Part 13 (2/2)
Eve rolled her eyes and started looking through some other boxes.
”Oh, if I could get my hands on you now,” Nick threatened.
”What would you do if you could?”
”Don't talk so loud!” Eve yelled, fingers in her ears.
Nick growled. ”Use your imagination.”
”Can I call you?” I asked.
”About what your imagination comes up with?” He was using his bedroom voice. ”Please do.”
”Nick. Be serious.”
”Call, but I turn off the phone when I don't want to give away my location, so I might not answer.”
”Are you and Alex in danger?”
”Gotta go, ladybug.”
My phone went dead. ”He hung up on me!”
Eve headed back my way. ”A missing person?” she asked.
”A hunch based on the well. I didn't tell you, but I've seen it more than once.”
”So,” she said, thoughtfully. ”Not a 'wis.h.i.+ng' well. A nightmare well?”
”Deep. Dry. Isolated.”
Twenty-one.
I am always returning to one piece of cloth-a rectangle-because it is the elementary form in clothing.
-ISSEY MIYAKE.
A couple of Werner's officers took the new boxes of clothing donations inside and left them in a hea.r.s.e stall. I mean, a designer nook. So I wouldn't have to touch the cape and dress again, I had Eve put them in her backseat before I got in. ”I'll try the dress on later and see if I can get anything more on the couple.”
Eve looked in her backseat. ”You shouldn't do that alone.”
”Are you volunteering to be there, or should I ask Aunt Fiona? I do need to talk to her.”
With a finger to her chin, Eve pretended she had a dilemma. ”Oh, I think Fee should have a turn.”
I needed Eve's humor. ”Chicken.”
”Cluck. Don't we have a car to return? What time does the rental place close?”
”Oy. Let's go. I don't want to pay for another week.”
Two seconds before the rental place closed, Eve waited while I turned in my car. ”I'm beat,” I said, getting into her pa.s.senger seat.
”You've only been up for a few hours.”
”I have two night's sleep to make up for. Take me back to the shop to see if the cops are gone.”
She turned her car in that direction. ”Do you know what kind of car you want?” she asked.
There was only one car dealers.h.i.+p in Mystick Falls, and I liked to support the locals. ”Tomorrow, after school, you can drive me to Goodwin's. I want an Element.”
”You just returned an Element.”
”I know and I loved it.”
”It's a big rectangle.”
”Basic structure. I've heard it called an Amish buggy and a four-slice toaster. I don't care what anybody else thinks. The design is brilliant and I love the way it drives. Easy on gas, big enough to haul clothes, backseats that disappear to make like a truck bed. I'm in business. It's perfect. I need one. I want one.”
”Do me a favor,” Eve said. ”Tomorrow, when we get to Goodwin's, pretend you're not jonesing, so you don't pay too much. And be prepared to follow my lead and walk.”
”You like playing the money game, don't you? You're such a Connecticut Yankee.”
She buffed her nails on her vest then pretended to admire their black sheen. ”I have been known to make car salesmen cry.”
I chuckled. ”Fine. I choose; you negotiate, genius.”
”I am a genius. I wrote you a sweet computer program to run the shop. Keeps track of stock, designers, vintage year, provenance, flaws, every thingamabobbin you can imagine. I designed a bookkeeping module that works with it: quarterly tax reports, the works. Bodacious program, if I do say so myself. It'll work with a tax program, too, so I can file your quarterlies and such.”
”Eve, that's such an enormous gift.”
”You're worth it. Are you all right?”
I rubbed my temple. ”I'm not sure.” I grabbed the cape and dress off her backseat and set them in my lap.
Eve did a double take. ”Oh, please don't do that in my car.”
”Why? I don't pee my pants when I have a vision.”
”No, I do!”
n.o.body could match my skewed sense of humor as well as Eve. Except maybe Nick, in bed.
When we drove by my shop, the crime scene tape was gone. ”Yay. Pull in so I can run up and see what they took. Don't even stop the engine. I'll be back in two minutes.”
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