Mrs. Peppard sat behind the book store cash register nursing a cooling cup of coffee and reading the latest Mason Maverick novel with hungry eyes. Silence filled the empty building punctuated by the tick tick tick of the clock on the wall behind her. She turned the page hunching down farther into the book as if by her closeness she could draw herself into the story bodily.
Then there was a slight sound like the rustle of turning pages, and Mrs. Peppard looked up sharply.
"Someone there?"
The silence answered her call.
She thought of calling out again, but she felt foolish talking to an empty bookstore. The last customer had left more than fifteen minutes ago. She was certain of that.
She got up off her chair and walked out around the counter to see what had caused the noise. Most likely a book had fallen off one of the shelves she told herself. She tried to keep the place neat, but people were so inconsiderate. She walked back toward the stacks trying to ignore the faint fingers of fear that clutched at her heart. But it was nothing. She was sure of that. Nothing but the wind. Still she thought she'd better have a look.
The bookshelves were tall and close together, in some places so close that Mrs. Peppard had to turn herself sideways to squeeze through. The building hadn't originally been a bookstore and for all of Mr. Peabody's love of books, the man clearly had no sense of direction, and the shelves were crissed and crossed into the most perplexing almost mazelike pattern.
She was passing the historical romance section when something caught the corner of her eye, but when she turned to look it was gone.
"Hello?" she called out.
And this time she heard the rustling sound again. Louder more insistent.
"The store is closing in five minutes," she called out, but there was a quaver in her voice.
She stepped down the aisle where she thought she had seen something, but found herself facing a dead end. She scratched her head and ran her fingers over the spines of the books as if she might find some hidden passageway there. Finally, satisfied that she had simply been fooling herself with a trick of the light she turned to go back to the main aisle. But then she saw...but no it couldn't be. But it was. There, in the space she had passed through not more than a minute before, hung the rotting corpse of a man.
Then there was a slight sound like the rustle of turning pages, and Mrs. Peppard looked up sharply.
"Someone there?"
The silence answered her call.
She thought of calling out again, but she felt foolish talking to an empty bookstore. The last customer had left more than fifteen minutes ago. She was certain of that.
She got up off her chair and walked out around the counter to see what had caused the noise. Most likely a book had fallen off one of the shelves she told herself. She tried to keep the place neat, but people were so inconsiderate. She walked back toward the stacks trying to ignore the faint fingers of fear that clutched at her heart. But it was nothing. She was sure of that. Nothing but the wind. Still she thought she'd better have a look.
The bookshelves were tall and close together, in some places so close that Mrs. Peppard had to turn herself sideways to squeeze through. The building hadn't originally been a bookstore and for all of Mr. Peabody's love of books, the man clearly had no sense of direction, and the shelves were crissed and crossed into the most perplexing almost mazelike pattern.
She was passing the historical romance section when something caught the corner of her eye, but when she turned to look it was gone.
"Hello?" she called out.
And this time she heard the rustling sound again. Louder more insistent.
"The store is closing in five minutes," she called out, but there was a quaver in her voice.
She stepped down the aisle where she thought she had seen something, but found herself facing a dead end. She scratched her head and ran her fingers over the spines of the books as if she might find some hidden passageway there. Finally, satisfied that she had simply been fooling herself with a trick of the light she turned to go back to the main aisle. But then she saw...but no it couldn't be. But it was. There, in the space she had passed through not more than a minute before, hung the rotting corpse of a man.
