there and try to snag them. We should follow him or something.”
I glanced back out the window. It had been hours since the fire was set. “He’s probably already been there…”
Pepper was not to be daunted. “Maybe he left a clue there. We should go to Paisley’s and check it out.”
“Good idea. Do you know where she lives?”
Pepper shook her head. “No. Do you?”
“No, but I know someone who does and she might even be able to help us get in.”
“Who is that?”
“Her best friend. Opal Winters.”
Chapter Seven
I resisted the urge to run out and talk to Opal right away. Partly because I didn’t know where to find her, but also because someone needed to run the store. I had bills to pay and books to catalog.
Pepper had a friend on the town council and she promised to contact them and see if we could figure out how to get in touch with Opal. We parted ways and I went back to cataloging my books with an eye on the shop, expecting Paisley to show up and annoy me. She never did. The shop was clear of ghosts the rest of the day.
Thankfully, it wasn’t clear of customers and I had a large volume of traffic, many of whom cast interested glances over at Paisley’s shop as they browsed for books.
Toward the end of the day, Pandora got antsy. She paced back and forth in front of the back door.
“ Meow … Meow … meout! ”
Her cries escalated in volume and I felt bad for her despite the pain in my ears. “I know you want to go out, but I can’t let you. I have a date with Striker.”
“ Meownoo! ”
Did she say no? Clearly I’d been spending too much time alone in the shop if her meows were starting to sound like words. But the truth was, I kind of shared her sentiment. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see Striker, it was just that I needed to start looking into finding Paisley’s killer and I couldn’t do that with him around.
The bells chimed over my door and I turned around to find Striker standing there as if my thoughts had summoned him.
“Hey, Chance … about our date …” He hesitated, looking down at his feet in that cute, boyish way that made my heart flutter. He sure did know how to pour on the charm when he was about to give me bad news.
My left brow ticked up. “Yeah?”
“I’m sorry, but we’re shorthanded at the station and I have to go back in and get some paperwork done tonight, so I don’t have a lot of time.”
He looked honestly contrite. I felt kind of bad for him but the truth was, it worked out just as well for me. I wasn’t going to let him know that, though.
I feigned disappointment. “Oh, no. Really? So, no date?”
“Well, I do have an hour free now. I was hoping you’d grab a sandwich with me at the Mystic Café. ” He tilted his head toward the café down the street. It was a favorite place of ours when we wanted a quick bite to eat.
“I guess that’ll be okay, but you owe me one.” I’d be a fool to pass up the opportunity to be ‘owed’ one.
“You got it.” He smiled, setting off more heart flutters. I began to wonder if I should make an appointment with the cardiologist. Was forty-something too young to be thinking about that sort of thing?
“I’m ready, so I’ll just lock up and then we can go.”
Striker busied himself petting Pandora, who eagerly rolled over to accept a massage while I turned off the computer and grabbed my purse.
“I guess I’ll have to lock Pandora in here while we eat,” I said.
“ Meow! ” Pandora bolted up off her bed and ran over to the door, shooting angry glares at me.
“Apparently, she doesn’t like that idea,” Striker laughed.
“She’s been cooped up a lot lately. I think she wants to go out and roam, but I can’t let her do that here in town.” I turned to the cat. “Sorry, Pandora, you can go out when we get home.”
I started toward the door, then remembered the toilet paper incident. “Just a sec.” I ran to the bathroom and closed the door. On the way
I glanced back out the window. It had been hours since the fire was set. “He’s probably already been there…”
Pepper was not to be daunted. “Maybe he left a clue there. We should go to Paisley’s and check it out.”
“Good idea. Do you know where she lives?”
Pepper shook her head. “No. Do you?”
“No, but I know someone who does and she might even be able to help us get in.”
“Who is that?”
“Her best friend. Opal Winters.”
Chapter Seven
I resisted the urge to run out and talk to Opal right away. Partly because I didn’t know where to find her, but also because someone needed to run the store. I had bills to pay and books to catalog.
Pepper had a friend on the town council and she promised to contact them and see if we could figure out how to get in touch with Opal. We parted ways and I went back to cataloging my books with an eye on the shop, expecting Paisley to show up and annoy me. She never did. The shop was clear of ghosts the rest of the day.
Thankfully, it wasn’t clear of customers and I had a large volume of traffic, many of whom cast interested glances over at Paisley’s shop as they browsed for books.
Toward the end of the day, Pandora got antsy. She paced back and forth in front of the back door.
“ Meow … Meow … meout! ”
Her cries escalated in volume and I felt bad for her despite the pain in my ears. “I know you want to go out, but I can’t let you. I have a date with Striker.”
“ Meownoo! ”
Did she say no? Clearly I’d been spending too much time alone in the shop if her meows were starting to sound like words. But the truth was, I kind of shared her sentiment. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see Striker, it was just that I needed to start looking into finding Paisley’s killer and I couldn’t do that with him around.
The bells chimed over my door and I turned around to find Striker standing there as if my thoughts had summoned him.
“Hey, Chance … about our date …” He hesitated, looking down at his feet in that cute, boyish way that made my heart flutter. He sure did know how to pour on the charm when he was about to give me bad news.
My left brow ticked up. “Yeah?”
“I’m sorry, but we’re shorthanded at the station and I have to go back in and get some paperwork done tonight, so I don’t have a lot of time.”
He looked honestly contrite. I felt kind of bad for him but the truth was, it worked out just as well for me. I wasn’t going to let him know that, though.
I feigned disappointment. “Oh, no. Really? So, no date?”
“Well, I do have an hour free now. I was hoping you’d grab a sandwich with me at the Mystic Café. ” He tilted his head toward the café down the street. It was a favorite place of ours when we wanted a quick bite to eat.
“I guess that’ll be okay, but you owe me one.” I’d be a fool to pass up the opportunity to be ‘owed’ one.
“You got it.” He smiled, setting off more heart flutters. I began to wonder if I should make an appointment with the cardiologist. Was forty-something too young to be thinking about that sort of thing?
“I’m ready, so I’ll just lock up and then we can go.”
Striker busied himself petting Pandora, who eagerly rolled over to accept a massage while I turned off the computer and grabbed my purse.
“I guess I’ll have to lock Pandora in here while we eat,” I said.
“ Meow! ” Pandora bolted up off her bed and ran over to the door, shooting angry glares at me.
“Apparently, she doesn’t like that idea,” Striker laughed.
“She’s been cooped up a lot lately. I think she wants to go out and roam, but I can’t let her do that here in town.” I turned to the cat. “Sorry, Pandora, you can go out when we get home.”
I started toward the door, then remembered the toilet paper incident. “Just a sec.” I ran to the bathroom and closed the door. On the way
Similar Books
