Page 28 of Forever Found

After getting her phone number so he could text her, he dropped her off in front of Fire and Fancy Books. Solis had agreed to meet Lyndsey, and they were going to hang out for a while. He watched Lyndsey hug Solis, enter the revolving door, and then disappear, tamping down the queasy sensation in his stomach. “You’ve taken the potion, right?”

“Yes. I’m good.”

She’d wanted to find something to read to pass the time with on what she was now calling her “vacation.” And for once, she didn’t have her camera over her shoulder.

As soon as she was out of sight, he missed her. With a sigh, he scratched his head. What was happening to him? He’d lived in Terror for twenty-five years, watched it grow and become a landing place for supernatural creatures of all kinds. And never in all those years had he felt the urge to forget all that he held sacred to follow the unknown. He drove around the block, then headed for the sheriff’s office to speak with Val.

Val lounged behind his desk, with his feet propped up and his keyboard across his thighs. He tapped the keys in rapid succession as he eyed the monitor.

“Find anything?” David asked as he walked over to the sheriff.

“Not much. Caleb died from a shotgun injury. His ex-wife claimed he tried to rape and beat her. She shot him in self-defense.”

“Oh, Christ.” David let out a long breath.

Frowning, Val met David’s gaze. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he carries around a special hatred for women in general.”

* * *

Fire and Fancy Bookstore occupied the corner of Nevermore and S. 8th. It had been some other kind of store at one time. Lyndsey tilted back her head, taking in the stained-glass window of swirling vines and purple flowers that was positioned over the entrance. Matching display windows framed a revolving door. Solis pushed a section pane and entered. Lyndsey followed her, taking the next quarter slot.

The interior was a mix of clean and fresh with a bouquet of purple and pink flowers sitting on the small table to the right and refurbished old-world with white-washed brick walls, oak floors, and a wrought iron spiral staircase that led to a mezzanine.

“This is a beautiful store,” she said to Solis.

“It is. I come here a lot.”

“Hi, Solis,” a woman standing behind the service counter said. Her blonde hair draped over her shoulders in soft waves.

“Hey,” Solis replied as they walked deeper into the store. “Lyndsey, this is the bookstore owner, Annabelle Thomas.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Lyndsey said.

“What can I help you with?” Annabelle asked.

“Where’s your romance section?”

“They’re over against the far wall. New books shelved at the top, used at the bottom.”

Solis waved a hand. “I know where the mysteries are.”

They headed in the same direction until Solis veered off an isle before the romance books. Lyndsey went for her favorite authors, listed alphabetically, selecting a mixture of historical romance, romantic suspense, and one paranormal…well, just because. She picked her six books, the number she usually bought at a one time, then headed to check-out. Traveling with her e-reader was so much more convenient. She wondered where it had ended up among her stored belongings.

Solis met her at the counter with her small stack of two books. “I guess you’re kind of confined with having to stay away from a demon and all,” she said, eyeing her load.

Annabelle said, “A girl after my own heart.”

The woman didn’t say anything about the demon comment. Maybe that kind of thing happened often in Terror. Lyndsey wasn’t going to ask.

“I think I saw a coffee shop on the way here. Want to grab some?” Lyndsey asked.

“Sure. Caffeinated Corpse’s Cappuccino is just down the street.”

Swinging a cute little bag with the store’s logo, a bonus for buying so many books, Lyndsey exited onto the sidewalk. After she texted David she was going for coffee, she crossed Nevermore Lane and walked down a block to the coffee shop. A raven seemed to follow them, flying from a rooftop to a telephone wire to the sign for the coffee shop. “The town seems to have a lot of birds,” she said.

Solis chuckled. “I guess they’re our town mascot.”

Lyndsey shivered, quickly entering the café. “Reminds me of the Alfred Hitchcock movie,The Birds.”