“Like, for building?” Beth asked, confused.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I wish I could tell you.” I leaned a bit closer. “Someone broke in. They must have disabled my security system somehow. I wanted to make sure nothing odd has happened here.”
Beth scoffed and waved a hand. “Here? Come on, I don’t piss folks off.”
“No? You might. You curse like a drunken sailor, Beth.”
“You’rethe one who dated a crazy person.”
“I did not date him,” I clarified while holding a finger up. “Duncanthoughthe was dating me. Big difference.”
Beth shrugged. “No one’s put bricks in here. Sorry, Sebby. Do you need help cleaning?”
“There’s too many.”
“I’m not some old granny who can’t pick up a few bricks!”
I pulled my cell out, opened up a photo I had taken before the police arrived, and turned the screen around to show her.
Beth snorted. “Better hire a moving company.”
“Or construction. How much do you think I can sell these for?” I asked, putting my phone away.
“I’d say you’d make enough to buy you and your hunky guy a nice dinner.”
LUTHER RETURNEDfor the second time in two days, which was twice as many times as I wanted to see my landlord. He patted his big belly while eyeing the shop, took a step forward, but when the bricks wiggled under his unsteady footing, he stopped. “What did you do? I said I was fixing the window!”
“I didn’t do this,” I exclaimed. Trying to explain the situation to him was like debating with a—well, a brick wall.
I hated my landlord for many reasons. But mostly because he’s an idiot.
“The police advised me to get new locks,” I said. “I know they didn’t come through the front door, so the gate is fine. It’s the alley. I need better security on the back door.”
“How do you even know that if the cameras were blacked out?”
I heard Max make a noise behind me from the counter, and I rubbed my unshaven chin in agitation. “Someone took out the cameras from the inside, without being seen, Mr. North. If they came through the back, moved along the walls, and approached the camera from behind—”
As I explained to him how it must have happened, it was like an explosion of fireworks going off in my head.
In order to do that, to know where the cameras couldn’t pick someone up, they would have to be familiar with the layout of the Emporium. So this dude with the brick fetish must have come in before as a customer. Just like with Duncan Andrews.
Had I mistakenly placed a newspaper ad that encouraged psychopaths to visit my shop?
Luther humphed loudly. “And?”
“I, uh—so I need new locks.”
“I guess I can see about getting some installed over the weekend.”
“I’m open on the weekend. I’m only closed on Monday, and I’m not waiting until next week. If this isn’t dealt with today, who knows what could happen. Do I need to remind you how much my Victrola is worth?” I turned to point at the large furniture on one side of the room.
Luther waved a meaty hand at me, speaking over the shop phone ringing. “Fine, fine, fine. I’ll have my guys come by during lunch. They’ll deal with the locks and the window.”
“And the bricks?”
