Just as darkness descends like a heavy blanket, we finally have a customer. A tall man, thirty-something, with a shaved head and a three-day stubble, asks Sharon for help finding a book in the literature section. I’m standing at the register, still lost in thoughts of Jay and Annalise Robb, and trying not to think of my caller.

Sharon, her thick red cardigan gaping around her middle, huffs back to the counter. “Can you go help him?” She glances toward the back of the store. “I left my reading glasses at home, and I’m having a devil of a time.” She leans heavily on the counter, bends over, and searches through the odds and ends on a shelf below it. “I thought I had another pair here someplace.”

I head back to where the man peruses the stacks. “May I help you?”

He straightens and smiles. “Just found it,” he says. I notice a paperback copy of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in his hand. “I haven’t read it since senior year high school.” He holds the book up. “Didn’t finish it back then, so thought I’d give it another go.”

I nod. “It’s a good one,” I say, and turn to head back to the register.

“Wait. This is a quaint little place.” He glances around.

“Yes. It is.” For some reason, I feel unnerved here behind the shelves with this stranger. Lately, I’m assessing every man I see, wondering if he’s my caller. Is he lurking nearby, following me, not content to torment me over the phone? I shiver and step away, but the stranger steps with me.

“I’m from out of town,” he says. “Do you have a children’s section?”

“Yes. Of course. Second floor.” I wrap my arms around my stomach, desperate to get away, yet not wanting to seem rude or paranoid.

“I’m visiting my brother, and I didn’t think to bring my niece a gift. What kind of uncle would I be if I showed up empty-handed?” He smiles again. Friendly, almost flirting.

He has a backpack slung over his shoulder, wears a leather jacket and skinny jeans. For some reason, I get a reporter vibe, and I can’t bring myself to escort him upstairs. I just want to get back to the relative safety of the counter.

“We have a great selection of kids’ books. Let me know if you need help,” I say, and walk away.