My hands shook so badly I had to grip the counter to steady myself. There had to be a perfectly reasonable explanation. This wasn’t a cult.
“You sick?” Dutch appeared beside me, concern etched in the deep lines around his eyes.
“No. Just... tired. I didn’t sleep well.” I forced a smile. “I’m going to clean up the pet supplies aisle. It’s a mess.”
From my position in aisle three, I could see through the front window to the building across the street that housed both the post office and bank. Gus Wagner, the post master, stood on the steps, perfectly still. Not smoking his pipe, not grumbling at passersby, not guarding his precious bulletin board. Just standing, arms at his sides, gazing at nothing.
He hadn’t moved an inch in fifteen minutes.
Maybe he was waiting for someone.
Maybe he was daydreaming.
Maybe—
The bell jingled again, and three teenagers entered: Casey Ruper, Tally Steinholt, and Jett Hollenbeck. The town’s notorious troublemakers. Casey usually slouched through the store, pocketing candy when he thought no one was looking. Tally typically knocked things over “accidentally” while Jett distracted Dutch with questions. They were a well-oiled machine of teenage mischief.
But today, Casey and Tally walked with their backs straight, eyes forward. Both were wearing blue shirts and khaki pants. Jett trailed a step behind, hands shoved in the pockets of his leather jacket, staring at them like they’d lost their minds.
“Good morning, Mr. Henderson. Good morning, Ms. Phillips,” Casey and Tally said in unison. “We require supplies for school. Number two pencils and composition books.”
Jett stopped dead. “The hell are you two doing?”
Casey blinked, turned to him. “We require supplies for school.”
“Yeah, I heard you the first time.” Jett looked at me, then Dutch, his confusion obvious. “They’ve been like this all morning. Talking weird. Walking weird. Tally hasn’t looked at her phone once.”
Dutch’s bushy eyebrows shot up. He moved closer to the counter, studying Casey and Tally. “You feeling okay, Casey? Not smoking anything you shouldn’t be?”
Casey’s face remained blank. “We require supplies for school. Number two pencils and composition books.”
“See?” Jett gestured at his friends. “It’s freaking me out. They showed up at my house dressed like accountants. Since when does Casey tuck in his shirt?”
Dutch pulled packages of pencils and composition books from behind the counter, watching Casey and Tally carefully. They stood motionless, waiting. “On the house,” he said. “You kids in some kind of trouble?”
“Thank you for your assistance. Learning is important.” Both spoke simultaneously.
“Okay, seriously, what the fuck?” Jett grabbed Casey’s shoulder. “Are you pranking me? Because it’s not funny anymore.”
Casey didn’t respond, just took his supplies. Tally did the same. They turned and walked out in the same measured stride they’d entered with.
Jett didn’t follow. “They’re on something, right? Should I call someone?”
“When did they start acting like this?” I asked.
“This morning. Casey texted me to meet at his place, but when I got there...” He shook his head. “I don’t know. He was just off. And then Tally showed up the same way, and they wanted to come here for fucking school supplies. We were planning to skip and smoke weed today.”
Dutch and I exchanged a glance.
“Keep an eye on them,” Dutch said. “And if they get worse, you come find me. Understand?”
Jett started to follow his friends, but hesitated at the door. “Mom was weird this morning, too.”
Riss.
“I know,” I told him. “I saw her. Just… be careful, okay? If you feel like you’re in danger, come right back here, and we’ll figure it out.”
Jett nodded and, still frowning, trailed his friends.
