game. Come on, Kate. Tina started back through the door. I've seen enough. I'm sticking with the original plan. Sell it. All of it. Lock, stock and Kewpie doll. Let someone else worry about carting all this crap out of here.

Once outside, Tina paused to look up. Squinting against the harsh light of the sun, she decided the sheer perfection of the blue, cloudless sky was mocking her. Harry must still be laughing. Why couldn't you just keep your money in a bank like a sane person? she yelled up at him. Then, Yeah, right, she said