Clara was paging through a small leather-bound book. “This is a replica of a book printed in 1534. It’s an entire book of marzipans and sweets.”
It was difficult to see the front of the store from where we were standing, too many free-standing shelves in the way. I heard the front door open and close and the tap of high-heels on Nina’s wood floor. Curiosity got the better of me, and I peeked around a shelf to see the vampire, zombie, witch, or whatever who had just entered.
It was Anarchy. She was still dressed in the black leather body suit. Her makeup was still fright-night. From where I was standing, I could see that Nina’s back had gone rigid. Obviously, she recognized Anarchy from the last time she was in.
“I need something to enhance power,” Anarchy said to Nina. “I recently acquired some new skills, but they seem to be leaking away.”
“Were these skills the result of a spell or potion?” Nina asked.
“No. They were the result of physical contact. Does it matter?”
“It might.” Nina pulled a small bottle off the rack behind her. “This is a performance enhancer. Very effective, I’m told. It contains a small amount of steroid.” She selected a second bottle. “This is organic powdered hoof of unicorn, and it’s frequently used to enhance abilities. It can also be used to make aspic.”
“There’s no such thing as a unicorn.”
“That’s what it says on the label.” Nina showed her the bottle. “It’s a very reliable company.”
“Fine. Wrap them up,” Anarchy said. “I’ll figure it out later.” She looked around. “I’m planning on world domination and mass chaos. I might need large quantities of hallucinogenic substances. Can that sort of thing be ordered by bulk?”
“Of course,” Nina said. “We special-order all the time.” Nina looked in my direction and did a whirly index finger next to her head.
Anarchy examined the jar of unicorn hoof. “How long does it take this to work?”
“It works pretty fast,” Nina said. “Mix it with a little orange juice. And you might want to add frickberry to prolong the effect.”
“Great. Give me some frickberry.”
Glo and Clara were spying on Anarchy, too, at this point.
“It’s a shame I didn’t have frickberry when I froze her,” Glo whispered.
Anarchy unscrewed the jar of unicorn hoof. She stuck her finger in and tasted some of the powder. “If this doesn’t work, I’m going to come back and burn your store down,” she told Nina. “I’m actually on my way to burn someone’s house down now.”
“Anyone I know?” Nina asked.
“Some insignificant cupcake baker who lied
to me. Thought I could be tricked into believing I was getting something when I was getting nothing.”
“How do you know you got nothing?” Nina asked.
“I’ve had no reaction to this fraudulent object.”
“Isn’t burning someone’s house down extreme?”
“It’s only the beginning. When I find her, I’m going to extract her liver and feed it to feral cats.”
I pulled Glo and Clara back behind the shelf. “Sneak out and get help. And call Diesel. I’m not getting any bars on my cell phone in here. Go to the street and call him, and tell him to come to the Exotica Shoppe to collect Anarchy. I don’t care if he’s authorized or not. I’ll stay here and keep my eye on her.”
“I don’t want to leave you here,” Clara said. “She wants to feed your liver to feral cats.”
“I’ll be okay. I’ll stay hidden. Go!”
“Will there be anything else?” Nina asked Anarchy.
“I hear whispering,” Anarchy said, looking around. “Who else is here?”
“It’s this old building,” Nina said. “It whispers.”