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Now, for the first time, Rhea looked around the shop's crowded interior. Clothing racks packed it from end to end, all hung with coats of every kind of fur imaginable. That was the smell, she realized, wrinkling her nose while looking around in utter amazement. Not a bad smell. More like wet dog than anything else.
And no wonder, since it had been raining for nearly a week without pause. Everything had been damp for days, and the humidity was terrible. Other than the smell, the moisture in the air didn't seem to be affecting the garments in this store. She reached one hand out to stroke the soft fur of the coat nearest her. It looked like mink.
"A lovely choice," the voice behind the counter said, its owner still in shadow.
"You're having a sale?" She let the sleek fur drop. Stuff like this you found in Macy's or Bloomingdale's, not some dumpy shop in an alley. Well, this wouldn't be the first time she'd seen things that had "fallen" off the back of a truck. "What's the occasion?"
"Last night of the full moon," the clerk said. "Have to move out the inventory."
Rhea strained her eyes to see the owner of the voice, but could only make out the vaguest of forms. "Your sign said prices slashed."
"Yes," the clerk replied. "For the right customer."