Jonathan might have had to run away?” I asked. Not all employees are trustworthy. I wondered if Craig might find the till short a few hundred – or thousand – dollars, or some items missing from stock.
“Jonathan hadn’t mentioned any personal problems, and Craig said there weren’t any issues with his performance, but he told me he would double check to make sure nothing was gone.” Maggie sighed. “I really liked Jonathan. He was good with customers, and he was just getting his life back together.”
A warning prickled down my spine. “What do you mean?”
Maggie’s face grew pink. “I shouldn’t have said anything. But I guess it will come out, if Jonathan really is missing. He hadn’t been in Charleston long. Moved here from Upstate, near Columbia, after he’d had a bit of trouble. Got accused of vehicular manslaughter because a drunk wandered out in front of his car, but he was acquitted. Poor fellow.”
“Why don’t you take the rest of the afternoon off?” I suggested. “Teag can drive you home.”
Teag looked at me. “Are you sure you’ll be all right while I’m gone?”
I nodded. “Sure thing. But I promise you – I won’t go near the basement.”
Teag hesitated. “Check your voice mail. Sorren left a message that he had to go out of town unexpectedly – said we were to be careful.”
I wondered if that meant more problems in Boston. With the wards Lucinda had set around the shop, I was pretty sure we would be safe in the store, but I wasn’t about to push my luck. I was worried about Maggie. I was worried about Sorren. And right now, there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about any of it. So I poured myself a cup of coffee and flipped the sign in the window, figuring that chatting with some tourists with money to spend might take my mind off things.
It wasn’t long before a big man in a leather jacket and more scars than a cage fighter walked into Trifles and Folly. He just didn’t seem to be the type to be shopping for antiques.
“I’m looking for Sorren,” the man said abruptly. His voice was rough, and I bet he liked his whiskey straight.
“Excuse me?”
This guy was easily over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and muscles that didn’t come from the gym. He had scars on his hands from fights and a scar on his neck that looked like someone had tried and failed to slit his throat. A particularly ugly scar marred his face.
“I believed the hippie when she said she didn’t know, but I don’t believe you,” he replied. His voice wasn’t implying a threat – so far – but his light blue eyes had a killer’s coldness to them.
“You need to leave.” If the best defense is a good offense, I intended to start offending. Charleston prides itself on manners, but it also has a reputation for starting fights (big ones, like the Civil War) and finishing what gets started. And right now, he’d gotten my back up.
“Tell Sorren that Daniel’s in town. Tell him I’m watching the Watcher.”
“Daniel who?”
His smile revealed a mouthful of teeth that looked like they had been rearranged a few times, and not by a dentist. “Daniel Hunter. He’ll remember me.” His smile froze into something more like a grimace. “Sorry about your uncle. He should have gotten out of the game sooner. I hope you know what you’re doing, taking over for him.”
That did it. “Get out,” I said. “Get the hell out, and stay out.” I felt a tingle as the dog collar on my left wrist jangled, and then a low, angry growl filled the air. The big man looked surprised, then annoyed when he saw the glowing shape of a large dog with its spectral teeth bared, but he backed up mighty quickly when that ghost-dog took a step toward him, head lowered, ready to leap.
“I said, get the hell out of my shop.”
Daniel Hunter gave me a baleful look, glanced back at the angry dog, and headed for the door. “Just tell Sorren. He’d better watch out. And you’d best watch out, too.” With that, he walked out of the door, but I noticed that he never turned his back on Bo’s ghost. When the door slammed shut, the ghost dog looked over at me, wagged his tail, and vanished.
I sat down on the stool behind the counter and took a long, shaky breath. Sure, I had faced down some pretty