Hounded

air.
    The widow MacDonagh was already out on her porch with her morning whiskey, and she waved to me as I rode by.
    » Will y’be comin’ by this afternoon, Atticus? « she called.
    I quickly glanced at her lawn and saw that it was due to be mowed. Her grapefruit tree could use a trim as well.
    » A bonny young lass like you need not ask a man twice, « I shouted back, hoping her ancient ears understood me. I gave a thumbs-up to reinforce the message, just in case.
    When I got to the store, my only employee was already there. Saturday mornings were always busy and I needed the help. I switched to silent communication with Oberon as I opened the door. Go lie down behind my apothecary counter and keep your ears open .
    › Okay. What am I listening for, exactly? ‹
    The approach of really heavy footsteps, the kind giants would make .
    » Morning, Atticus, « a bass voice rumbled in gnarly cheerfulness.
    » Good morning, Perry, « I replied. » You sound abnormally happy. People will be on to you if you don’t watch it. «
    A tall man of twenty-two years smiled back at me with recently bleached teeth. Perry Thomas had dark hair fastidiously groomed to look carelessly mussed, rectangular glasses with thick black rims, and a silver labret stud nestled like a pearl in the hair of his soul patch. He also had large silver gauges in both ears and a pale complexion that seemed to be the primary accessory for all Goths. He was dressed entirely in black, of course, with a concert T-shirt of the psychobilly group Mad Marge and the Stonecutters, a studded belt, and skinny-leg jeans that blossomed at the bottom into full-blown Doc Martens. Perry failed to notice Oberon padding right between us to take his appointed spot behind the counter.
    » Yeah, I’m supposed to be jaded and mournful that the sun is shining, aren’t I? Don’t worry, I’ll get into character once the store opens. Hey, cool sword. «
    » Thanks. « I waited for him to ask me more about it, but Perry had apparently exhausted all he had to say on the subject. Young people can be so uncomplicated.
    I glanced at the clock behind my counter. Five minutes to opening. » All right, give me a chance to get some tea brewing, then fire up the soundtrack and we’ll get going. I want both registers working today. « I had my apothecary counter and tea station on the east wall, immediately to the left, or south, of the store entrance. Wood shelves behind the counter held jars and little drawers of bagged herbs, many of which came from my backyard garden, and I had a couple of hot plates back there to heat kettles of water. There was a small fridge for milk, a sink, and some teacups always being washed and dried. I had a few packages of cookies and muffins for sale, but the lion’s share of my apothecary business was in medicinal teas and bulk herb sales. I’d built up a regular clientele amongst the local senior citizens, who came in for a proprietary blended tea that eased their arthritis and gave them a boost of energy (I called it Mobili-Tea). They felt about ten years younger for about ten hours afterward, and they blessed me for it, bought newspapers, and had their morning arguments about politics and young people at the five tables I had placed in front of the counter. One register was there, and one was in the » back « of the store, on the west side, to handle customers who just wanted something from the bookstore.
    My book inventory was basically an expanded collection of the Religion and New Age shelves in Barnes & Noble, but I also had some serious magical texts behind glass on the north wall. Buddhas and incense and various busts of Hindu gods were sprinkled amongst the shelves; I would have put some crucifixes around too if there had been any demand for that sort of thing, but devout Christians tended to avoid my store for some reason. Celtic crosses were popular, though, as were various representations of the Green Man.
    Perry raised his eyebrows. » Open the second register? Think we’re going to be that busy? «
    I nodded. » I have a feeling it’s going to be an unusual day. « In truth, I simply didn’t want him behind the apothecary counter where Oberon was hiding. » If you get some downtime, see if you can create an end display for the Tarot cards; maybe we can sell some more that way. «
    » Putting them out like that will make them easier to shoplift. «
    I shrugged. » I’m not worried about it. « I wasn’t. Everything in the store