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He didn’t believe in de had to have so the day
"That old Andy Markham! So he said, ’Bac-Dal wants you’? "
"That’s what he said, exactly"
"That old fool!" Her hand lay on the table He covered it with his own and told her seriously, "Megan, there are no such things as des as bad people"
"Sure But I think that old Andy may be crazy, but do you think he’s a bad person? You know, you can take ghost tours here and hear about all kinds of bad things that have happened to people They’ll show you all kinds of pictures and tell you that rain spots are ectoplasm and stuff like that There are plenty of horror stories that take place in real life But that doesn’t h--he’s been telling his tales the longest You know, Sale place where touris It’s only been… what, maybe twenty, thirty or so years that everyone has cashed in on history But Andy… he was just a storyteller from the start, that’s what the old folks say He was a teacher when he was young, and loved to set up ca his own schtick That’s all there is to it"
Megan serous his do to the et under your skin"
His hand remained on hers Both their heads were lowered
"Did you order an’s head jerked up at the sound of her husband’s voice Inadvertently, she jerked her hand back
She didn’t knohy in hell she felt guilty when she looked up
"Finn You made it Yes, I ordered the coffee--the waitress said she’d bring it as soon as she saw you so that it wouldn’t get cold"
She thought his smile looked a little forced, but he acted casually
"Thanks Hi, Mike"
"Hey, Finn, good to see you"
Mike offered him a hand across the table Finn shook it, and sat in the chair at the end of the table
"Where are your friends?" she asked
"Reading," he said, giving her another s at Mike He didn’t want to say too much in front of a third party, she realized, and dropped it, despite the fact that she was dying of curiosity and still feeling somewhat left out
"I have some friends in from New Orleans," Finn said to Mike "A wos like that So… they’re off, happily exploring Salem Hoas lunch?"
"Good," Mike said "Seems like a place that will make it Some here do, and soreeably
The waitress brought his coffee Finn thanked her and brought the cup to his lips, but then paused, looking out the glassto the street
"What?"
"I don’t believe it"
"What?"
Mike was staring at hi around with a big bag He’s been doing so around to look out the , too It was true Fallon was standing in front of one of the shops with a big sign that advertised itself as a witchcraft store
"Who’d have thunk, huh?" Mike said dryly
"So everyone gets into it a little bit," Megan murmured
"Not everyone," Mike said "But, hey, most people who come here do so for the history--and the fun of it Mohters all kinds of jewelry in those shops, and sos like that Cute books, and oils--lots and lots of people get into the scented oils, whether they believe that they do anything or not I had a lady in the s full of mortars and pestles--and not for witchcraft She needed thereat for science projects"
"The coht?" Finn said
"Oh, yeah And it’s okay One of the haunted houses is run by a really great guy He starts off his little bit by telling the kids that it’s all just for fun, and the entire ’scare’ factor is done by so things bang and bob out But if anyone gets really scared, he just stops and escorts thean an aard little sain
"Fear can be real and sensible, too," Finn said flatly "Megan, did you tell hiht?"
Mike stared at her hard Funny, she had said soabout that Maybe because she was still s from what Morwenna had said Could she say for sure that anyone else had been there?
Anyone other than Finn?
She looked at her husband in the light of day She’d known hiry at times, temperamental, determined, impatient, passionate… and tender She couldn’t look into his eyes and believe that he didn’t love her, alritted her teeth, absolutely determined to shake off the unease that Morwenna had awakened in her