Close Encounters of the Curd Kind by Kirsten Weiss

Author:Kirsten Weiss [weiss, kirsten]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: misterio press
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

I leaned against Lenore’s high counter and sipped a cup of herbal tea. Its minty scent mingled with book smell. Footsteps silent on the thin, gray carpet, a handful of customers browsed the shelves.

Lenore put down the phone. “Connor will call Winston’s mother. They’ll take care of him.” She flushed. “I meant help him.”

“It’s okay,” I said. Connor was her boyfriend and worked at the Doyle sheriff’s station. “I knew what you meant.” Even if it had sounded sort of ominous.

“How are you doing?” Lenore fiddled with the cuff of her ivory blouse.

I opened my mouth to tell her about the slashed tire. But suddenly, I’d had enough of dwelling on the past and worrying about the future. I could be more present right now. I could enjoy a conversation with someone I liked and respected. “One of my guests is a psychic. She has an interesting explanation for witchcraft.”

Lenore cocked her head, her blond hair cascading past her slim shoulders. “Oh?”

“She said witches back in the day were really experiencing UFO abductions – or interdimensional abductions – when they thought they were flying. I have to admit, she made a compelling case.” My ears grew impossibly hot. This was my light conversation? Was I looking for some tell that she was a witch?

She blew on her tea. “How so?”

“The night flights, the animal deaths, the circles in the woods…” I blundered on. “They’re similar to the experiences of abductees. I mean, the floating, cattle mutilations, and, well, circles in the woods.”

“You know, that’s not the only explanation.”

“What’s the other? Hallucinations?”

“Sort of. Some believe that the flights were hallucinated, through the use of flying ointments.”

“Flying ointments?”

Her cheeks pinked. “Sorry. I guess the feminist in me doesn’t like to think medieval witches were all victims. I want to believe at least some really were trying to work magic. Ever since I took over Mike’s rare book business, I guess I’ve gotten a little obsessed.” She leaned across the desk. “He specialized in the occult,” she whispered.

“Really? Did he have anything on UFOs?”

She laughed. “Sorry, no.”

“How’s that side of the business going?”

“Good. I’ve learned a ton about rare books. And I have to admit, the subject matter is fascinating. Do you know occult actually means secret? People think it’s something dark, but it’s really about the exploration of the unknown. And let’s face it, there’s a lot about this world that we don’t know.”

I grimaced. That was for sure. And just because she’d been homeschooled and sold occult books didn’t make her a witch. But it did make her a bit of an outsider. For some people, I guessed that was enough.

“Well,” I said, “thanks for the tea. I’ll see you around.”

She studied a blank greeting card. “Let me know if you need anything, will you?”

I slid my new Eckart Tolle book into my purse and glanced at her. “Um, sure.” What would I need? And why did I get the feeling that Lenore had been changing the subject? But changing it from what?

Bemused, I left the bookstore and rounded the corner to my Crosstrek.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.