Elemental Assassin 02 - Web of Lies

structure before us. The A smile brightened Violet Fox’s face and softened her two-story clapboard building might have been a home eyes, chasing away some of the lingering shadows from or perhaps a hunting cabin, once upon a time. Although last night.
    it was obviously old, the building sported a fresh coat of
    “You really love this place, don’t you?” I asked. white paint, with the shutters trimmed in a pale green. She nodded. “My parents died when I was ten. My Smaller, matching outbuildings squatted next to the main grandfather took me in and raised me. I’ve been helping structure, connected to it by short, covered walkways. him with the store ever since. It’s like my second home, Wooden steps led up to a front porch that was even you know?”
    wider than Jo-Jo’s. The porch ran the length of all three Violet Fox and I were more alike than she realized, buildings. Rocking chairs lined either side of the front because I did know. Because I felt the same way about the door, along with barrels topped with checkerboards. The Pork Pit. That’s why I’d reacted so badly, so defensively, tin sign mounted above the main entrance gleamed like when Jonah McAllister had come calling today—because a new nickel in the sun. Country Daze, it read in green he wasn’t just threatening my business, my livelihood, he paint that matched the shutters. The roofs of all three was threatening my home as well. A piece of my heart. Estep_Web of Lies_1P EP.indd 160-161
    12/17/09 9:32 PM
    162 JENNIFER ESTEP
    Web of Lies 163
    The last piece of Fletcher Lane that I had, since the old The porch stairs didn’t creak under my weight. They man was dead and gone and had left me nothing else but were too smooth and well-worn to do that. I walked up riddles to solve.
    them, opened the front door, and stepped inside. Violet started to walk ahead to the store, but I grabbed Country Daze was exactly what I’d expected. Scarred, her arm.
    ancient wooden floors. Displays of tourist T-shirts, key
    “Stay behind me.”
    chains, and other doodads. An odd assortment of tools
    “Why?” she asked.
    and outdoor equipment. Barrels full of rock candy, salt“Just do it, all right?”
    water taffy, and cellophane-wrapped sugary pralines. A Finn stared at me over the hood of the SUV. “You couple of coolers filled with old-fashioned glass soda botthink there’s going to be trouble inside, Gin?”
    tles. A few more with sandwiches and other snacks. Tables I shrugged. “I don’t know. But if this is such a popufull of honey, strawberry preserves, and apple butter. A lar place, why aren’t there more cars here? It’s lunchtime. revolving rack of cheap sunglasses. Nicer arrangements Folks should be packed in here, getting a sandwich or a of quilts, baskets, and other, more expensive handmade cold drink.”
    items.
    Finn’s green eyes flicked over the gravel lot. only one A large counter filled with silver jewelry formed a other car was parked in it, an anonymous navy sedan. His solid square in the middle of the store. An old man stood eyes drifted out to the road. A steady stream of traffic came behind it, one hand resting on a large shotgun with a and went at the crossroads, but none of the drivers looked scarred wooden stock.
    at the store, much less pulled into the lot. Finn’s face tightWhat little there was of his wispy white hair stuck up ened.
    over his forehead as if it had been shocked upright by my
    “It’s been quiet since Dawson started sending his men appearance. His eyes were dark and shiny, as though two over to harass us,” Violet explained. “People don’t like to chocolate caramels had been stuffed in his face. He was stop somewhere there might be trouble. Sometimes, we’re about my size, stooped with age from his original, taller lucky if we get five customers in eight hours. It’s probably height. His skin was a dark, burnished brown, marking just a slow day.”
    him as having some Native American heritage, most likely
    “Come on,” I said. “Let’s go find out.”
    Cherokee in this neck of the woods. Deep lines grooved I led the way, with Finn behind me and Violet bringhis face around his pinched mouth, as if he frowned a lot. ing up the rear. As we crossed the parking lot, I palmed But perhaps most unsettling was the fact he wore a one of my silverstone knives. If there was trouble inside, blue work shirt that could have come straight out of I’d be the first one to see it—and I wanted to be ready to