“Fine.” Toby didn’t look at me as he restocked the counter. There wasn’t much to do since Kacey’s friends had been my only customers all shift. “You must have had a great reading day.”
Okay, then. I guess Toby didn’t want to talk about his concerns about Elisa. Not wanting to push, I pointed to the still foggy street. “The weather killed us this morning. Kacey’s memorial is at one today, and I’m not sure the sun will be shining by then.” When he didn’t comment, I continued.
“Maybe the weather is appropriate, though. The two customers I had seemed very close to Kacey, and the gloom seems to match their emotions for the day.” I waited until Toby had finished the few chores and had paused for a minute, watching out the window. “Are you okay?”
He transferred his gaze from the window to me. “Fine.” He looked at the clock. “If you’re going to the memorial, you’d better get going. Did you drive this morning or walk in this crap?”
“Walked. I couldn’t see town until I hit The Train Station and then I went from lamppost to lamppost. Kind of reminded me of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe when Lucy finds the way into Narnia. It made the walk kind of magical.”
“I would have thought about Stephen King’s short story ‘The Mist’ and wondered if there were monsters in the mix.” He smiled.
“That’s why you’re the police officer and I’m the bookseller. We think differently.” I glanced at the display case. “Have you had people ask about special diet items, like gluten-free desserts? I get the feeling that there were a lot of people interested in Kacey’s new food truck. Do you think we’d sell enough to make it worth Sadie’s time to make something special?”
“Definitely. The girls from the cosmetology school are always on some diet. I’ve heard a lot of them talk about the fact they might have a wheat allergy and that’s why they can’t lose weight. Of course, I think it’s more an issue of eating dessert every morning with their coffee, rather than a real medical thing.” Toby looked past me at the door. “And here they come. You should be paying for an advertisement in the college’s newsletter. You get a lot of their business.”
“Yeah, but word of mouth is always a better sales tool. Especially when they’re all talking about Barista Babe.” I threw my tote over my shoulder. “I’ll see you on Tuesday. Have a nice weekend.”
“Sure.”
His tone made me turn back around. The boy was keeping something from me, and from the responses I’d gotten when I asked about Elisa, I knew it had to be something there. Of course, I’d already dug into Sasha’s personal life yesterday and got shut down. Then the conversation with Aunt Jackie had basically been a mind-your-own-business answer. Maybe I should give Toby a little leeway. I’d reevaluate on Tuesday and make him tell me if there was something wrong. I called out a good-bye and held the door open for the first wave of Toby’s girls.
Walking home, I still didn’t see a lot of traffic on the road or inside the businesses. Diamond Lille’s had a weekday lunch crowd instead of the standing room only she typically got during the tourist season. I wondered if she was cutting back on serving water to her customers like we were.
My aunt had come back from her water conservation meeting convinced the no water station rule was on target. I’d given in even though I knew it caused more work for Toby and Sasha when they worked the afternoon shift and most of our teens didn’t order food or drinks, but instead filled up on the free water. As long as they weren’t causing trouble in the shop and occasionally bought a book or a soda, I didn’t mind the shop being the teen afterschool hangout. It made us look busy, which drove in walk-in traffic. Lille had a one drink per person minimum if they were going to use a table for a study group or just get together. I hated that they would have to wait in line now, just for water, but I guess it was for the common good.
At least I hadn’t gone all-out with landscaping last year. I peered at Esmeralda’s lush green lawn and wondered how long it would be before it turned as brown as my dormant grass appeared. Maggie, her black cat, meowed at me from the other side of the picket fence as I passed. I reached through the small opening between slats and petted her soft black fur. Maggie and I had a history. She liked to cross the road and sleep on my lap when I sat on the porch. And I liked listening to her purr. Emma even liked the cat. I guess I was bilingual in the animal world. I spoke both cat and dog.
I finished up Maggie’s minute, rubbing the tiny white spot on her neck. “Now, you stay home. The road’s too busy on weekends for you to be crossing on your own.”