door itself was locked. Worried, I unlocked the door and stepped inside, locking it behind me.
“Teag? Maggie? What’s up?”
“We’re back here, Cassidy,” Teag replied, and I could hear the worry in his voice. I headed for the back, and found Maggie seated in one of the chairs at our break room table looking much the worse for wear. She had a bloody gash on one side of her head, and blood marked her face and shirt. Maggie held a plastic bag full of ice against a rapidly-growing bruise that looked likely to become a goose egg. She also had her left leg propped up on a chair with a swelling ankle and more ice.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I went next door to take the newest batch of fountain pens over to Craig Murdoch,” she said. Teag and I knew Craig fairly well. He was the owner of Deckle Edge Bookstore, my favorite place in Charleston to look for out-of-print copies of special books. We gave Craig first dibs when we got in boxes of old books from an auction or estate sale, and he had a standing order for whatever beautiful vintage Parker and Waterman pens we acquired.
“Did you fall?” I couldn’t imagine what could have happened to Maggie between here and the next store. “Please don’t tell me that someone mugged you!”
Maggie started to shake her head, then swallowed hard at the discomfort and reconsidered. “Craig loved the pens. But everything was higgledy-piggeldy in the shop because he was bringing out his seasonal books. He and that new assistant of his were also putting up some fall decorations, and I volunteered to help bring a load of garlands and plastic pumpkins up from the basement.”
Uh-oh. “And then what?” I asked, although I was afraid I could guess.
“Craig sent Jonathan ahead and asked him to show me where the pumpkins were stored. You know what their basement stairs look like – the shop is very similar to Trifles and Folly. Ten steps down at the most, into a big room with a few support beams.”
Except that ours also had a locked safe-room where a vampire could spend the day in an emergency. That was a feature only Teag, Sorren, and I knew about.
“Jonathan was three steps ahead of me,” Maggie continued. “The lights were on. Craig was right behind me. But then – and you’re not going to believe me – Jonathan started to disappear. He kept on walking, but I couldn’t see his legs. And before I could say anything, he was gone completely. And I was falling – it felt as if someone had pushed me square in the chest.”
“Just gone?”
Maggie met my gaze. “I know it sounds crazy. Craig saw – or rather, didn’t see – the same thing. One instant, Jonathan was in front of me, and the next he was gone.”
“You searched the cellar?” I couldn’t imagine how someone could have pulled off such a prank, but it was worth exhausting the mundane explanations before assuming a supernatural attack.
“Craig did. I was nearly knocked cold,” Maggie replied. “Whatever took Jonathan pushed me so hard I fell. There are a few moments I don’t completely remember, except that something really scary and strange was happening and I didn’t dare fall forward.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” I said with heartfelt relief. I had met Craig’s new assistant, and Maggie’s account made my skin prickle with fear for his safety. “What then?”
“Craig helped me back up the steps, and then he went back to the basement. I wouldn’t have gone back down those steps for a million dollars, but this time, Craig went down just fine. Said the basement was just how it always was. But there was no trace of Jonathan.”
“Wow,” I replied, exchanging a meaningful glance with Teag.
“Craig tried calling and texting Jonathan’s cell phone, but he didn’t get an answer.” She paused. “Funny thing – we thought we heard the phone ring a couple of times, then nothing. But there was no one around, and we didn’t find the phone.”
“What’s Craig going to do?” Teag asked.
“He was beside himself. You can imagine. But how can you call the police about it? Can you imagine what they’d say if he tried to tell them someone disappeared on his way down the basement stairs?”
A few weeks ago, her skepticism would have been dead on. Now, I was betting Craig would be surprised to find out the police might take his report more seriously than he imagined.