a woman passing by said to her friends.
“Yes, but we’ll all stay together and be safe,” offered one of them.
Devin undoubtedly heard them, too, but she just watched him instead.
“Beth’s shop is this way,” she finally told him, taking the box from his arms and starting to walk away.
He followed her. When they entered the shop, a little bell rang and a pretty petite woman behind the counter looked up.
“Devin! You have my books. Thank you,” she said. “I had a mom in here a while ago asking about the new Auntie Pim. I have her number. Now I’ll be able to call her back and— Oh, hello.” She was clearly surprised to notice that Devin wasn’t alone.
“Devin! Who is this?” she asked.
“Rocky. Um, Rocky Rockwell,” Devin said.
She’d probably already forgotten the “Craig” part, he thought.
Rocky took Beth’s hand in a firm grip and said it was a pleasure to meet her.
“A friend from Boston?” Beth asked.
Before Devin could answer, Rocky seized on the opportunity.
“Yes. And Devin has told me that you have the best shop in town.”
Beth flushed, while Devin stood silent.
“Thank you, and welcome to Salem,” Beth said. “I hope you enjoy our city.”
“Thank you. Your store looks to be as wonderful as Devin said.”
“Thank you again. And where are you from, Rocky?” Beth asked him.
He grinned—charmingly, he hoped. “Peabody.”
Beth laughed. “Of course you are. No one who isn’t ever says it right.”
While the rest of the world pronounced all the syllables, locals said it more like Peab’dy.
“Small world,” Beth went on, delighted. “I wonder if we ever met at a concert or something, somewhere along the line.”
“He’s older than we are,” Devin said. “And he’s been gone a long time. He and I never knew each other locally, either. Until now.” She blushed. “I mean, he’s here now.”
“Oh,” Beth said. “Ohh.”
Clearly she had heard an implication of intimacy that Devin had never intended. Rocky was amused. Devin wasn’t. But Beth quickly went on to other matters.
“Devin, you have to be careful. Have you seen the news? Another young woman has been killed. They haven’t identified her yet, but...it sounded as if she was found not far from your house.”
“Yes, I know,” Devin said.
“Want to come and stay with me?” Beth asked her. “I mean, I live right here in the middle of the city. A lot safer, don’t you think?”
“I’m okay right now. But thank you for the invitation.”
“I guess you need to be home in the cottage to write. I mean, Auntie Pim is Mina. Did you ever meet her, Rocky?”
“No, I’m sorry to say that I didn’t,” Rocky said.
“That’s too bad. She was a remarkable woman.” She turned back to her friend. “Devin, please be careful,” Beth urged.
“I will be. I promise.”
“Buy some pepper spray or something.”
“I’ll think about it.”
They were interrupted as two women, one noticeably tall and the other much shorter, walked toward them from the back of the store. The tall woman appeared to be about fifty. She had shoulder-length snow-white hair that curved around an attractive face and wore a black dress that fell to the ground. The other woman was clutching a number of shopping bags. She thanked her companion, waved cheerfully to them at the counter and left the shop.
“Hello,” the white-haired woman said as she walked over to Devin and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Delighted to see you. Did you bring books?”
“Yes, I brought the box,” Devin said.
She didn’t get a chance to introduce Rocky, because Beth stepped in.
“Gayle Alden, this is Rocky Rockwell, a friend of Devin’s. Rocky, Gayle is one of the two best mediums in the city. The other, of course, is my other employee, Theo Hastings, but Theo is off today.”
“How do you do?” Gayle said politely, then turned to Beth with a twinkle in her eye. “I don’t suppose he’s here for a reading, is he?”
“Actually, I’m here about a piece of jewelry Devin bought from you,” Rocky said.
“The silver pentagram. Or pentacle—whatever you choose to call it,” Beth said. “Technically, it’s a pentagram when it’s just the symbol and a pentacle when the star has the circle around it, but people mostly just say pentagram these days.”
Rocky smiled. “Whatever you call it, it’s a beautiful piece.”
“I’m sold out for the moment. They go as quickly as Devin’s Auntie Pim books,” Beth said. “But they’re done by a local artist. Sheena Marston. I can order one for you. In fact, if I special order it, you can have input on the design, if you want. She only works with silver, but she can add enamel, and precious or semiprecious stones. I had one with black onyx that was spectacular.”
“Is it possible to meet with Ms. Marston?” he asked. “It would be easier for me to explain my ideas in person.”
There was a slight pause. Gayle and Beth exchanged a long look filled with something he couldn’t decipher.
“She doesn’t actually see people,” Beth said.
“She’s something of a hermit,” Gayle added.
Gayle Alden was Sheena Marston, Rocky thought.
“Are the pieces exclusive through you?” he asked Beth.
“They are now. In previous years, a number of shops carried her work, but I convinced her that being exclusive would be to her advantage,” Beth said.
“I’m sure Beth and the Haunted Dragon will have more soon,” Gayle said.
“Are you a Wiccan, Rocky?” Beth asked.
“No, but I think the pieces are beautiful,” he said.
“I’m so glad you like them,” Gayle said. “I’m guessing you’re thinking of getting one as a gift for someone. So many people think that only Wiccans should wear them. And a lot of others think they’re associated with devil worship, or that they’re just plain evil. In fact,
