and I need ta finish my design for Rocket Games before we leave. I should be able to complete it in the morning--"
"I'll call Mrs. Oldebucks to let her know we accept her commission," Sunny said, breathless.
"Then in the afternoon we can reserve airline tickets and hotel rooms, and go shopping. If her cheque clears, we can be on a plane the same day."
"Of course it'll clear! Think positively, partner. Soon we'll be off to the Land of Shamrocks and Fairies!"
Eile leered at her and wrapped her arms around her torso. "You know, you're very sexy when you're excited."
"Oh, really!" Sunny pulled herself up to look Eile in the eye. "Maybe I should be excited more often." She kissed Eile on the lips.
"Not too often, or I'll die of exhaustion."
Sunny giggled. "I have a great idea for our first night in Ireland."
"Oh? And what would that be?"
"The Country Girl and the Fairy Princess."
"Sounds interesting! But this time, I get to be the princess."
"Whatever you say, partner," Sunny agreed, before they kissed again.
The Girls paused on the sidewalk outside the storefront. The sign above the door read Leabhar na Sithe, Booksellers, est. 1829.
"This looks like the place," Sunny said, glancing at the photograph in her hand. Mrs. Oldebucks had sent it to them before they left Denver.
Eile gently twisted Sunny's hand so that she could read the back. The name of the store had been hand printed there, along with the name Miles Flanagan.
"The name's the same."
"Well, let's get it done. Then we can have lunch at that cafe and shop at that cute knickknack store. Do you have the receipt?"
Eile patted her purse. "Right here." They then approached the door.
Maumee Oldebucks had been better than her word. As soon as Sunny told her they would accept her offer, she arranged with her bank to make the cheque payable immediately. They deposited it when they went out that afternoon, and by evening the funds became available in their account. The next day they purchased their cheque cards and first-class airline tickets, made reservations with bed-and-breakfasts in Ennis and Lahinch, and packed, and they were on a flight bound for Shannon International Airport by late afternoon. The photograph with the receipt for the book had been waiting for them at Denver International Airport.
They arrived in Ireland mid-morning local time the following day. They were able to sleep on the plane and were reasonably alert, despite the fact that their bodies felt like it was before dawn. They rode a train from the airport to Ennis, and after checking into the bed and breakfast, they spent the day touring the city, and the night dancing at a nightclub. They didn't get back to the B&B until two. They slept in until late morning, then after breakfast road a bus to Lahinch. It took them only an hour to get there, and again after checking in they toured the town. They planned to use it as a base from which to explore the county, with side trips to Galway and Limerick, but they also planned to spend time relaxing on the beach or in the spa. First, however, they wanted to pick up Mrs. Oldebucks's book, that way it would be done and out of the way. After dinner at a restaurant and some dancing at a disco, they got to bed reasonably early, being as their bodies were beginning to adjust to local time, and jet lag had finally caught up with them.
They arose early the next morning and as they ate breakfast, the proprietor of the B&B made reservations for them at a pub in Kilfenora. They rented bicycles and pedaled their way to the village, arriving by late morning. They checked in, then headed directly to the bookshop, after first getting directions.
The door had no sign on it indicating whether the shop was open or its hours of operation, and the large store window seemed to show that the premises were dark, but when Eile tried the latch, she found it unlocked, and she and Sunny walked in. They were momentarily blinded by the darkness, and Eile groped for a light switch. She found a knob beside the door, and when she turned it, an overhead lights came on.
What they saw startled them. The store was a mess: every book had been pulled off shelves and out of bookcases and dumped on the floor; more than a few had been ripped apart. The furniture had been destroyed, the wooden chairs broken and the upholstery on the stuffed chairs slashed open and the stuffing pulled out. There were gapping holes in the walls and floor, as if someone had smashed through the wood paneling or floor boards. The front counter had been torn apart, the computer dumped on the floor, and the cash box emptied. The only things left intact were the bookcases themselves.
Sunny closed the door as Eile stepped further into the room. "What happened?"
"Looks like a burglary, or just plain vandalism. But who would want to ransack a bookshop?"
"Some of their books might have been very valuable."
"Yeah, but how could you fence them?"
"Maybe the thieves wanted the books themselves, not to sell but to keep."
"Maybe. Regardless, let's try ta find Flanagan. The sooner we get our book, the sooner we can get out of here."
"The office is probably in the back."
The girls made their cautious way through the debris. As it turned out, there were two doors, both slightly ajar.
"You try that one," Eile said, pointing to the door on the right, "and I'll take this one."
Sunny nodded. "Okay." They went up to their respective door. Eile pushed hers open, but again it was dark inside. She found the light switch and turned the knob.
When the light came on, Eile saw it was an office. She also saw Miles Flanagan laying on a rug, face up, in a pool of his own blood.
"YEEEEGH!!" she screamed, jumping back. Sunny jerked around with an alarmed look on her face, then hurried over.
"What is it!?!"
Speechless with horror, Eile could only point into the room. When Sunny looked in, she started and froze for a moment, then went into the room. Eile wanted to tell her to stop, but she couldn't make a sound come out of her mouth.
Avoiding the blood, Sunny stepped around the body to a point above its head. Eile could see her face looked pale, her eyes wide, and her mouth frozen in a fearful grimace, but she knelt down to get a closer look.
That broke Eile's hysterical paralysis. "Jesus, Sunny, no!" She rushed forward, but halted in the doorway, braced against the door frame.
Sunny looked up, her features starting to relax. "I won't touch anything."
She looked back down, and for the first time Eile realized the corpse was naked. "His throat's been torn out," Sunny said. She then looked over the rest of the body. "It looks like he was mauled by some kind of animal, like a huge dog."
Eile felt sick. She always thought she had a strong stomach, but the unexpected fright combined with disgust to make her stomach churn.
"There are even places where big chunks of flesh were torn out."
"Oh, god!" Eile felt her stomach heaved. She turned and stumbled back into the shop, one hand over her mouth while the other clutched her abdomen, desperately trying not to vomit. Sunny came up behind her and held her as she shuddered and spasmed.
"Easy does it, partner," she soothed, "just relax. Hahah, it's a good thing we haven't had lunch yet."
She lifted her head and gave her a withering stare; Sunny giggled in a nervous manner.
She shook her off as she stood up straight. "I'm okay now."
"Wh-what should we do?"
"We hafta call the police."
"How?"
"We'll go back to the pub and tell the landlord; he'll contact them."
"Do...do you think the killer is still here?" Sunny looked around the destroyed shop in a nervous fashion.
"Nah, the body looks like it was done some time ago. More than likely--"
She cut herself off as she heard the sound of heavy footsteps ascending a flight of stairs. They both looked towards the other door.
Eile felt herself fill with trepidation. "Sunny, where did that lead to?"
"The basement," she whispered.
Her heart leap
t into her throat. "Then let's get the hell out of here!"
They started to back away, but before they could turn and run, the footfalls reached the top. The door opened on creaky hinges and out stepped a massive woman, with a voluptuous figure, adobe skin, long straight gold-tinged bronze hair, and cold emerald eyes. She wore a forest-green single-piece pants-suit, with a black and gray plaid cloak draped over her shoulders. She stopped as soon as she saw the Girls, shock flickering across her long face with its sharp, handsome features.
Eile almost fainted from relief as Sunny cried, "Mayv!"
"Damnaigh!" she cursed in her sing-song contralto. "What are you two doing here?"
"We came to pick up a book," Sunny blurted out.
"A-a book?! Mathiran-dia, what are you talk--"
She stopped when she heard a high-pitched metallic whistle. She stared at the front of the shop, and when Eile turned to look she saw uniformed figures hurry past the shop window.
"Fuilifurnn! Follow me!" And Medb ran into the office.
Eile heard voices at the door and saw it begin to open. She grabbed Sunny and they hurried after Mayv. Eile hesitated at the opening when she saw the body again, but Sunny pulled on her and she followed without further resistance. At the back of the office stood another door. Medb held it open, gesturing madly.
"Hurry!"
Eile could see it led outside. She and Sunny bolted through and Medb followed, closing the door behind her. They found themselves in an open field behind the building. Medb looked around for a moment, then gestured for them to follow her.
"This way." She headed across the field towards a paved road.
"Who were those