Faerie Dust Dead (The Luna Devere Series Book 2) (8 page)

Without allowing Annie an
opportunity to ask more questions, that I was reluctant to answer, I crossed
the corridor and pressed the dumbwaiter button. While the trays traveled
upward, I skipped downstairs to ready the next batches for delivery to the
first floor.

The dumbwaiter went up and down
for about a half hour before all the cakes were ready for display in the cooler
cases. I joined Annie and we made short work of setting the trays on the
shelves. The delightful little cakes were food for the eye and stomach. Their
loveliness, and luscious gourmet taste, made me proud to serve them.

“If you have a minute, I’d like
to ask what happened when you spoke with the stranger,” Annie suggested.

“Not much, except we went to
visit Arianna Gentile afterward. She’s quite odd, isn’t she?”

Annie averted her eyes and
mumbled an answer that sounded like, “Yes, in more ways than you can imagine.”
Abruptly, Annie returned to the galley kitchen and began to set up teacups and
plates for customers.

The back door slammed shut, I
turned as Dilly rushed along the corridor. “Sorry if I’m late.” Dilly checked
her watch, glanced at me with a grin, and hung her coat in the hall closet.

“Imagine that? I’m actually on
time!” Dilly said gleefully. On a serious note, she asked, “Have you found
anyone to help out here for a few hours every day? Since the kids have returned
to school, we’ve worked harder than ever.”

“I know. I have feelers out,” I
assured her. “The college kids that helped during their vacation were a bonus,
but now, by the time their class day ends, we’re winding down for the day. I’ve
been thinking we should have help come in from eleven in the morning until two
in the afternoon, what do you think?” I asked both women.

“Sounds great, that’s when
we’re the busiest,” Dilly agreed. She lifted her left foot and waggled it
around. “This dog was barking something awful when I got home last night. I had
to soak my feet for nearly a half hour.”

Smiling over the dog comment,
and knowing she meant her foot, I said I’d place an ad in the local paper if
Stephanie didn’t call me with a referral within the next two days. Annie and
Dilly were great as far as staff were concerned, they knew the ropes, and took
the time needed to make customers happy. It meant a lot to me that I’d been
able to hire such capable workers, even if I had been tempted to let one of
them go.

Tables were dressed and ready
for customers, the sun was bright, and our first customers drove in just as I
put Riddles out in the backyard. He scampered off the porch and raced along the
path toward the woods, on the hunt for unsuspecting faeries. I watched as his
tail disappeared around the bricked path’s edge.

The first batch of cupcake
lovers streamed through the door with wide smiles, sweet comments, and money to
spend. They made a dent in the cupcakes, ordered some boxed for take-away and
then hit the gift shop. I watched as they wandered around the shelves, peering
at the faerie books and lore, and admiring the glass window hangings. Questions
were asked and answered, goods were bought and wrapped, and happy consumers
went on their merry way.
Life is good.

As I returned to the dining
room, I stopped short when I saw Calis sitting at the corner table. A pot of
tea, a teacup, and an assortment of cakes sat before him. He glanced my way,
beckoned me to join him by way of a crooked finger, and poured tea into the
cup.

As I slid into the seat across
from him, Calis set the teacup in front of me and offered a cupcake.
Why?
I hadn’t any idea, but I shook my head and sipped the tea. I’d noticed a few of
the nearby customers were taking notice of what was happening at this table. I
was unwilling to let gossip spread that I’d taken up with a dark-haired
stranger, so I smiled at the onlookers. Dilly brought a second teacup to the
table and lingered for a moment.

“Is there anything else you
need, Luna?” Dilly asked as she fixed her gaze on Calis.

“No, we’re all set, thank you,
Dilly. I think Annie could use a hand, though. People are waiting for their
orders,” I said.

Dilly glanced at Annie, the
crowd, and then hurried toward the kitchen. I smiled, knowing full well that
she would badger me for information later on.

“You’ve made an impression on
my help, Calis,” I murmured with a smirk.

“Seems so. I’d rather they
didn’t hear what we discuss though, so I’ll be coming by after hours from here
on out,” he replied.

“I’m afraid that’s not
convenient. I have a routine, and to vary it puts me behind schedule. This is a
food business that works on well-greased wheels. I can’t afford to have you
interrupt my days and evenings on a whim,” I said.

He picked at a candy-corn
cupcake and savored the taste of the frosting. When he glanced at me with a
frosty blue glare, I drew in a breath and held it for fear he’d explode with
anger.

“Whether it’s convenient or not
is of no consequence to me. I can’t do my job without you. The best time to do
it is when no people are hanging about. I can’t speak freely when there’s a
chance that others will hear what I have to say. It puts them in danger, just
as it does us. You’ll need to adjust; after all, I won’t be here forever,” he
said with a slight grin.

Disheartened by his demands, I
mumbled, “Thank God for small favors.”

“Those journals your father
wrote, are they proving useful?” Calis asked.

I gave him a shrug and said, “I
haven’t had a lot of time to study them.”

“Liar,” he accused softly.

My spine stiffened as I gave
him what I hoped was a fearsome glare. “Don’t push me on this,” I whispered
sternly. “I have a business to run, employees to attend, and a cat that must
need to come indoors by now.” I slid the chair back and left Calis sitting at
the table staring at me.

His expression unreadable as I
turned and strode toward the gift shop to relieve Annie, who couldn’t keep up
with the line of customers and the questions they asked.

“I’ll take over. Why don’t you
work in the kitchen for a bit or sit outside in the sunshine for a while?” suggested.
“Oh, and please let Riddles into the apartment if he’s ready to come indoors.”

Her smile widened as she took
my advice and left the room. I peered around the corner and saw Calis had left
his table. Dilly was in the process of clearing his leftovers away. I smirked
at the possibility that I’d managed to get under his skin. and turned toward
the waiting customers.

“How may I help you?” I asked
the plump woman whose arms were filled with books and faerie statues.

“These are gifts for my
grandkids. Could you bag them separately?” Her face beamed as she set each
faerie on top of a book.

“Sure thing,” I answered and
pointed to the small flower faeries. “These are garden faeries. The folklore in
the books explains how they came to be the guardians of flowers and plants. I’m
sure your grandchildren will enjoy the stories.”

The woman paid for her
merchandise and happily clomped away in her clogs. I smiled and waited on the
next customer. The line eventually ended, the room lay empty, and shelves once
again needed goods.

In less time than I thought,
I’d filled vacant spaces with the last of the faeries, and pulled boxes of
gnomes from the back of the closet. Surely I hadn’t forgotten to order more
faeries? I placed the gnomes around the room and scribbled a note to order more
stock. Empty boxes in hand, I headed for to the trash bin near the rear
walkway.

Diners had gone, and the
Junction was peaceful as I walked along the corridor and opened the back door.

Dilly’s voice reached my ears.
I stopped just inside the screen door.

“She’s acting odd,” she said. “Odder
than usual, if you ask me.”

“I didn’t ask,” Annie remarked.

“You must know whether Luna’s
been meeting that man after we leave at night. Can’t you see how tense she’s
become? I think there’s trouble brewing, don’t you? And what would Devin think
about this?” Dilly asked.

“I haven’t given it any
consideration. If I had, I’d have come to the conclusion that what Luna does or
doesn’t do is none of our business.” Annie’s voice raised an octave as she
said, “You should really get a life, Dilly. Maybe then you wouldn’t be so
interested in minding everyone else’s business.”

I heard footsteps approach. I’d
no sooner swung the inside door closed when Annie opened it and winked at me.
She’d known I was listening. Caught in the act of eavesdropping, I gave her a
slight smile and a half shrug.

Annie stepped close and
whispered, “She needs to mind her own affairs, not yours, Luna.”

“Mm, I know,” I answered as I
opened the screen door, went down the steps, and tossed the boxes in the trash
bin.

When I returned, Stephanie
Jones, a local police dispatcher, stood in front of the cupcake cases chatting
with Annie. Dilly rearranged cakes in the case to Annie’s left and unabashedly
listened to their conversation. I guessed Annie’s advice went unheeded.

“Hi, Luna,” Stephanie greeted
me with a grin. “I’m not here on police business… I have good news. My mother
would like to come in and talk to you about those hours you need to fill. Are
you interested in meeting her?”

Relieved that she hadn’t
forgotten, I nodded. If I could add another fine worker to the two I had, life
would be easier for all of us.

Annie handed Stephanie a cup of
tea and a cupcake on a matching plate. I rounded the counter and walked to a
table near the front door where we could speak privately.

“When can she come in to chat?”
I asked while I took the seat opposite the woman.

“I can bring her by later, if
you’d like. She’s excited at the prospect of working for you and with the
others,” Stephanie answered.

I glanced at the clock and
wondered what time would work for all of us.

“I’m off work today, so any
time is fine, Luna.” Stephanie finished off her cupcake and sipped tea,
smacking her lips afterward.

I grinned and agreed to meet
with her mother around three o’clock.

“Great, three it is. I think
Mom will fit in perfectly with Annie and Dilly.” Stephanie leaned forward and
said softly, “She doesn’t gossip, you know.”

Chuckling, I said, “We all have
to be thankful for something, and I’m thankful for that.”

*   *   *

A few stragglers remained when
Stephanie arrived with her mother, Leslie Jones. I sized the woman up the
moment she entered the room and knew she’d be a good fit. Hoping my instincts
were in order, I summoned Leslie to follow me to my downstairs office.

As we started toward the
stairs, Annie drew me aside. “Riddles is begging to come in, should I put him
in your loft? I couldn’t find him earlier.”

“Please do. He’s probably
hungry, too” I said.

When Annie walked along the
hall, I caught sight of Dilly peeking around the kitchen doorway. I gave her a
smile and motioned Leslie down the steps.

Settled in the office, after
giving Leslie a quick tour and an explanation of the creation station, I asked
questions concerning her work history, waitressing, and gift shop experience.

Her eyes sparkled with
enthusiasm as she answered. “When I lived in Salem, Massachusetts, I ran a gift
shop of my own. My husband and I returned to Swanscott when Steph was ready to
begin school. Ralph got a job with the fire department which was perfect.”
After Leslie had explained her shop, I told her what I was looking for.

“The hours are few, but daily from
eleven in the morning until two in the afternoon, five days a week. We’re
generally swamped at that time of day. The treatment of our customers is most
important to me. If they go away happy, it means they’ll share their experience
and business will increase, which is good for all of us. We aren’t able stand relax
for a minute while there are people to feed and gifts to package for buyers,” I
said. “If you think you’d like to give it a go, and see if you’ll like working
here, you can start tomorrow. What do you say?”

Leslie gave me a huge grin,
asked if she needed special clothes or shoes, and then said, “After my husband
passed away, it took me ages to get my life together. Now that I have done that,
I’m ready to face the world and this will be good for me. I hope to meet your
expectations, Luna.”

“I didn’t realize your husband
had passed on, Leslie. I’m sorry to hear that,” I said. “I’m sure you’ll be a
great addition to our staff. Dilly and Annie are easy to work with, and I’m
sure we’ll all get along just fine.”

We discussed wages, and then
rejoined the crowd upstairs. Annie gave me a look of relief and tipped her head
toward the now-filled tables. Diners sat in nearly every seat as shoppers
browsed gifts. Stephanie stood near the front door, eagerly awaiting Leslie.
When she saw her mother, she quickly motioned her forward and said something to
her. Leslie nodded and headed for the porch.

I watched Stephanie start
across the room and met her halfway. “Is something wrong?” I asked.

“Not at all, I just wanted a
word with you before I left. Can we speak privately?” Stephanie asked.

My nerves tightened, and
suddenly, wariness cloaked me. When we headed toward the rear porch, I glanced
over my shoulder. Calis stood inside the entryway, his expression ominous and
his blue eyes storm-filled.
Not again.
What now? The thought hit me like
a blast of cold air. I gave him a nod, and followed Stephanie through the door.

“I have to hurry back to help
the staff but, you look worried, what’s wrong?” I asked as soon as I closed the
door behind me.

She shrugged. “I wanted to say
how much I appreciate you hiring my mother. She needs to feel useful and this
will fill the bill. When my father died, Mom fell apart. It was a particularly
nasty situation, and she still doesn’t know everything. If you could keep her
from going into the forest, I’d appreciate it.” Stephanie kept glancing over my
shoulder toward the wooded land beyond the flowered path leading from my steps.