me I’m crazy, Nev, but she was convinced the charm string
was cursed and now—”
“You, of all people? You’re not going to tell me you believe any of that hooey, are
you?”
“No.” I didn’t. Honest. “I mean, I know inanimate objects don’t have a will of their
own, so they can’t bring bad luck to anyone. And even if they could…I mean, buttons?
Buttons are so wonderful and so interesting and so—” It wasn’t that Nev didn’t already
understand how my life and buttons were intertwined, it was just that I figured I
didn’t need to remind him. Sometimes, it was hard enough for a cop and a button nerd
to find things to talk about. There was no use pointing out the obvious differences
between us.
“I think what’s important,” I said, “isn’t if buttons can really bring bad luck but
that Angela believed they could. It’s almost like she brought the bad luck on herself,
because she saw it everywhere she looked, and she believed it could happen.”
“I’ve seen weirder things.” Still, Nev dismissed my theory with a shake of his head
that sent his shaggy, sandy-colored hair dipping into his eyes. He pushed it back
with one hand. “But I think we’ll find there’s a very human element behind this crime.”
“I didn’t see anyone hanging around when Angela walked out of here,” I said.
“Not even that guy who tried to snatch your purse the other night?”
This was a connection I’d never even considered, and I sucked in a breath. “You don’t
think—”
“You know me better than that. I don’t think anything until I have all the facts,
and right now, facts are mighty slim around here. I do know that this is usually a
pretty safe neighborhood. If it wasn’t, I’d help you pack your buttons and get you
out of here.”
The uniformed cop chose that particular moment to deliver a mug of steaming coffee.
“Cream or sugar?” he asked, and before I could answer, Nev suggested sugar and lots
of it. “It will help with the shock,” he promised.
Half a cup of coffee later, I couldn’t say if that was true, but I could say that
some of the tension inside me had eased. I wrapped my hands tighter around the red
mug with “I ♥ Buttons” in white lettering on it, savoring the warmth as it seeped
into my fingers and spread into my hands.
“Seems funny, don’t you think,” Nev said, and call me cynical, but I think he’d waited
until this very moment to bring up this theory, until he knew I was a little more
relaxed and likely to be caught off guard. “An almost crime one night, and a real
crime the next.”
A cha-cha started up inside my chest. “Then you do think the two are related?”
“I didn’t say that. But I do want you to be careful. I could come by in the evening
when it’s time for you to lock up.”
I shouldn’t have had to give him a pointed look, just like I shouldn’t have had to
say, “You’ve got a job, remember? And you can’t spend your evenings looking after
me.”
Fortunately, he didn’t get the opportunity to argue.Before he could say a word, a crime-scene technician came into the shop and headed
for the back room, her arms stacked with small plastic evidence bags that were perched
on top of a crumpled floral hatbox. She set everything down on the table and I saw
that each bag contained a charm string button.
The woman looked at the pile of evidence bags and shook her head in wonder. “There
are an awful lot of buttons lying around out there,” she grumbled.
“One thousand, to be exact.” I wasn’t trying to show off, but I figured it was important.
“One…thousand.” I swear, the woman’s face went a little green.
Nev grinned. “Looks like you’ve got a busy day ahead of you, Kovach,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. And went back outside.
“So…” Nev fingered the nearest evidence bag. “What do you think, Josie? Do these buttons
have anything to do with Angela
was cursed and now—”
“You, of all people? You’re not going to tell me you believe any of that hooey, are
you?”
“No.” I didn’t. Honest. “I mean, I know inanimate objects don’t have a will of their
own, so they can’t bring bad luck to anyone. And even if they could…I mean, buttons?
Buttons are so wonderful and so interesting and so—” It wasn’t that Nev didn’t already
understand how my life and buttons were intertwined, it was just that I figured I
didn’t need to remind him. Sometimes, it was hard enough for a cop and a button nerd
to find things to talk about. There was no use pointing out the obvious differences
between us.
“I think what’s important,” I said, “isn’t if buttons can really bring bad luck but
that Angela believed they could. It’s almost like she brought the bad luck on herself,
because she saw it everywhere she looked, and she believed it could happen.”
“I’ve seen weirder things.” Still, Nev dismissed my theory with a shake of his head
that sent his shaggy, sandy-colored hair dipping into his eyes. He pushed it back
with one hand. “But I think we’ll find there’s a very human element behind this crime.”
“I didn’t see anyone hanging around when Angela walked out of here,” I said.
“Not even that guy who tried to snatch your purse the other night?”
This was a connection I’d never even considered, and I sucked in a breath. “You don’t
think—”
“You know me better than that. I don’t think anything until I have all the facts,
and right now, facts are mighty slim around here. I do know that this is usually a
pretty safe neighborhood. If it wasn’t, I’d help you pack your buttons and get you
out of here.”
The uniformed cop chose that particular moment to deliver a mug of steaming coffee.
“Cream or sugar?” he asked, and before I could answer, Nev suggested sugar and lots
of it. “It will help with the shock,” he promised.
Half a cup of coffee later, I couldn’t say if that was true, but I could say that
some of the tension inside me had eased. I wrapped my hands tighter around the red
mug with “I ♥ Buttons” in white lettering on it, savoring the warmth as it seeped
into my fingers and spread into my hands.
“Seems funny, don’t you think,” Nev said, and call me cynical, but I think he’d waited
until this very moment to bring up this theory, until he knew I was a little more
relaxed and likely to be caught off guard. “An almost crime one night, and a real
crime the next.”
A cha-cha started up inside my chest. “Then you do think the two are related?”
“I didn’t say that. But I do want you to be careful. I could come by in the evening
when it’s time for you to lock up.”
I shouldn’t have had to give him a pointed look, just like I shouldn’t have had to
say, “You’ve got a job, remember? And you can’t spend your evenings looking after
me.”
Fortunately, he didn’t get the opportunity to argue.Before he could say a word, a crime-scene technician came into the shop and headed
for the back room, her arms stacked with small plastic evidence bags that were perched
on top of a crumpled floral hatbox. She set everything down on the table and I saw
that each bag contained a charm string button.
The woman looked at the pile of evidence bags and shook her head in wonder. “There
are an awful lot of buttons lying around out there,” she grumbled.
“One thousand, to be exact.” I wasn’t trying to show off, but I figured it was important.
“One…thousand.” I swear, the woman’s face went a little green.
Nev grinned. “Looks like you’ve got a busy day ahead of you, Kovach,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. And went back outside.
“So…” Nev fingered the nearest evidence bag. “What do you think, Josie? Do these buttons
have anything to do with Angela
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