talk about you and your shop,” Monroe replied, and there was a chill in her voice. “People say that strange stuff happens here. There’s something a little hinky about this place. I’ve heard rumors that you specialize in haunted objects, that you think you’re some kind of ghost whisperer.”
I laughed out loud. “I’m not a medium, Detective. And I am most definitely not a ghost whisperer.” Hell no. When I get desperate enough to talk at ghosts, I usually shout.
Monroe shrugged. “Whatever. I don’t like charlatans who fill people’s heads full of nonsense to inflate their prices.”
I reined in my temper, knowing she was probably trying to get a rise out of me. “Detective, I’m betting that you looked into my store’s history, and our rating with the business bureaus. If you have something specific to get off your chest, then let’s hear it. But I don’t appreciate your innuendo and if there’s nothing more to discuss, I need to open my shop for the day.”
Monroe didn’t say anything for a moment. I was betting it was something she learned in cop school, a way to rattle your opponent’s nerves. She had no idea that it took a lot more than that to rattle me, after what we dealt with on a regular basis.
“I’ve found that seemingly ‘random’ bombings and attacks usually aren’t,” she replied. “There’s usually a tie of some sort, somewhere. And I’m wondering what it is.”
“Well, you’ll have to let me know when you find out.”
“Oh, I will.” A little smile touched her lips. “Don’t worry about that.” Detective Monroe turned and left just as Teag opened the door to come in. She paused, gave him an appraising glance tinged with disapproval, and walked out.
Teag closed the door behind her and waited until she was out of sight. “Who was that?” he asked. I could tell from his tone the Detective hadn’t made a good first impression.
“Someone I’ve decided I don’t like,” I replied. I made a pot of coffee and heated up water for tea while I told him about my run-in with Monroe.
“If she’s got a stick up her ass about anything haunted, she’s not going to do too well in Charleston,” Teag said, stirring extra sugar into his tea. “I’m guessing she’s not from here.”
“She didn’t say, and I couldn’t tell from her voice. Maybe she’s just a show-me type.” I sighed. “With everything that’s been going on, it would have been nice to have a little sympathy.”
Teag grimaced. “I live with a lawyer, remember? Cops only give sympathy when they’re trying to get a confession out of you. She’s got a point about attacks usually having some kind of link, even if it’s only in the mind of the attacker. And her instincts are dead on. There is a link, just not something we could tell her about.”
“I know. But the whole thing just has me worried, and now Sorren’s gone off to chase down ‘resources’, whatever that means.” I recounted the conversation with Sorren the night before.
“Speaking of which, I need to go over to the nursing home, and I’d rather do it in daylight. Can you cover for me?”
Teag nodded. “Sure. And expect to see Maggie later today, even if she is on crutches. I think she’s bored recuperating.”
I grinned. “That’s good. I wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d have lit out like a rocket after what she saw.”
Teag raised an eyebrow. “I think Maggie’s made of sterner stuff than that.”
It took me an hour to calm down after Detective Monroe’s visit. I tried to tell myself that she was just doing her job, and that it was probably some kind of standard police protocol to insult the victim in order to make sure he or she hadn’t staged the incident, but I was still annoyed as hell. There wasn’t a whole lot mundane authorities could do in this situation, but if Monroe’s attitude didn’t change, we weren’t likely to get any help, period.
Maggie came in around lunch. I hated to see her on crutches, but she got around like a pro. “I’ve learned something about myself,” she said, and hobbled over to the chair Teag had pulled behind the main counter. “I do not convalesce well.” She looked at me intently. “Did you know that there is absolutely nothing worth watching on daytime television?”
Teag and I fussed over her, letting her know how glad we were that she was feeling better. Teag brought her a cup of coffee, and I