“Looking for another exit,” she told me. “Just in case. Do you see anything?”
I gazed down the length of the wall and shook my head. “There’s nothing here.”
“There must be an emergency exit somewhere,” Janet mused. Rounding the corner to the back side of the building, I heard her shout, “a-ha!” Jogging after her, I glanced around the corner to see some large scaffolding framing a rusty, metal door. She tested the doorknob as hard as she dared. “Locked,” she acknowledged. With a glance at the scaffolding, she frowned. “Doesn’t look like they’re redoing anything. Wonder why this is here.”
I let my trained photographic eye wander. Just above where the scaffolding ended was a brand new security camera. Janet was still checking out the area around us, so I tapped her shoulder and pointed.
“Weird,” she said. Inspecting the roofline, she pointed slightly further down the building. “Another one.”
“They are really expensive looking,” I said, observing their make. “Why would a used bookstore in the middle of a decent neighborhood in a busy part of town need such high-tech security cameras? Who would even try something here?”
Janet shook her head, then seemed to think of something. “Were there any cameras around the front?” she asked.
When I shrugged, she reached around to her back and lifted her coat and sweater, pulling out a small black handgun. “Woah!” I cried, my eyes bulging. “I had no idea you were carrying that around.”
“I decided to bring it along last minute,” she admitted. Checking the chamber, she seemed satisfied with the number of bullets. Clicking it back together, she stuffed it back into her waistband. With a glare at the security cameras, she began walking back towards the front. “Let’s get this over with.”
As we walked the length of the building and back around the front, we didn’t notice anything else out of the ordinary. There were also no additional security cameras to be found. With a deep breath, I tugged on the front door, setting off a friendly welcome bell. “I’ll be with you in a minute,” came a thick, nasally voice from the back of the room. I eyed Janet, who looked just as confused as I felt. Whoever was here certainly didn’t sound dangerous.
While we waited, the two of us split up and began wandering the aisles. Books of every shape and size lined tall, wooden cases. What didn’t lie neatly in rows on the shelves were stacked haphazardly on the floor. Several white and black card tables were positioned in smaller spaces between the large shelves, and they were also piled high. The ceilings were a dark brown, molded plaster, from which several fanciful chandeliers hung. I found myself pondering just how one could get a ladder positioned to change the lightbulbs with so many books on the floor, when I heard heavy footsteps an aisle over. “Yes?” I heard the same nasally voice call out. “Is someone here?”
“Yes,” I heard Janet confirm off to my left. Quickly, I began walking back towards the front of the store.
When I rounded the front shelves, I stopped short. A short, rather portly man that resembled an overweight George Clooney was stationed in front of a desk, breathing hard. I noticed that behind the piles and piles of books stacked on the desk was a large, antique cash register, as well as a stack of plastic bags and what looked to be an old, leather bound billing ledger. “Can I help you?” he asked me, pulling out a hanky to wipe perspiration from his forehead. One thing was certain. He didn’t sound like George Clooney. I found myself cringing whenever he spoke, so confused my brain was by the massive difference between his appearance and his voice.
Just then, Janet rounded the corner and stopped short with a look of surprise. She recovered quickly however and I went over to shake the man’s hand. “Mr.-”
“Cork,” the man responded. “Ernie Cork. You can call me Ernie.”
“Ernie,” I began, closing the gap between Janet and I. He turned back to me after shaking Janet’s hand, startled, as if he’d already forgotten that I was there. “I’m Marian. This is my friend Janet. We were hoping to ask you a few questions.”
A look of fear crossed Ernie’s face but he dropped it quickly and busied himself with refolding his hanky. “How can I help you ladies? Do you have a book for evaluation? I usually don’t start that service until the lunch hour.”
I shook my head and glanced around. No one else seemed to be present except for us. I couldn’t imagine why he’d turn down business. “This just looks like a typical used bookstore,” I told him.
Ernie stood rigid, but said nothing. He looked from me to Janet and back to me. “It IS just a typical used bookstore,” he stuttered.
“Some fancy looking security equipment you have out back for that, Mr. Cork,” Janet said, putting on her tough cop face. Sliding one hand into a pocket, she took a step towards him. “Why is that?”
“Can never be too careful,” he told us, evenly. “This is a big city. Never know who is going to show up. Try to take advantage of a small business operation like this.”
“Just seems odd that you don’t have any cameras out front or inside,” Janet mused thoughtfully as she glanced up, scanning the ceiling. “If people were stealing things, you’d think they’d run out the front door, not through your stock room.”
“Cameras are very costly,” Ernie said defensively, crossing his arms across his large barrel chest. “I can only afford a few at a time. Maybe I just wasn’t thinking with the placement is all. And what were you doing behind the store any way? I thought you needed a book evaluated.”
“I never said that,” Janet answered. “You did.” I could see pinpricks of sweat popping up on Ernie’s thick, pasty arms. It was starting to soak through his blue polo, which was just a smidge too tight around his middle and barely missed his waistline. A blob of pale, hairy belly protruded over Ernie’s tightly buttoned black slacks and also appeared to be slick with sweat. “You seem nervous,” Janet noted.
“I’m just not sure what this is all about,” Ernie shot back. “But I have some inventory I need to get to, so if you have something you’d like to ask…” He didn’t seem very confident in his challenge but still allowed it to hang heavily in the air.
This was getting us nowhere quickly. I decided to step in and play good cop. “We heard that you buy used books.”
“Obviously,” he snorted, gesturing around.
I resisted the urge to throttle him. Here I was trying to help him from getting steamrolled by Janet and he wasn’t even appreciative. Gritting my teeth, I continued. “Let me rephrase. We heard that you purchased some books from a guy named Greg Gregson. He would have had a girl come in on his behalf. Rachel Moyer.”
Ernie dropped his defensive stance and eyed me suspiciously. “I thought you were coming later,” he said after a few seconds. He turned to give Janet a dirty look. “Didn’t have to scare me like that,” he told her. “And no one told me that there would be two of you.”
Confused as I was, my stomach was instantly filled with butterflies. I glanced quickly to Janet and could tell she was feeling the same. We were onto something. “Sorry about that,” I told him slowly. “I just thought my friend here could, erm, help.”
“You weren’t supposed to be here until ten,” Ernie muttered, lumbering towards the back of the store. Janet quickly closed the gap between us and gently pinched my arm, excited. I bounced a bit in place but said nothing. Together, we started to follow him down the aisle. “Hey!” he cried, turning to us. “You know the rules. No one touches the merchandise. And no one gets to see where I keep it. He said you’re newer so I’ll cut you some slack.” He gave Janet the stink eye, which she returned wholeheartedly. “And no friends next time, either. You’re lucky I don’t rat you out. That’s how nice I am.”
Janet glowered at him menacingly. “I’m sure,” she whispered. “You seem the real proper, straight-laced, type.”
Slowly, Ernie turned away from us and continued towards the back of the store, alone. When he was out of earshot, I whispered, “What do you think it is?”
; Janet shrugged, bewildered. “But somehow it all connects back to Rachel and Gregson. That much we can prove.”
There was loud banging in the back of the room, followed by a thump and a string of cuss words. A few minutes later, Ernie emerged, carrying a stack of leather-bound books. They each had to have been three to four inches thick and the pages looked to be gold-embossed. I wasn’t sure why he wasn’t struggling more with the load, until he reached out and dropped the pile into my arms. Janet went to catch me but there was no need. The books didn’t weigh over two pounds altogether. Surprised, I looked to Janet and back to Ernie. “What-?” I started, but Ernie cut me off.
“Here, here,” he said, ushering me over to his desk and clearing off a space. He motioned for me to put the books down and, when I did, he grabbed one off of the top. “I know you need to check out the merchandise before you can take it back to the warehouse. Honestly, it wouldn’t hurt me to double check. Gave them the wrong stuff last time. Was lucky they let me live, you know?” He laughed like the punishment he’d been expecting sounded normal. It could only mean one thing. We were dealing with some serious thugs.
My stomach dropped. I looked to Janet, who seemed just as shocked as I was. Even before Ernie opened the book, I knew that it was going to be hollow. I also knew that whatever was inside the hollow was going to be something I didn’t like. Sure enough, Ernie pulled out a thick plastic bag filled with a curious white powder. “Satisfied?” he asked, without opening the baggie. He shook it in my face. “Want a sniff?” Opening a drawer he pulled out a razor blade, a grimy dollar bill and a streak-free mirror. “I won’t tell.” Janet and I shook our heads and Ernie shrugged, dropping his kit back into its place. “Couple of goodie two-shoes,” he muttered. Securing the substance back inside the book, he stacked the pile back into my arms one by one.
“You guys really scared me,” he said candidly as he began ushering us towards the door. “For a second there, I thought you were cops with that whole ‘I have to ask you a few questions’ routine. Really great stuff. And you,” he said, wagging his finger at Janet. “You really look like a cop with the hair tidy and off the shoulders like that, and the professional outfit that looks like you tried.” He turned to look at me and wrinkled his nose. “You didn’t really fool me, though.”
I started towards him, but Janet grabbed my shirt collar and tugged me back, forcing laughter as she pulled me towards the front door. Suddenly, we heard the bell placed above the door ring merrily, signaling that another customer had entered. “That’s funny,” Ernie grumbled, pushing past Janet and I roughly. “I wasn’t expecting anyone today other than you.” I nearly dropped the stack of books I was carrying as Ernie’s large body shoved me into a wall. I shot him a dirty look, which he never caught. He was too busy trying to figure out who had arrived. Hopefully it wasn’t whoever he’d been expecting when we’d walked in.
“Could be an actual customer,” Janet told Ernie dryly as he lumbered away.
Ernie seemed to find this hilarious and he turned back to Janet, grinning. “You’re funny, too. I don’t get many customers. Why do you think I got into business with Gregson?” He patted one of the bookshelves fondly as he walked past it. “Almost lost this place once. Couldn’t afford the mortgage.” He turned again to look at us. “Bet you both probably know what that’s like, don’t you? No one gets into this business because it’s glamorous. We all owe someone, don’t we? We all need to get by.”
Ernie was being incredibly conversational all of a sudden. Like he was chatting with old friends. I was just about to try to pump him for some final information, when we rounded a shelf and came face to face with a tall, bald, muscular man dressed head to toe in black. He so closely resembled Mr. Clean that I had half a mind to giggle, but managed to stifle it. It was just as well, because as soon as he caught sight of Janet and I, his face twisted into an angry scowl. “Who the hell are you and where do you think you’re going with my books?” he demanded.
The tall, bald man clenched his hands into fists and stood directly in our pathway to the door. I shot a worried glance at Janet, who was remaining cool as a cucumber. Trying to take a cue from her book, I sucked in a deep breath and stood stock still, trying hard not to give away the fact that I was terrified. I didn’t even blink.
Suddenly, a large furry dog that looked like a cross between a Saint Bernard and a German Shepherd began lunging at the glass door, slobbering all over it. The animal was leashed to a mailbox outside and clearly belonged to the large, angry man in front of us. I was sure it was trying to defend its owner, the bald man, and basically wanted to rip our faces off. Plus, that whole adage about dogs kind of looking like their owners? That seemed to be the case. It was easy to tell that they belonged together.
Ernie quickly cut in, slapping his forehead. “I’ve got your books in back, Shannon. I totally forgot you’d asked to come pick up this morning.” Shannon didn’t seem amused and I found myself stifling another giggle. The large man with biceps as big as a gorilla’s head did not strike me as a “Shannon.” Ernie stuttered on, unsure of himself. “These are the new helpers- er- I’ve already forgotten your names, I think. Sorry. Was it Ma-”
“Gloria,” I said quickly, cutting him off. No way did I want either of them knowing our real names if they were drug thugs. “And this is my friend- um-”
“Ja-” Janet began, but I elbowed her in the ribs. “Hannah,” she finished awkwardly.
“Jahannah?” Ernie asked, confused.
“And I thought my name was stupid,” Shannon grunted.
Janet and I chuckled nervously. “My mom loves romance novels,” Janet went on. “Jahannah was a character she loved. The book was called, um, Gone with the Wind.”
Shannon squinted and seemed to consider this, tilting his head like a dog who had heard a distant bark. Ernie looked puzzled and seemed to sweat harder. “Of Time,” I finished, quickly. “Gone with the Wind of Time. Great book. Fast read. Excellent character development.”
There was a long, awkward silence, then Ernie nodded, the confused look remaining on his face. “I just must not have heard you right when you introduced yourselves earlier. Glad I didn’t try to guess!”
Janet and I laughed a little too hard. When we realized the other two weren’t laughing along with us, Janet cleared her throat and I shifted the books that I was holding in my arms, so as not to drop them. They weren’t heavy, just large and difficult to manage. “So your name is Shannon?” Janet finally asked the large man with the bald, shiny head. She crossed her arms and waited expectantly for an answer.
“Got a problem with that?” he asked her, taking a step forward. I squealed in surprise and fell backwards into Janet, who caught me and propped me back onto my feet.
“No!” we both said quickly. “Great name,” I added, gushing, shifting the books in my arms once again. I could feel nervous sweat popping out on my brow. “I’ve never met a boy Shannon. Not that you’re a boy. I mean, you are a boy but I meant you’re more of a man. Not a man boy, though. Like a manly man. Hot man. Not that I think you’re attractive. Not that I don’t think that you are. You’re very attractive. But I have a man. I actually have two men. But not like you’re probably thinking. One at a time-”
“We’ll get out of your hair,” Janet said with a tight smile, cutting me off and taking my elbow.
“But that wasn’t an insult because you don’t have hair,” I quickly added, allowing myself to be led towards the large, angry ball of fur outside. Shannon seemed mildly amused, the corners of his mouth twitching with a smile, even if it never came to full-wattage. Janet and I paused in front of the door and gulped. Each time the dog leapt towards us, I counted teeth. He had to have at least a hundred in there. And multiple rows, like a shark.
After what seemed like an eternity, Shannon stepped next to us, made eye contact with the dog and raised his hand in a signal. Almost immediately, the dog stopped barking, let out a low whine and went to curl up by the mailbox. “Better?”
Baldie asked us sarcastically, walking back towards Ernie.
“Thanks,” I muttered, looking down at the stack of books in my arms. I wanted to clock him, but it probably wasn’t an overly wise move, considering his size. And his large, angry beast that he called a dog.
“Well, I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of you two,” Ernie told us with a wave. “Great to meet you both.”
“You, too!” we sang, as we pushed our way out the front door. The dog growled lowly as we jetted past it but didn’t make a move to attack either of us. Scuttling by as quickly as we could, with low murmurs of “nice doggie, good doggie,” we hurried across the street to the rental car. Janet opened the back door so that I could drop the large stack of books onto the seat. My arms empty, I hurried around to the passenger side and crawled in. It was all we could do to not squeal away from the curb, drawing further attention to ourselves. Shannon had watched us all the way to our car, his arms crossed, his squint angry. Janet and I remained completely silent, holding our breaths until we turned the corner and were out of sight. Then, in the same moment, we both exploded.
“Holy crap!” I crowed, turning to look at the stack of books in the backseat. “What just happened? What are we supposed to do now?”
“We have to call home,” Janet told me, her eyes bright with excitement. “We need to tell everyone what just happened. Gregson is involved in a drug ring.”
“So is Rachel!” I told her, slapping the dashboard. “This is big! Do you know how big this is? It’s huge! Monumental!”
“It is big. Really big,” Janet admitted. “Ernie said something about a warehouse, didn’t he?”
“Do you think that, that Shannon guy might be headed there?” I asked her. “Do you think that that’s where they’re keeping Riley? It’s a long shot but, at this point, I think anything is possible.” We were quiet for a moment as we mulled all of this over. Janet continued to drive, but I could tell she’d slowed down significantly.
Allison Janda - Marian Moyer 02 - Seduction, Deceit & a Slice of Apple Pie Page 10