The District by Carol Ericson Page A

the piece of paper Libby had placed on the counter. “This one or any other.”
    “You don’t join a coven, my dear. You belong.” Libby turned to Eric. “Nora did. She belonged to this coven.”
    Eric whistled. “Did she, umm, practice witchcraft?”
    “She did.” Libby’s gaze trailed to Christina. “There are some who embrace their powers.”
    Christina dug her high heels into the floor. “Do you have any proof that Nora was murdered because she belonged to this coven?”
    “Tell me. Did you find the sign of this coven on Nora?” Libby reached into a drawer and pulled out three incense sticks. “Or someone else?”
    Eric shot her a look and cleared his throat. “We can’t tell you that, Libby.”
    She nodded. “Someone else. So now you have two victims who are tied to this coven. Are you going to tell me that the coven isn’t the common denominator here?”
    The bells over the door shivered and they all jerked their heads up. A tall man, dressed all in black with a black fedora, filled the doorway and for a second Christina had an urge to flee.
    Libby folded the sheet of paper with the symbol and slid it toward Eric. “Hello, Nigel. More patchouli oil?”
    “It’s a little more serious than that, Libby. I need a new deck of cards.”
    Christina weaved her fingers through Eric’s and tightened her hold.
    “I knew that was coming.” She waved her hand over Christina and Eric as if sprinkling fairy dust...or casting a spell. “This is Agent Brody and Agent Sandoval with the FBI. They’re looking into Nora’s murder.”
    Nigel tipped back his hat. “Sick bastard. Nora was a sweet girl.”
    Eric’s frame tensed. “You knew her?”
    “From the store.” He held up a crooked finger. “Brody. Are you related to the SFPD homicide detective?”
    Eric clenched his jaw so tightly Christina was afraid it would snap.
    “He’s my brother.”
    “Which one of you was kidnapped?”
    Libby expelled a breath and it turned into a hiss.
    “What do you know about that?” Eric shook off her hand and clenched his into a fist.
    “Easy, boy. I’m a native. I know the city’s history, lore and legends better than most. Who could forget Joseph Brody’s story? Son kidnapped in the middle of a serial killer investigation? It was all a sensation.” He tapped his head. “I don’t forget anything that happened in this city.”
    Libby rapped a deck of cards on the counter. “Your tarot cards, Nigel.”
    “Tarot cards?” Christina held out her hand. “Can I see them?”
    “You don’t need them. They’re more for the wannabes.” Libby fluttered her gray lashes in what could be a wink but dropped the cards in Christina’s hand. “Sorry, Nigel.”
    Christina spread out the cards on the table, studying each one for similarities with the power and death cards found at the crime scenes. She located the two cards, but they were from a different tarot deck than these. “Do you sell a lot of tarot decks?”
    The blue eyes turned to slits. “I sell my fair share, but people can order them online. Why?”
    “Just curious.” Christina scooped up the cards and handed them to Nigel, avoiding his touch. She didn’t need another secret witch handshake right now.
    His dark eyes bore into her anyway. “Are you close to finding Nora’s killer?”
    Eric poked her in the back and she shrugged away from him. Did he take her for a rookie?
    “We’ll get him.” She formed her fingers into a gun and pulled the trigger.
    Nigel slipped the cards into his pocket and pulled out a silver money clip. “How much do I owe you, Libby?”
    She tapped a few keys on her register. “Thirty-seven dollars and forty-two cents.”
    He pulled two twenties from the clip, took his change and limped toward the door, his gray hair sticking out from the brim of his fedora.
    He paused and raised one hand. “Find the people who are doing this.”
    Christina blew out a breath when he disappeared. “Is he a witch, too?”
    “No, but he’s