Garlic Is For Vampires (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 3: The New Customer

I was walking down the sidewalk with the sun streaming through the bright green leaves on the trees above me. As I left the shade of the trees I stared down at my wrist. I covered the bruise in makeup so when I got to work Rosemary wouldn't ask me what happened. I wasn't prepared to say what happened-mentally-but I was emotionally prepared to handle a day of work. So I didn't call Rosemary to take a sick day.

As I crossed the sidewalk, my phone began to ring. I fished it out of my back pocket and answered Angie's call, "speak, my child."

"Are you okay? I know last night was pretty tough."

"I'm fine. Brendon told me you took my dress to get washed."

"Yeah, Brendon wasn't so excited about helping you get out of your panties. Which is why I wanted to call you; your dress is washed and it smells like daisies. Do you want me to drop it off now?"

"Maybe later? I'm on my way to work."

"I'll drop it off-say, around twelve? I'll bring you lunch too."

"Thanks, you're the babe."

"I know I am."

With that, we hung up and I started running down the street because I was going to be late for work.

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Rosemary was teaching a class right now, so I was sitting at the cash register checking the supply charts to see if we needed to stock up. I flipped through the catalogue, counting our supplies and estimating how much we would sell in the next few days. I heard the ding of the front door bell. We had another customer. I glanced up and saw Angie walking towards me with my dress in a plastic bag. I sighed in relief and leaned over to hug her. She set down a lunch bag from the deli and reached out with one arm to hug me.

"Thanks, Angie. You're awesome."

"Anything for you, Bree-Bree." She handed me the bag with my dress. I hung it up on the wall behind me and smiled at her. I could hear Rosemary giving instructions for her soap-making class. While everyone else listened and sat at tables I sat with Angie at a free table and ate my lunch. Angie told me how Brendon gave her a lift home after last night. She asked me again how I was doing.

"You know, you don't look so good," she said to me. "You look really pale. And dead."

"Thanks. I'm not wearing any makeup today so that's pretty much being honest with me."

"You look sad too. Are you sure you're okay? Why don't you just call it in early today? You can't go around acting like you aren't scared."

"I was last night." I glanced over at Rosemary. She wasn't paying attention. "Okay-there's something. But swear to me you won't say this to another soul."

She raised her hand and crossed her heart. "Swear to God I won't even tell Bennett."

"The guy that was beheaded last night isn't the first victim. Brendon's working on this case. I guess there have been missing bodies with some missing body parts."

Angie turned a yellow shade of green and placed a hand over her mouth like she wanted to throw up. She cleared her throat. "Okay-I just had a sandwich before I got here so that isn't helping the ham in my stomach."

"Sorry. But it's the truth. Those two girls were hookers and they were with the guy when he died," I said, puffing out my cheeks and widening my eyes. Angie frowned in disbelief. She shook her head and looked at me again.

"What, they didn't see anything? They were right there when it happened. They were covered in blood!"

Angie said it so loud her voice bounced off the walls of the shop. Only one woman from the soap-making class heard and turned her head to look at us. Angie ducked her head and turned the other way, facing the window. I pressed my lips together. The woman gave me a once-over and then turned around. Angie peeked over her shoulder and looked at me again. "Sorry. But didn't they see what killed him?"