CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Twenty hours after leaving Mary hanging upside down from a tree Maggie drove down Route Seven in Riverside. She passed by her old apartment, the bookstore was still there. She smiled. She parked a few blocks away and walked around for a while before entering the bookstore.
"Hi, can I help you find something today?" A young man regarded her from behind the counter.
"Hugo?"
"Uh, he's on vacation and won't be back for a while."
"I'm an old friend of his, just popped into town and I thought I'd look him up. Do you know if it's a staycation?"
The young man smiled. He was blonde and had a deep tan, hinting that blonde might not be his natural color.
"I think he said something about Siria."
"Really?" Maggie thought that was odd, Hugo had never expressed an interest in off
