Page 11 of Witch Moon

"That Witch shop in town, you mean? Sure, I've been in there. She has cool stuff. What's that got to do with anything?"

"Just let me ask the questions, here, all right? What kind of cool stuff does she have that interests you?"

"I don't know, just stuff."

"Do you know the owner?"

Bryan frowned. "The blonde who runs the place? Not really." Bryan looked at his mother. "Can we just go now? Please?"

Mrs. Marcomb pursed her lips, looking mad as hell. But Jonathon thought it was more worry for her son than real anger. She loved the kid, though he was probably driving her nuts.

"You can go," Jonathon said. When Officer Cantone opened his mouth to object, Jonathon shot him a silent message. The cop read it, and nodded, and the mother and son hurried out of there.

"He was there," Cantone said.

"Yeah, but he's not fooling anyone with that tough-boy routine. I don't know if he's a part of this or not, but I do know he thinks he's in serious trouble if he talks to us. He was scared, Billy."

"So what do you suggest we do?" Cantone asked.

"I think you gave him a lot to think about here. Let's give him a few days. I have a feeling he'll be back."

Pursing his lips, the cop nodded. "Okay, we'll try it your way."

Jonathon left and hurried down the hall to his own office in the small, two-story County Building in Branwich, the biggest town in the district, which was still a small town by most standards. It boasted a Wal-Mart, a handful of grocery and drug stores, one movie theater and two pizza places. Ezra Township was fourteen miles away.

He closed his office door, picked up the phone, and punched in Mirabella Saint Angeline's number...which, for some reason, he'd already committed to memory. Probably from having almost dialed it at least ten times today. He supposed it was natural to want to check in, make sure she was all right. Hell, she was all alone out there in her little cobblestone cottage with its vine covered walls and its big front porch. He didn't think he'd ever seen so many sets of wind chimes in one place before.

Her telephone rang three times. He was about to hang up and head over there to check in person, when she picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hello?"

"Mirabella?"

Bella heard him say her name, and she shivered down deep in reaction to it. It wasn't just out of fear, either. There was something deeper. Something primal that experienced the sound of his voice like a physical touch.

It occurred to her that it was the first time he'd called her by her first name. And for some insane reason, she responded the same way. "Jonathon," she said, when she could catch her breath. "I'm...surprised to hear from you."

It was a lie. She'd been all but staring at the phone waiting for his call today. She lifted her gaze as she spoke, to watch his daughter, pacing in the next room. Mirabella had only just let her in when the telephone had interrupted them.

"I thought I'd check in. Just to, you know, make sure everything's still okay."

"Everything's fine."

"No dizzy spells or anything?"

"Not a one."

"Good."

He went silent for a long moment. She cleared her throat. "I...have company." she said. "So I really should—"

"Man or woman?" he asked.

She blinked in surprise at the bluntness of that question. But licking her lips she said. "Woman. Why?"

"Curiosity got the best of me, I guess. I, um... never mind."

"No. Tell me, what were you going to say?"

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