David took a step closer to Pinky, drawing himself up to his full height, and spoke in a completely different tone, low, demanding, and stripped of all politeness.
"Where did you get that mask?"
David nodded toward the wooden face with the long nose.
"And how many more souvenirs like that have you sold to the fishermen?"
Pinky continued to smile, that same soft, friendly smile that hadn't left his face from the very beginning.
But Ethan noticed how the shopkeeper's fingers slightly gripped the edge of the wooden counter. The smile remained, but something guarded, almost predatory, flashed in his eyes.
"That is a very old mask," Pinky replied calmly, almost tenderly.
"A family heirloom, and I don't sell it. It's just for atmosphere, to make the shop look more interesting. And I only give the fishermen simple amulets, nothing special. Ordinary trinkets, like I told you."
He shrugged, as if apologizing for not having anything more interesting to offer. But his fingers still held tightly to the edge of the counter.
David didn't break eye contact. He took another half-step forward, and the air in the shop seemed to grow heavier.
"Just for atmosphere," he repeated slowly, with a hint of mockery.
"And the fishermen who dropped by before disappearing… did they just take ordinary trinkets too?"
Pinky blinked. His smile grew a fraction wider, but now a barely noticeable tension crept into it.
"I don't recall exactly, Agent. A lot of people come in. I try to help everyone…"
Gina and Ethan stood slightly behind their father. Gina subtly kept her hand on the grip of the gun under her jacket. Ethan couldn't tear his eyes away from the mask; it still felt as though the empty eye sockets were tracking them.
The tension in the shop was mounting. Pinky kept smiling, but now that smile looked like a thin mask ready to crack at any moment.
David decided not to push too hard just yet. He knew that if he pressed all at once, Pinky might clam up or start lying even more convincingly.
Therefore, he shifted his tone, becoming calmer, almost casual, like a man simply performing routine work.
"Tell me, where were you on the evenings when the fishermen went missing?" he asked in his normal voice.
"And show me exactly what they bought before they left your shop. I'll buy something too."
Pinky adjusted the thin glasses on his nose, as if the gesture helped him gather his thoughts. The smile on his face remained soft and friendly, but Ethan noticed how the muscles around his eyes tightened slightly.
"I'm almost always here in the shop until nine in the evening," Pinky replied in the same quiet, pleasant voice.
"Sometimes I stay late to sort inventory, clean old items, or put together new displays. There's a lot of work involved with antiques, you know."
"All three dropped in during the day. Nothing unusual… One bought a small bone amulet for a good catch, the second a dried bundle of herbs to ward off river trouble, and the third took a wooden bracelet with runes."
He shrugged, as if apologizing for his clients' superstitions.
David listened without interrupting. His expression remained calm, but Ethan, standing just behind, saw how intently his father studied Pinky's every movement, the way he adjusted his glasses, how his fingers lightly brushed the edge of the counter, and how his gaze darted away for a fraction of a second.
"And after they left…" David continued, "did you notice anything strange yourself? Maybe someone was following them? Or did they talk about anything unusual?"
Pinky thoughtfully scratched his chin.
"No… nothing like that. Normal conversations. The weather, fish, jokes about their wives. Nothing that could…" he paused, searching for the right word, "…raise alarms."
Silence hung over the shop once more. The only sound was the quiet creaking of the old wood and the barely audible breathing of everyone inside.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ethan kept watching the long-nosed mask. It still felt as though the empty eye sockets were following him, not directly, but with a lingering, sideways glance. He subtly shifted closer to Gina.
Gina, for her part, stood rigid, her hand under her jacket resting on the grip of the gun. She could feel that something was deeply wrong here.
David nodded, closing the notepad where he had been making jottings.
"Thank you for the information, Mr. Pinky. If you remember anything else, here is my card."
He placed a card reading "Special Agent Harper" onto the counter and gave a slight nod.
But he didn't intend to leave just yet.
"And where are the items they bought right now?" David asked.
Pinky spread his hands in a slight, almost helpless gesture.
"How should I know?" he replied calmly.
"They went fishing with them. I don't follow customers after they leave the shop. It's not my job to track what they do with the amulets afterward."
He shrugged. Ethan, standing slightly to the side, noticed Pinky's fingers tighten against the edge of the counter again.
Noticing his tension, Gina nudged her brother with her elbow and said quietly, almost soundlessly:
"Stop acting like that."
Ethan only shook his head, unwilling to speak aloud. He felt a strange, sticky anxiety building up inside him. David kept his eyes on Pinky, not noticing his son's reaction… or pretending not to notice.
Gina quietly turned to her brother, trying not to draw Pinky's attention. She stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ethan and whispered, barely moving her lips:
"Are you absolutely convinced that there's someone else here besides the shopkeeper?"
Ethan nodded, his eyes never leaving the wooden mask with the long nose. Then he spoke with more certainty.
"It's watching us," he answered, barely audible.
"I saw it turn… while we were talking." He said this without looking away from the masks.