"My condolences, sir," Cooper said.
"Thank you. Well, the long and the short of it is that neither my sons nor my grandkids are interested in the books, so I'm selling them off here and there whenever I get a good offer."
Cooper sat forward and reached for a pen. "Who was the buyer of the herbal?"
"Don't know. Buyer insisted on remaining anonymous."
"How was the transaction conducted?"
"It was handled by a dealer named Bodkin who specializes in private sales between clients who don't like publicity."
"I'd like Bodkin's address, if that's not too much trouble."
"No trouble, but I doubt if he'll tell you the name of his buyer. Bodkin evidently has a reputation for confidentiality."
"I'm sure he won't mind doing a favor for the local Guild boss," Cooper said.
Five minutes later he hung up the phone, folded his glasses into the case, and headed downstairs, keys in hand.
Elly was at the counter, measuring out a small amount of dried purple flowers from an herb jar. Her client was a middle-aged woman who beamed when she spotted him in the doorway.
"Oh, hello, there," the woman said. "You must be Elly's friend from Aurora Springs. I'm Sally Martin. I work in Butler's Relics just down the street."
"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Martin."
"I have a cousin over in Aurora Springs," Sally said brightly. "Maybe you know her. Laura Meehan?"
"I don't think I've had the pleasure," Cooper said in a tone he hoped would cut off that line of inquiry. He looked at Elly.
"I'll be back later this afternoon," he said.
She frowned a little. "Everything okay?"
"Got a lead on the sale of the herbal."
"Good luck," she said. "And please be careful," she added, lowering her voice slightly.
It occurred to him that he had been living alone a long time, long enough to forget how it felt to have someone tell him to be careful when he went out the door.
He walked to where she stood with her measuring scoop and jar and kissed her. It felt good to be able to kiss her like this; good to know that he would be returning here later; good to know that she would be waiting for him.
"I'll do that," he said.
He was halfway across the back room, reaching for the knob of the alley door, when he heard Sally Martin's low-voiced comment to Elly.
"My goodness, I can certainly understand the attraction, dear. There was a time when I had a thing for khaki and leather, too. I suppose every woman does at one time or another. Best to get it out of your system while you're still young and single, though."
*****
BUSINESS SLACKED OFF RAPIDLY AFTER LUNCH. ELLY WENT upstairs to make herself a sandwich and fresh tea. She ate at the table, sharing bites with Rose, and listened for the sound of the door chimes.
When she finished, she picked up the Jordan herbal and took it back down to the shop so that she could leaf through it in her spare moments.
She was alone with Rose, who was busily rearranging the contents of the jewelry box, when she looked up from the herbal and saw the curtain twitch in Doreen's kitchen window.
She closed the herbal, dove for the phone, and rezzed Doreen's number. She had already called several times. Each time she had gotten the shop's after-hours message. "…We are closed for the day. Please call back during regular business hours or leave a message at the beep…"
"Doreen, this is Elly. I know you're there. Pick up your phone, or I'm coming over there with my key."
There was a long pause. For a time she thought Doreen was going to ignore her. But finally there was a click.
"Hello, Elly." Doreen's voice was weary and oddly thick. "What do you want?"
"What do you think I want? I want to know if you're all right."
"I put a sign in the window."
"Yes, I know. I went across the street and read it a couple of hours ago when I realized you hadn't opened up for the day. It says Closed Because of Illness. What kind of illness?"
"Flu."
"Are you running a fever?"
There was another pause. "Probably. I don't know."
"I'll bring over some fever-light. It works wonders on a temperature."
"No. You can't come over here. Not today. The last thing you want to do is catch this stupid flu, trust me."
"Doreen? Is there something else wrong? You don't sound like yourself."
"I told you, I'm sick. I don't even feel like talking. I just got up to get a glass of water. I'm going straight back to bed. I'll call you when I'm better. Don't come over here."
There was a click and a sudden silence.
Elly looked at the phone in her hand for a long moment, thinking about the strange raspy quality in Doreen's voice.
"She didn't sound sick," she said to Rose. "She sounded like she'd been crying."
She went around behind the counter, grabbed her keys, and held out her arm. "Something is very wrong. Let's ride, sister."
Rose abandoned her jewelry hoard and tumbled down the countertop until she could scamper up to Elly's shoulder.
On her way out the front door, Elly flipped the Back in Ten Minutes sign.
The fog had finally lifted, but the day was overcast and damp. There was very little traffic in Ruin Lane. She cut across the street, moving between a Float that was searching for a parking space and a sleek Coaster.
When she reached the front door of Doreen's shop she de-rezzed the lock with the spare key that Doreen had given her and went inside.
She made her way to the staircase in the back room and started up the steps.
"Doreen?"
The floorboards creaked upstairs.
"I told you not to come here," Doreen called down from the landing.
"I know there's something wrong." She went swiftly up the stairs. "You can't expect me to just ignore a situation like this."
"Please, go," Doreen said from the vicinity of the bedroom.
Elly reached the landing and looked down the short hall. Doreen stood, or rather sagged, in the doorway of the bedroom, propping herself up with one hand braced against the frame.
She was swathed in a bathrobe. Her amber pendant, which she never removed, gleamed against the dark skin of her throat.
She held an ice pack to the side of her face.
"Doreen?" Elly started toward her. "What in the world?" Then she saw Doreen's swollen lip and the bruises under her eyes. "Dear heaven, what happened to you?"
Doreen started to weep. "I feel so incredibly stupid."
Elly reached her and put an arm carefully around her. Rose chattered anxiously.
"Did you fall down the stairs?" Elly asked. "We need to get you to an emergency room."
"No." Doreen's eyes widened in panic. "I can't do that."
"I don't understand. You've been injured. Why don't you want to see a doctor?"
"He hurt me." Doreen pressed her face against Elly's shoulder. The tears turned into sobs. "I thought… I thought he was going to kill me."
"Someone attacked you? Did you call the police?"
Doreen shook her head. "I can't."
A terrible chill of premonition shot through Elly. "Don't tell me it was your new boyfriend, the undercover cop?"
Doreen sobbed harder.
"Let's get you into the kitchen. I'll make a cup of tea. You can tell me all about it."
*****
FIVE MINUTES LATER SHE HAD DOREEN ENSCONCED AT the kitchen table with a box of tissues nearby. Rose hovered near Doreen making anxious little noises.
Elly filled the kettle at the faucet. "All right, tell me the whole story."
Doreen sniffed and reached for a tissue. "You already know most of it. I met him at a club a couple of weeks ago. We danced. He was hot. He was also a great dresser. We started dating. He told me that he was a police detective working undercover to take down a major drug lord. He said that until the case was completed, we had to keep a very low profile. He didn't want to be seen with me because it might put my life or the case or both in jeopardy."