LITMIR.BIZ

Скачать книгу

had to admit that I missed him. My small family had been more than enough for me all the years before Ryan joined it, but somewhere along the way, in spite of myself, he’d become an integral part of it. I could tell my folks felt the loss too, but to their credit, they never blamed me. I think they took it as their failure, which only made me feel worse.”

      I was so engrossed in Travis’s confession that I nearly went airborne when the theme from Star Wars rang out. He pulled out his cell and listened to the caller for all of twenty seconds. “Got it,” he said before clicking off and turning on the engine.

      A groan almost escaped my throat, but I managed to swallow it. I was learning to dread the music. Whenever I heard it, Travis had to leave. I was Pavlov’s dog, minus the all-important reward. I didn’t say it to Travis, not even in a joking way. News happened when it happened. It didn’t run on a schedule. If I wanted him in my life, I had to learn to live with the interruptions and sudden changes in plans. The way he was learning to live with magick. “What’s happening?” I asked as he pulled away from the curb. I doubted it could be as important to me as the story of him and Ryan.

      “The ME is going to release a preliminary report on Ryan’s death at four.”

      “That’s fast. Doesn’t it take longer for the toxicology results?”

      “Maybe he found something he doesn’t want to hold back until then.”

      “I guess I can watch on my phone,” I said, thinking out loud. “Unless I have a customer.”

      “Not a problem. I’ll call you as soon as I’m off the air. If you don’t answer, I’ll leave a message.”

      “My very own breaking news report. I must really rate.”

      “Don’t let it go to your head,” he said, hitting the gas. “I’ll just have time to drop you back at your shop and make it to the press conference. Listen, I wanted to let you know that Ryan’s wake is tomorrow evening; the funeral’s the next morning. It’s in Huntington, out on Long Island, so I don’t want you to feel obligated to attend.”

      “I’d like to be there for you,” I said. “Besides, what will your folks think of me if I don’t come at such an important time?”

      “They know you have a business that would have to close if you were out of town. And they know you never had a chance to meet Ryan. My mom actually made me promise I would tell you to stay home and take care of your business. She said it’s ridiculous for you to travel so far. But she and my dad would like very much to meet you someday in the near future.”

      “That’s very thoughtful of her,” I said, “especially when she has so much to deal with.”

      Travis shrugged. “She’s pragmatic, always has been. She deals with life head-on.”

      “But what about you? Don’t you need some emotional support?”

      “The best thing for me is to get back to finding the killer. That’s my way of honoring Ryan. And you’ve already done a lot to help.”

      “If you change your mind, all it takes is a phone call and I’ll be there.”

      “I know you would.”

      “By the way,” I said a minute later, “what type of business do your parents think I own?”

      “I told them it was a magic shop, but when they asked if you sold magic kits and tricks for kids, I didn’t correct them.” He stole a glance at me. “I’m sorry. I’m not quite ready to enlighten them.”

      “You did the right thing,” I said. “My family prefers to reveal ourselves to the least number of people possible.” Besides I didn’t want to scare his parents off before I met them.

      Chapter 8

      I couldn’t recall a weekday in the late afternoon when I’d ever been so busy. None of my customers seemed to care about the four o’clock press conference. Then again, they probably didn’t know about it. The only reason I knew was because I was dating a reporter. I could have tried to watch some of it on my phone, but I didn’t want anyone to think I was rude or not sufficiently interested in their patronage.

      Most of the customers who came in at that hour were locals who’d run out of the products they used. They didn’t require anything of me, beyond the financial transaction. I would have preferred to be swamped with questions, anything to keep me from dwelling on Travis’s confession and the press conference I couldn’t watch. I almost kissed Milton Hagadorn when he marched up to me and said he needed help.

      He came in occasionally with his wife Dara, but I’d never seen him here alone. They were a strange couple. Opposites are supposed to attract, but they stretched the theory to its limits. They were both in their forties. Milton had the manner and style of a much older man, while Dara dressed and acted like a girl of twenty. She babbled nonstop; he was miserly with every word that passed his lips. She loved to dance; he was married to the history channel and reading nonfiction. Yet something had bound them together for over fifteen years. If I could bottle that essence, I’d be a wealthy woman.

      “Can you be a little more specific?” I asked, coming from behind the counter.

      Milton glanced around us like a spy worried about being overheard, then leaned closer to me and whispered, “My hemorrhoids are killing me. Dara told me to come here for something natural.”

      I whispered back, “I have just the thing. Wait here and I’ll get it for you.” When I returned to the counter, I found Milton squirming in the customer chair trying to find a comfortable position. I handed him the bottle. “This has several natural components. Most people find relief with it.” Or so my grandmother had claimed before she shuffled off, leaving hemorrhoids and other human woes behind.

      Milton hauled himself out of the chair, issuing an elderly sort of grunt. I scooted around the counter to ring up his purchase. “How is Dara?” I asked, putting the bottle into a mini tote.

      “Same bundle of energy as always,” he said. “She’s at the gym as we speak.” He shrugged, as if to say beats me, and ambled off.

      At four-twenty, Travis called from his car. He didn’t sound happy. “That was fast,” I said.

      “The ME spoke for all of two minutes. He said his preliminary findings were consistent with accidental choking. But he stressed that he was still awaiting the results of lab tests. Translation—he was covering his ass in case he turns out to be wrong. The scuttlebutt is that Mayor Tompkins and Police Chief Gimble requested the quickie press conference to allay the public’s fears of another killer in their midst.”

      “It’s understandable, given that this little town has had two murders in a few months.”

      “There’s only one little problem—he’s wrong.”

      “Look at it this way,” I said, “if the police believe Ryan choked on that burger, they’ll call off their investigation. You and I will have freer rein.”

      Travis’s tone lifted. “True. I just don’t like the way they’re sweeping Ryan’s death under the carpet in order to ease the mind of the public.”

      “They probably don’t even know he was vegetarian,” I pointed out.

      “They would if they bothered to talk to anyone who knew him. Listen, I’ll swing by your house later, unless you have other plans.”

      * * * *

      Later proved to be after eight o’clock, because he was needed back at the newsroom first. The cats had eaten on time, but I was famished by then. I ordered Chinese, far too much of it. When I’m that hungry, everything on the menu seems critical to my survival. I added the dishes Travis liked, in case he hadn’t eaten yet. I brewed tea, Tilly’s special tummy-tamer blend. It cuts right through greasy food like magick.

      Travis and the delivery boy arrived at the same time. From what I could gather, Travis must have intercepted him and paid for

Скачать книгу