“Artistically pleasing,” Janie called it.
“Not enough white space,” was her brother-in-law’s opinion.
Either way, sales increased.
The cashier station was Janie’s favorite position. From there, she could people-watch: study facial expressions and the way people held their heads, stretched their necks.
This morning, she’d beaten Gloria, Fred’s wife and the manager of the gift shop, to work. Switching on the lights, she first checked to see that everything was in its place. Sometimes the cleaning crew left surprises: stuffed animals on the floor, books flipped so the back and not the cover showed, and candy stocked in the wrong place. She was just heading to the register when the door opened. She turned, expecting to see Gloria, but instead Rafe’s body filled the doorframe. Never before had she appreciated his size.
He made her feel safe.
But he was a cop. He’d turn on her the minute she didn’t do what he wanted.
“What happened with the case yesterday?” she asked after greeting him.
“I made sure the new art book was tagged and then I spoke to a couple of the men who are familiar with the case. Nathan never made it in. I’ve called him a couple of times this morning and left messages, but he’s obviously busy.”
Surprised that he’d shared that much, she said, “That’s got to be frustrating.”
He stepped into the shop and leaned against the wall stacked with children’s books. Next to him a large, stuffed green snake hung. Janie was struck by the urge to tickle his nose with it and see if he smiled.
What an irrational thought!
Tonight she definitely had to get that much-needed sleep, if for no other reason than to keep these strange thoughts about Rafael Salazar from plaguing her.
“Nathan’s a hardworking cop. Right now he’s not only dealing with a drug ring in his backyard, but also with how it’s linked to Brittney’s disappearance.”
“Good thing he’s got you.”
Rafe raised his eyebrows. “Nathan doesn’t really need me.”
“I was referring to Derek.”
He left, but throughout the morning, he stopped by again half a dozen times. Occasionally, he passed along some development in the case, like that the Chaneys had recognized one of the students Janie had pinpointed. Other times, he just walked through, making his presence known with a smile or a wave.
“You’ve got a beau,” Gloria whispered.
Janie busied herself instead of responding. If she said no, then she’d have to explain why Rafe was suddenly around so much. It felt surreal to think that there were people at BAA who had no idea that Janie’s world was no longer ordinary.
Adam stopped by more than once, too. One time he got there right as Rafe did. No surprise, the two men knew each other and were soon talking and heading toward one of the food kiosks.
Maybe Rafe would tell Adam what Janie couldn’t.
“It’s funny,” said Gloria, right in Janie’s ear, startling her. “I thought for a while it would be you and Adam, but that would never have worked.”