As I rung up two copies of Danny’s book for that woman in the fur stole, I noticed Heathcliff slinking up the staircase. “You not sticking around?” I called out. “I’m sure there are at least five people who still want to ask you why we don’t have an in-store cafe.”
Heathcliff made a face and I laughed.
“What happened to your new mate, Angus?”
Heathcliff shrugged. “Dunno. We finished our smoke. He picked up some litter in the street. We went inside. He’s around here somewhere.”
“What did you talk about? Did he say anything more about that Beverly woman? Did you know Danny was her daughter’s boyfriend when she was killed—”
“We said not a word to each other,” Heathcliff called down from the top of the stairs. “It’s the perfect relationship. I wish more people would follow his excellent example.”
There was a hint of tease in his voice, and even though I couldn’t see his face from this distance, I knew he was kidding. I blew him a kiss and told him I’d be up to say goodnight after I’d seen Danny out and shut the shop.
Speaking of Danny… it occurred to me that I hadn’t seen him in a while. I peeked into the Events room. Richard was packing up the bar, and Jo was deep in conversation with the purple-haired erotica writer about mortality rates among those who practice autoerotic asphyxiation.Where’s Danny?
A terrible thought occurred to me. If Danny had wandered upstairs and discovered the Occult room or the time-travel room, he could be in a world of trouble.
Please don’t let me lose the guest of honor during our first ever event…
I poked my head into the Children’s room and the General Fiction room across the hallway, but couldn’t see him anywhere. Panic rose in my chest as I took the stairs two at a time. As I turned toward the Sociology section, a figure barreled out of the darkness and slammed against me.
“Morrie!” I exclaimed. “You scared me.”
“Precisely my plan,” he murmured, pulling my body against his. “Are you trembling with fear? Because I can make you tremble from—”
“Not now.” I wriggled out of his grasp. “I’m looking for Danny. Have you seen him?”
“Actually, yes. Follow me.” Morrie led me past the Sociology shelves, and into a dark corner of the Railway History room. Even in the darkness, I could tell the room was completely empty.
I fumbled for the monkey lamp I’d placed on the bookshelf last week and flicked it on. “I’m serious, Morrie. I haven’t seen Danny for a while, and if he’s upstairs—”
“See that bookshelf – it’s actually a secret cupboard.” Morrie pointed to a corner next to the window. “Heathcliff uses it to store extra envelopes and the bodies of customers who tell him50 Shades of Greyshould have won the Man Booker Prize.”
I noticed the fan shape on the carpet where the shelf must swing out on its hinges. I jumped as a loud, rhythmic thumping noise came from behind the shelves. “Rats?” I whispered.
“Close,” Morrie reached between two books to flick a lever, and the door swung open.
I leaned forward and peered into the dark space. Morrie swung the lamp around, illuminating two bodies curled inside.
I gasped as my eyes resolved Danny and Amanda, locked in a passionate embrace. He’d pulled her velvet dress up around her waist and his pants and boxers were around his knees. She glared at us over his shoulder as he slammed her into the back wall of the storage cupboard. Without breaking their kiss, Danny reached out, grabbed the inner handle, and slammed the door shut again.
I leaned against the shelf, my chest heaving as I waited for my heart to returned to normal speed. “I guess we found Danny.”
Morrie grinned, holding up a copy ofThe Somerset Strangler. “We sure did. Hey, Danny, when you’re done in there, can you sign my book?”
Chapter Six
The last cavorting guest left at ten-past-midnight. Quoth and I picked up all the trash, stacked the cider bottles in the recycling, and swept up the Events room. Morrie, of course, refused to help but insisted on following us everywhere, reciting the most grisly passages from Danny’s book.
At last, we’d returned the shop to its normal state. I collapsed into Heathcliff’s chair, my legs aching and my head swimming from everything that had happened. Our first big event had gone out mostly without a hitch.
And let’s not forget the most important fact of all… no one was murdered. Maybe my luck is finally changing.
“Are you leaving now?” Quoth asked softly.
“I can’t go back to Jo’s place. I fully expect all the water in the taps to turn to blood and hail to pour from the radiators.” Quoth’s sensuous lips curled up at the corners when I explained about the locusts.
He raised an eyebrow. “So you’re kipping here, then? And are you so tired you plan to go straight to bed?”
