Page 122 of Trick or Stalk

I watch through the front window as Gracie leads the two dachshunds down the sidewalk toward her vehicle. Penny doesn't even look back.

“Little traitor.” I smile and turn away.

My smile disappears surprisingly fast.

The store is quiet.

Not the normal bookstore quiet.

Eerily quiet.

I hadn't noticed it with Gracie here. But now, it’s obvious.

I look around.

Tall shelves stretch toward the ceiling, creating narrow, shadow-filled aisles. Antique lamps cast warm pools of light throughout the store, but the spaces between them are darker than usual.

I shake my head. “Stop freaking yourself out.”

I'm in downtown Hollow Creek, surrounded by other businesses. Not alone in Grandma's house in the middle of the woods.

Correction: my house.

With a sigh, I grab a stack of returns from behind the counter and shelve them.

Then I straighten the front displays.

As I’m heading back to the counter, movement in my peripheral vision flashes across the front window.

I stop.

My heart rate kicks up. Someone’s there.

I turn quickly.

Nothing.

The sidewalk outside the bookstore is empty.

A few cars are parked along the street. Orange lights wrapped around the lampposts glow against the darkness. Across the road, a couple walks past carrying coffee cups.

But no one is standing outside The Crooked Spine.

I move to the window, cup my hand against the glass, and look both ways.

I don’t see anyone.

I release a breath. “Stop being weird.”

My reflection stares back at me.

I turn away. The stack of books is still waiting.

“Get to work.”

I grab the first one. It’s a mystery novel. Easy enough.

I carry it toward the back of the store, floorboards creaking beneath my feet. Normally, I like that sound. It gives the bookstore character.