CHAPTER FOUR
I opened right on schedule and somehow only glanced over at the closed door between my store and the bookshop a couple times. To be honest, I don’t know what I was expecting.
When Circe released the connecting doors between our shops, it startled me, but I managed to cover my reaction.
She brought me over a cup of tea and sipped at her coffee while telling me about a new shipment of decorative jar candles that she was expecting for the winter holidays. I listened with half an ear.
As the morning rolled on, I didn’t go and open the door for the bookstore or stick my head in to say hello to Lorna or Dex. And maybe that was juvenile, but to be honest, we didn’t always have the doors open...so it wasn’t that unusual.
I did, however, catch myself picking up my store phone about five times intending to call New Moon Books or Dex’s cell phone to speak to him, but before I could punch in either number, I would put the phone back in its cradle each time.
I was working my way through watering all of the house plants that were for sale when my store phone rang. Setting the watering can down on the floor, I went to answer it. “The Apothecary Shoppe, Kate speaking. How may I help you?”
“Hey Kate, it’s Lorna.”
“Good morning,” I said, congratulating myself on the calm tone of voice.
“I was wondering. Have y’all seen Dex? He didn’t come down for work today and when I went upstairs to his apartment, I found his door unlocked, but there was no sign of him.”
“What?” I asked, shocked at the news.
“He was at your place last night, right?” she asked.
“My place?” I repeated, feeling myself blush.
“Yeah,” Lorna replied. “Y’all had pizza together, right? You, Circe, Taylor, and Toni?”
“Right. We had pizza...” And I left it at that. What had happened between Dex and me was nobody else’s business. I wanted it to stay that way.
“I’m going to call Circe,” Lorna said, “and see if she’s seen or heard from him since last night.”
“Okay,” I heard myself answer. We ended the call and I stood there for a full minute, staring at nothing while the news sank in. I’d spent the morning pissed off that Dex was being a jerk and avoiding me, but now it seemed like something else entirely was going on.
Concerned, I pulled my cell phone from my dress pocket and called his cell. It went straight to voice mail. “Hi Dex.” I left a message anyway. “It’s Kate. Give me a call.” Then I disconnected.
A moment later, Circe poked her dark head in through the connecting door. “Lorna seems pretty worried,” she said.
“Yeah, she does,” I agreed.
“He seemed fine last night,” Circe said. “Did he say anything to you after we all left?”
I was not blessed with a poker face, and so I immediately turned away from Circe and went to go snag the watering can to continue watering the plants.
“You two didn’t argue or anything after I left, did you?” she asked next.
Her question had me bobbling the watering can, and water splashed onto the hardwood. “Crap,” I muttered and went to the tiny bathroom at the rear of the store to snag some paper towels. By the time I returned to blot up the spill, Circe was back in her own shop.
Dex will show up any moment, I told myself as I finished watering. Of course he will.
Taylor came in at noon to work with me, and Toni arrived for her shift at Circe’s at the same time.
After they both were settled, Lorna asked Circe and I to come over to the bookshop. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what she wanted to talk about. So we left Taylor and Toni manning the stores, and together my cousin and I walked over to New Moon Books.
It was a stunning bookshop, with hardwood floors, wooden bookshelves, and an old-world atmosphere.
Globe lights hung dangling from a dark blue painted ceiling scattered with golden stars.
The lights cast a warm and magickal glow over the store, adding to the charm.
Lorna’s building was as narrow as mine, but hers boasted a curving wooden staircase that led up to the second floor.
Circe and I approached her checkout counter and saw Lorna speaking to a man. He was tall, blonde, built well and wore jeans with a casual polo shirt.
“Oooh,” Circe whispered to me. “Who’s the hot guy at the counter?”
“I’ve never seen him before,” I answered.
“He’d have to be missing for twenty-four hours to be declared a missing person,” the blonde man told Lorna.
“This isn’t like him,” Lorna insisted as we joined them. “Something has happened.”
“Have you tried calling his cell phone?” the man asked patiently.
Lorna hissed—actually hissed—in annoyance. “What am I, stupid? Of course I called his phone, and I checked his apartment. The door was hanging open, and his phone was left behind, and his car is still here. But more importantly his backpack and some of his clothes are missing.”
“Lorna,” Circe said, inserting herself right into the conversation. “Introduce us to your friend.”
Lorna focused on Circe and I for a moment. “This is Nash Ellington. He’s a private investigator.”
“Private investigator?” I repeated as my stomach dropped.
“We’ve worked together before,” Lorna said. “I called him and asked him to start looking for Dex. Nash, this is Kate Weaver, and Circe Papadias. They own the other two stores in our building.”
“Ladies.” Nash Ellington inclined his head politely to us and then shifted his attention back to Lorna. “You said Dex had a problem with substance abuse in the past. Is it possible he has fallen off the wagon?”
His blunt question had my jaw dropping.
“No,” Lorna instantly snapped back at the private investigator. “Dex has been happy and clean for almost two years.”
“We were all together, last night,” Circe told the man. “We went to Kate’s for pizza.”
“And what time did you leave?” he asked her.
Circe shrugged. “I dunno. After 8:30?”
“You all left together?” he asked next.
Circe looked to me. “Dex was helping Kate clean up as we left.”
“He left a bit later,” I said, and felt like a criminal for not being completely honest.
Before anything else was said, Taylor called my name from the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt,” she said, “but we could use extra sets of hands over here.”
“Excuse me,” I said, stepping back from the group.
“Here’s my card.” Nash handed me and then Circe one. “Call me if you think of, or remember anything else.”
“Sure,” I said automatically, and hurried across the bookstore. As soon as I hit the doorway I saw why Taylor had called for help. The sales floor of my shop was packed. Apparently, a walking tour had stopped, allowing the attendees to browse.
Circe was right behind me. “Goddess bless the Halloween season ghost tour groups.”
With a nod, I hurried across the floor to help a customer asking about one of my spice mixes.
For the next hour the store was crazy busy, and Taylor and I ran our asses off measuring out teas, herbs and spices for the customers. I sold some houseplants as well, and eventually the crowd wound down.
However, even after the tour group had left, all three of our stores remained busy thanks to the annual run up to Halloween. By the time I had a chance to speak privately to Lorna, it was after close.
I found Lorna sitting behind her front counter on her phone. “If you hear from him,” she said, “please let me know.”
I waited until she had ended her call to speak. “No news?”
“No,” she said, placing her phone on the counter. “I’ve checked at the gym, with a few mutual friends, and no one has heard from Dex. This is not like him. The fact that he left his car and his cell phone behind worries me. It’s almost like he...”
“Doesn’t want to be found?” I finished for her.
“How was he at your place last night?” Lorna asked. “Did he say anything unusual or act differently?”
I could feel the blush riding my cheeks. I did not want to lie to my friend, but what had happened between Dex and I was private.
“By the old gods!” Lorna yanked her ponytail holder from her hair and scrubbed a hand through her long hair. “I can’t believe it. There’s no logical reason for him to just disappear this way. He would never do that to me.”
I gulped hard at her words. “I know you two are close...”
“He’s my family, and I’m his. Something is wrong. I know it.”
“Your private book club is tonight, correct?” I asked. “Perhaps you can ask your book club members if they’ve heard from him or seen him.”
“Gods!” Lorna rubbed her hand across her forehead. “I’d forgotten tonight was the new moon.”
“Would you like me to go upstairs and help you set up the chairs for the club?”
“I can do it.” Lorna blew out a frustrated breath. “Thanks anyway.”
“Let me know if you need anything,” I said,
“I will,” Lorna said as she hustled upstairs. “You’re a good friend, Kate.”
I nodded, feeling miserable at keeping my secret. Before I headed up to my own apartment, I tucked the PI’s card in my desk drawer.
***
A few days later, on the morning of Halloween, Dex was still missing, and Lorna had grown very quiet and a little distant.
As for me, I was torn between my worry for Dex, embarrassment over keeping the whole thing a secret, and a nice simmering anger.
Nobody liked being played, and I had the horrible suspicion that Dex had manipulated me.
He had used my feelings and my attraction to his advantage, got what he wanted, and walked away.
I got dressed for the day, tossing on a black mid-length dress, clipped my hair up and out of the way, and put on a basic work face.
I also put on my favorite necklace. It was a simple silver chain with an enameled Hekate’s Wheel pendant on it, a gift from Yia-yia—my Greek grandmother.
I told myself the pendant was like magickal armor for my upcoming interview with that private investigator of Lorna’s.
Nash Ellington was coming back that morning for another chat. He had called me ahead of time and requested a private meeting before I opened for the day—follow up questions he’d called them. As if I didn’t have enough on my mind, now I had to deal with the investigator’s questions.