Page 70 of A Seer and Present Danger

“Yes. No question. Will you stay?”

“Two days. I can do two more days. It’s not that I don’t like Ordinary. This is my home.”

“I know. I love it too. This is just a glitch. I’m sure of it.”

We crossed to the building and down the echoing halls to the old gym.

The tables still had plenty of donations stacked all around, but the walls were lined with boxes marked in bright colors for age and gender, or gender neutral.

Several were labeled for moms or dads or adults. Those would have things like kitchenware, coupons for grocery shopping, and even hair salon or barber shop visits.

“This is really coming along,” I noted.

“It is,” Yancy said, a little more like his positive self. “I like most of the festivals Bertie puts on, but donation drives are my favorite. I’ll start sorting. Thanks, Piper.”

“Happy to help.”

Sage spotted me from across the room and waved. I brought her the coffee.

“Hey, this is nice.” She inhaled deeply. “Cream and sugar. You know me well.”

I smiled. “I cheated.”

“You looked?”

“Yes.”

“Who’s the other one for?”

“Gabriel?”

She shot a look over my shoulder and grinned. “Speak of the devil.”

I twisted and saw Gabriel Brown, the local locksmith, strolling in through the door.

I handed him the coffee right as he was in the middle of a giant yawn.

“You are a saint.” He took a huge gulp. “I was out setting up a security system last night and it took forever. Bertie’s events start too dang early.”

I laughed. “You tell her that.”

“Nope. I have no desire to find out if a Valkyrie can reap an elf’s soul.”

“Oh, I bet she can reap every kind of soul. Who had you working so late?”

“Gail Malloy. She was worried someone would steal from Kenny’s shop, which I guess is hers now. I installed new locks, security cameras, the whole bit.”

“I thought she was selling the place.”

He made a sound. “She’s been through two deaths in a very short time. I don’t expect her to be thinking clearly. I tried to talk her down to just changing the locks, but she insisted on the works. Aggressively. So now the place has the best security system in town.”

“I guess that would make a good selling point.”

“If she sells,” he said. “She might decide to keep the building and re-open the business.”

“Do you think she would do that?”

“I’d say she has the moral fortitude to do whatever it takes to get what she wants.” He took another sip of coffee. “But from the rumors I heard, Kenny didn’t want her name on the business and neither did Hugo.”