The Mystery of Nevermore by C.S. Poe

days.”
    “I’ll come see you again soon,” Duncan promised as he took the bag.
    I felt my face heat up as I smiled. I’ll be honest, the attention was nice. “All right.”
    “Bye, Sebastian.”
    “Good-bye.”
    Duncan waved and offered another big lopsided smile before he left the shop.
    I didn’t notice Max until Duncan had left the counter.
    “Dude,” he said quickly. “Did you just get asked out?”
    “Ah, yeah, I think so.”
    “Why are you blushing?”
    “Am I?”
    Max pointed an accusing finger. “What happened with Neil? Don’t say, nothing , Seb.”
    I closed my mouth and considered an answer. “Very little.”
    “Smartass.” He walked up to the counter and leaned over it. “Did you guys break up?” he whispered, for the sake of privacy since the shop wasn’t empty.
    “I think we should put up the holiday decorations.”
    “It’s less than two weeks before Christmas.”
    “Better late than never.”
    “Don’t change the subject,” Max warned.
    I let out an annoyed sigh and leaned down to whisper. “We had a fight. I don’t know what’s going to happen, okay?”
    And I really didn’t.

Chapter Six
     
     
    CALVIN NEVER returned my text about that murder. Had I really expected him to? Sort of. Or at least I was hoping he would, which was stupid of me because he was a cop and wasn’t going to divulge information via freaking text .
    I planned on going to the bank and grocery store before seeing myself home but ended up diverting toward Thirteenth Street, the location of the East Village murder. Quiet, clean, lined with bare snow-covered trees, just like my street. There were a number of little restaurants and a few dry cleaners, but the buildings were multiuse and had three or four floors of apartments above the shops.
    It was already dark, and the temperature was dropping fast. I stopped halfway down the block, looking up at the brightly lit windows of those already home. I must have looked out of sorts, standing in the middle of the sidewalk, shivering, and wearing sunglasses.
    A woman walking a big golden retriever stopped nearby. “Are you lost?” she asked, maybe pegging me for a very confused tourist.
    I glanced over at her and smiled awkwardly. “Oh, no. Actually, do you live around here?”
    She looked me over, but I guess I appeared harmless enough, or she trusted her dog to guard her, because she nodded. “Yeah, sure. Why?”
    “This might sound really, really strange,” I warned, “but have you heard of any murders in this area?” You know—get right to the point.
    She covered her mouth with a gloved hand. “Oh my God, yes, but you’re not a reporter or anything, are you?”
    I shook my head. “No, no. I live nearby. And am just a nosey jerk.”
    She laughed at that, but slowly put her hand to her chest. “It was about two weeks ago, I think. People around here know, but the police are keeping it really quiet. I heard it was terribly gruesome.”
    “Who’d you hear that from?”
    She shrugged.
    So, fifty-fifty on it being true. “Did it happen inside one of these restaurants?” When she hesitated, I could tell I might have been making her uncomfortable. Shit, shit. “I’ll never be able to eat pasta again,” I joked, glancing toward the closest shop.
    She chuckled again and smiled. “It wasn’t in a restaurant, but one of the chefs from 1-2-3 Sushi told a friend of mine that it happened in one of the apartments above his shop.” She pointed with her free hand toward the building in question. “I guess the police had to close everything down for the day.”
    “That must have sucked.”
    She hummed and nodded in agreement.
    “It’s scary,” I said quietly. “It’s such a good neighborhood.”
    “Oh, I know,” she agreed. “I made my boyfriend spend the night for a week. I was so freaked out.” She sighed and switched the dog leash into her other hand. “Anyway, I better go.”
    “Yeah, sorry, have a good night.” I smiled and stepped aside,