No, he was not. If he nodded to one, they would all shout out a greeting and want him to stop and introduce the woman at his side, and he didn’t want to discuss who she was (he didn’t know) or where she’d come from (he didn’t know) or whether or not she was his girlfriend/wife/sister (that at least he knew—no, no and no).

They took one of the hairpin turns, and Elle saw the Tower and pointed, although it was more of a flick of her finger than a full-fledged gesture. “What’s that thing? Dracula’s castle up on the hill?”

He was more than glad to change the subject. “That’s the home of Angelica Lindholm. Ancestral home, actually.”

“I’m not familiar with the name. Should I be?”

“Most people seem to be. Angelica is a personality. Online, television, magazine, lecture, you name it.”

“She sounds busy. Is she popular?”

Remembering how intensely Mr. Kulshan disliked Angelica Lindholm, Adam said, “That’s one way of putting it. She’s well-known, at least. Also, she owns a good part of Gothic.”

“Owns it?” Elle looked from side to side as they passed Runs with Scissors Needlework and Quilting and on the opposite side of the street the Encore! Vintage Clothing Shop (motto: Not responsible for Haunted or Possessed Items) in what looked like a glamorous former movie theater.

“Angelica Lindholm owns and runs the General Store. That’s a pet project of hers. She stocks it with her clothing line, her organic health food, her make-at-home meals—which are good, by the way.” He’d eaten them many times when he couldn’t leave his shop because the cruel madness of creation took him and he had to reveal his past in a sharp-edged piece of art that spoke of death. “She owns both gift shops in town but allows her managers to run those. She owns most of the commercial buildings and leases the space.”

“So she leases to—” Elle read the signs “—Sadie and Hartley’s Rock and Mineral Emporium and the Eat, Drink, Gossip Saloon?”

“Yes.”

Mr. Kulshan was sitting in front of the rock shop, and he waved.

Moving with great care, she waved back. “Dracula’s castle is her home? Her ancestral home? Is she the equivalent of British nobility?”

“Around here, she is. Fifth-generation Gothic resident. Or sixth. I’ve only heard the gossip.” Overheard, actually; he knew what it was to be gossiped about, and he didn’t indulge. “The Tower was modeled on a French château.”

“Is it haunted?”

He hesitated.

Elle perked with the expected enthusiasm. “It is, isn’t it?”

“At least one tragedy occurred up there. Ghosts are good for local businesses, especially in Gothic. What tragedy I’m not sure. I never cared enough to buy Gothic, California: A Haven for Lost Souls. That’s the book they sell at the Gothic Historical Museum.”