Page 27 of Witch and Tell

“Are any of them from Baltimore?”

His smile morphed to a frown. “What? Why do you ask?”

Just then, one of the Tohler girls—they seemed to rotate through the café as servers; when one went to college, another one stepped in, and they looked uncannily similar—slid a bowl and a napkin-wrapped bundle of silverware in front of me. “Mac and cheese.”

“Thanks, Tanya,” I said. Or was it Tallulah? “What’s going on with these posters?”

“Darla okayed them. The new custodian at the retreat center asked her to put them up.”

It was Wanda, all right. I returned my attention to Tyrone. “I wanted to talk to you about someone in Wilfred who’s from Baltimore. He disappeared about the same time the construction crew arrived. His girlfriend is worried about him. We thought maybe he saw someone he knew, someone with the construction crew, and took off.”

“Someone he had a beef with.”

I shrugged. “Maybe. Why else would he leave?”

“People split town for lots of reasons. Could have owed money. Had a family emergency. Maybe he wasn’t so happy with his girlfriend.” His seductive smile returned. “Although if she’s anything like you, that would be hard to believe.”

I looked at my hands to hide my almost-certain blush. “I didn’t see any sign of any of that.”

“You wouldn’t. That’s the point.” He gestured to my macaroni and cheese. “Don’t wait on my accord. You’d better eat that before it gets cold.” I picked up a fork, and he continued. “As it happens, I’m from Baltimore.”

I put down my fork again. “You?”

He nodded. “I haven’t seen anyone here I know from back home.” He leaned forward. “Only a few I’d like to know better.”

Baltimore. All the way here on the West Coast. What were the odds? “Did you know anyone named Ian Penclosa?”

He looked genuinely baffled. “Penclosa. I can honestly say no. You weren’t, um, close to him, too, were you?”

“Friend of a friend.” I couldn’t help flirting back. This man was a snake charmer, only with women and not cobras. “Are all the men in Baltimore players like you?”

He laughed. “Maybe your missing friend is. Seri ously, though, what does he look like?”

“Dark hair, a scar on his face. The first thing you might notice is he’s in a wheelchair.”

Tyrone might have looked startled for a moment, but I also might have been mistaken. Or maybe my description wasn’t what he’d expected. Slowly, he shook his head. “No. Doesn’t ring a bell.”

I turned my attention to the food in front of me. Maybe I’d come up dry on information about Ian, but I’d scored a hit with dinner. Darla’s mac and cheese was loaded with homemade andouille and just enough bell pepper to give it interest.

“I think I’ll order one of those.” He raised his hand, and Orson ambled over.

When Orson returned a few minutes later with Ty rone’s dinner, Wanda stood behind him. She nodded toward the poster. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to talk to you about it first, but when Ruth told me the trustees’ meeting was coming up, I didn’t have enough time. Now that you know, I’d like to formally invite you to attend.”

I forced a smile. “I’m glad to see you have so much interest in the library. Can you tell me what the meeting is about?”

“I have concerns.” Whatever those concerns were, Wanda felt confident they’d override any of my objections. I saw it in her smug expression.

“Does it have to do with Rodney?” No one else complained about him running free in the library. If anything, he was a draw. The thought of having to keep him cooped up in my apartment broke my heart and would certainly break his.

“In a way, yes,” she replied. “Can I count on you coming?”

I didn’t have much choice—not if it involved the library. “Yes, I’ll be there.”

“Good. Good evening.” With a flamenco-adjacent sashay in her walk, she left the tavern.

Tyrone jerked a thumb toward the door, still swinging, to the café. “You have trouble with her?”

I toyed with my dinner. “I’m not sure yet. She’s stirring things up, and I’m wary.”