isnât readily available. But who has time for that? Not meâI had interviews to conduct.
âSo, how long have you been in Brooklyn?â I asked.
âJust a few weeks,â said Felicity.
âSonya told me youâre from Indiana?â
Felicity nodded.
âIndianaâs pretty far from here, huh?â I said.
Felicity rolled her eyes. âTell me about it. Iâm from the tiniest town in the middle of nowhere. Itâs the exact opposite of New York. This is the first real city Iâve ever been to, unless you count Chicago. I was there once on a school trip.â She fiddled with the salt and pepper shakers as she spoke, staring at them rather than meeting my eye.
I couldnât help but notice that as Felicity talked, she kind of rambled on. I wondered whether that was always the case or she was nervous about speaking with me in particular. And if so, why? Did she have a legitimate reason to be worried?
Just then Joshua came over with two mugs of hot chocolate. âHere you go,â he said. âThese are on the house.â
âThanks,â I said. âBut what are they for?â
Joshua shrugged. âI donât know. You looked thirsty.â
I took a sip. âMmm. Thatâs delicious!â
âJoshua makes the best hot chocolate,â Felicity said, smiling up at him.
âOld family recipe,â Joshua said with a wink.
Felicity turned back to me. âDid you have any more questions, or can I get back to work now?â
âIâm actually just getting started,â I said, checking my notes again. âUm, what brought you to New York, exactly?â
âYouâre writing all of this down?â she asked, glancing at my notebook.
âI remember things better when I write them down. And sometimes it helps me make connections later.â
Felicity swirled her spoon around in her mug, and some cocoa splashed over the edge. âOh no!â she cried, alarmed. And when she reached for the napkins to clean up the hot chocolate, she knocked over the entire mug with the back of her hand. Hot chocolate spilled all over the table, and the mug began to roll.
Felicity reached for it, but rather than standing it upright she pushed it off the edge and it shattered on the floor.
âYikes!â she yelled.
I cringed.
Joshua ran over with the mop to clean up the mess.
I had to wonder, was Felicity nervous, or simply klutzy? Or was she pretending to be klutzy because she was bent on sabotage? Or was I jumping to conclusions too fast? Why would she want to ruin her auntâs new shopâher aunt who was responsible for Felicity having a place to stay in New York City?
I drew a big question mark in my notebook. I wouldâve written down more specific questions, except Felicity was squinting down at the page as if she were trying to read my notes upside down. I wondered why she was so interested. Her behavior made me even more suspicious.
âWhat are you,â she asked, âsome sort of junior police officer?â
âUm, Iâm more of an amateur detective,â I said, watching her carefully. She didnât seem to be making fun of me, but the question seemed odd.
âYou mean like Nancy Drew?â she asked. âI used to read those books all the time.â
âKind of,â I said. âSo, how are you related to Sonya, exactly?â
âWeâre first cousins. Our moms are sisters.â
âHow old are you?â
âEighteen,â she said. âI was supposed to start college this year, but Iâm taking a gap year instead.â
âSo you work at the Gap, too?â I asked.
âNo.â Felicity laughed. âA gap year means a year off. Iâm supposed to be finding myself, figuring out who I am and what I want to do with my life. That way, college wonât be a waste of time. My parents donât think I have enough direction, so they sent me here to
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