Her office was in the back and had a small one-way window. The space was tiny and made even more so by the stacks of books, magazines and papers. She scooped a pile off one of the two chairs. “Have a seat.”

Then she put that stack on her desk chair and sat on the desk. “What do you need me to do to keep Roxy safe?”

He took the chair. “I’m glad you asked. Do you have any kind of security system? A closed-circuit camera set up?”

She shook her head. “In Nocturne Falls? Nope.”

“Not a big deal. I’ll be here tomorrow and I’ll have at least one other deputy with me, possibly two.” He wasn’t going to explain about Jenna’s sister just yet in case Tessa had other plans. “We’ll all be in plainclothes. The women should blend in well with the crowd. I know I won’t be able to do that, so I’ll probably pick a spot where I can see as much as possible and do my best to disappear while generally keeping an eye on things.”

“You can have the run of the place if you like.”

“Thank you. I was hoping maybe you and some of your friends from the coven might be able to cast some kind of protection spell over the place?”

She grinned. “I already have an anti-theft spell in place. I can whip up something for tomorrow. It would be easier for me to do something specific for Roxy, but I’d need something of hers.”

“Such as?”

Agnes tipped her head back and forth. “A lock of hair, some eyelashes, fingernail clippings…you know, spell ingredients. But I suppose that would be a strange thing for either of us to ask her for. Especially since she’s human and doesn’t have any clue what this town’s about.”

“No, she knows. She didn’t, but she does now.”

Agnes grimaced. “How’d she take that?”

“It was a little tough, but she’s adapting quickly.”

“Good to hear. Does she know I’m a witch?”

He shook his head. “Not unless Delaney told her. Roxy is at Delaney’s now. She’s spending the night there as a safety precaution.”

“The stalker is that serious, huh?”

He gave her a brief history of what had happened so far.

“Okay, that is serious. Hey, if you have anything physical from this guy, I could scry for him, see if I could find out if he’s in town.”

Alex sat back as best he could in the small space. “We don’t even have a fingerprint. So far, he’s a ghost.”

“Literally? No, you said you actually had him pinned to the ground, so that can’t be.” She made a face. “This guy is not going to disrupt tomorrow’s event. I’m going to call a few of my coven members and seed the crowd with some extra help. We’ve got a few who can read auras, and picking out a guy in a group of woman won’t be hard. Then it’s just a matter of reading his aura to see if he plans to do harm.”

“That would be great. Who do you have in mind?”

“Right now, Kaley Van Zant is our best aura reader. Pandora Williams is her mentor.”

“I know Pandora. In fact, I’ve been meaning to talk to her, but I don’t know Kaley. Is she new?”

Agnes nodded. “She and her dad moved to town last year. He inherited the old Pilcher manor.”

“Wait a second. Kaley is a kid. I don’t know if her father would appreciate her being involved in this.”

“There won’t be any danger to her. If Pandora can’t be with her, we’ll find someone else. She’s just the best aura reader we have.”

“All right, but make sure her father’s in the loop.”

“I will. I suppose you want to have a look around the store now. Besides the sales floor, there’s a storeroom in the back. It’s where I keep stock, but also the magical books that I deal in. Those aren’t out in the open, for obvious reasons.”

“I do want to see the rest, but…” He hesitated. “There’s one more thing.”

“Sure.”

“There’s a spell that can allow a human to live as a shifter. It’s old magic and very—”

“No.” Agnes’ gaze turned cold. “That spell will ruin any human it’s placed upon. I don’t do that kind of magic. I won’t.”

“Good,” Alex said. “That’s exactly the response I was hoping for. If Roxy brings it up, which is more likely something that would happen in the future, I hope you’ll explain to her why it’s such a bad idea.”

Agnes’ expression softened. “You think she might ask me?”

“If she finds out about it, and knows you’re a witch, yes. Right now, she doesn’t know such a spell exists. I’d like to keep it that way, but in this town…” He sighed.

“She sweet on you? Is that why you think she’d want the spell? Or some other shifter?”

“You know what I am, huh?”

She grinned. “Honey, my first husband was a tiger. Literally. Too bad he’d used up eight of his nine lives when I’d met him. May he rest in peace. Anyway, I know you big cats when I see you.”

Alex smiled. “We’re sweet on each other. Which is why I can guarantee you nothing’s going to happen to her tomorrow.” He stood. “I’ll go have my look around now. If I see anything out of the ordinary, I’ll let you know. And thank you for the spell thing.”

“You got it, Officer. See you tomorrow.”