Free Faerie Dust Dead (The Luna Devere Series Book 2) by J.M Griffin Page A

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