Free Protected by Stone (A Paranormal Romance Novel) by Cynthia Brint Page A

mailbox, I gave her a tiny smile. She didn't return it. Instead, she shoved her mail into the blue box, then jogged across the street without looking back at me.
    Huh. That was weird. Twisting my hand tighter on my purse, having left the heavy backpack at the house, I stopped on the sidewalk. Now that I was aware of it, it felt like other people were watching me nervously, too.
    My skin went clammy under the prying eyes. What's this all about? What's the problem? I glanced sideways at a man on a bench. He quickly ducked back behind his newspaper. Is it because I'm a new face? Dirk did say that in a small town, everyone knows everyone.
    I was relieved when I finally spotted the Town Hall. Ducking inside, out of range of the milling, nosy people, I breathed easier. The building was rather small, as Town Halls went. Inside, it was like a dome stretching upwards. A tiny window in the ceiling lit the place.
    In the rays of sun, I spotted motes of dust. Not like I can judge, my new home is filthy.
    “Can I help you?” The voice was feminine, bored. A woman sat in a small cubby to the side, easily missed.
    Clearing my throat, I wandered her way. “Yes, uh, I'm here to—well, I guess I need someone to go over some legal documents.”
    She adjusted the thin wire framed glasses on her nose. “Certainly. Let me get Franz for you, he's our resident lawyer.” I thought she would dial a phone, or speak into an ear-piece. Instead, she stood and cracked her back. Then, as I looked on in confusion, she walked across to a door with pale, scuffed glass. Her knuckles tapped gently. “Franz? Franz! You've got someone here who needs you.”
    I didn't spend a minute waiting before he pushed the door open. “Oho? What's that?” Like a man too tall for what his body had to offer, Franz stretched his way out of his office. I could see his knees threatening to poke through his trousers as he walked. “A client you say, Debra? Lovely, just, hold on and I'll make some room in—in here.”
    His eyes reached me, that long face coiling into a display 0f horsey teeth. Unsure what to do, I just gave a quick wave.
    Franz vanished, the sound of chairs scraping and papers fluttering as background noise. I knew what to expect before Debra waved me over, before I peeked into that little room.
    Despite whatever he'd done, it was entirely a mess. I saw a stack of playing cards partially hidden behind the door. I imagine he doesn't get a lot of business in such a small town.
    “Come in, come in,” he said with that giant smile. I took one more glance around the room, noting the low ceiling.
    Not so bad, a little small, but I should be fine. Slipping in, I fell into the chair he gestured at.
    Facing me across his cluttered desk, Franz extended a hand. “Franz Firth, nice to meet you.”
    His skin was slippery, I held back a wince. “Same here, I'm Farra Blooms.” Before my eyes, I watched his face turn the color of sour milk. It was a look I'd seen on Dirk, but now I could make more sense of it.
    “Oh. Oh, you're Tessa's...”
    “Granddaughter, yeah.”
    He mopped his forehead with the back of his sleeve, digging into drawers frantically. “Aha, yes. Right. I'm so very, very sorry about your loss. I didn't—well how do I put this—didn't actually expect anyone to show up to claim her... well, her estate.”
    Narrowing my eyes, I slid my copy of the will from my purse. Franz froze in his neurotic searching, staring at me now that the papers were on the desk, under his pointed nose. “Why didn't you think anyone would come, Mr. Firth?”
    “Erm.” Gingerly, he slid the papers closer. From under heavy brows, he gave me a brief glance. “Well, Miss Blooms, your grandmother was the sort who kept to herself. I didn't believe she had any relatives left.”
    “'Left?'” I repeated curiously. “You knew my mother, too?”
    “Not closely, I just knew of her. A daughter running from her mother is—hmn. It's only that things get out quickly in places