Jeopardy in January

by Camilla Chafer

  I stepped onto the staircase, turning on the fourth step. The height gave me a good overview of the crowd. I spotted my mother near the back. She was deep in conversation with several people from her gardening club. Meredith was stationed at the door and I watched her thrust the clipboard and a pen at the next couple who walked through. Candice, Jaclyn — propped up with a cane — and Grace were standing near the desk with wine glasses in hand. My boss, Marta, from the council, nibbled a cookie and waved when she saw me looking her way. I waved back, smiling, and glad she had come. A group of teens stood away from their parents and I recalled when they helped Bree with the children's Christmas story day. It was only a few weeks before. I recognized many faces and saw many other unfamiliar ones too. Tom stood by the new books shelf and waved to me. I smiled, returning his wave, and happy he had come. I was even more pleased that my mother hadn't accosted him.

  "Hello," I called out, waving my hands to grab everyone’s attention. "Hello! Thank you so much for coming here tonight on such short notice," I continued loudly. The noise lessened before puttering away as the expectant faces turned to me. "I am so thrilled to see so many familiar faces this evening here to support the historic Calendar Library. Next year will mark our hundredth-year anniversary—" I paused for the smattering of applause "—but we won't make it unless we have your continued support. Many of you already know that the library needs some repairs; and lack of funding is, unfortunately, making that difficult. The council received an offer proposing that the land on which this library stands to be sold for the imminent destruction of our precious library to make way for more housing." I paused for some grumbles and tried to ignore the loudly whispered comments about having more new diggers excavating the land and who might find the buried treasure if that happened.

  "I know, it's very disappointing. In all fairness, I must also tell you that the developer has offered us a new library on another site in town. This is in return for tearing down this beautiful, old building that so many of us have used and admired throughout our lives. We're here tonight to protest its demolition, and pledge our fight for our library. We must join voices to say that we don't want a new library! We don’t want to have new homes built on this dedicated community site! Calendar says no to any new development!" I let my voice rise as I pumped my fist in the air. Applause followed my speech along with a few cries of support.

  I continued, the audience momentum spurring me on. "Thank you so much for turning out in this rainy weather to show your support. We don't have much time to save the library, so please sign the petitions that are being circulated and make your voices heard. Together, we can do this. Thank you." I smiled as another round of applause echoed through the old building before I moved down a couple of steps so I still blocked the staircase.

  "Good speech," said Antonio, craning his head to look around me.

  "Thanks so much for distributing the flyers advertising the party. You're welcome to go up," I told him as I thrust the petition forwards. He grabbed the pen and signed before I edged out of his way, repeating the same thing to more than a dozen people who eagerly tried to get past me. From the door, Meredith gave me the thumbs up.

  I shook hands and commiserated with the patrons, agreeing with them that we could probably afford to get a coffee cart too, and one of those new e-book lending machines to launch the library into the current century. I talked about volunteer positions to the teens and discussed popular fiction versus classical literature with the Calendar Ladies Book Club. Not once, however, did I let a person go upstairs without adding their signature to my petition.

  "This is a good turnout," said Marta. Big beads hung around her neck in her usual flamboyant style. "I didn't realize everyone loved the library so much."

  "Everyone has fond memories of this place," said an elderly gentleman as he edged past us. I held out my petition and he signed it quickly. "So much has happened here," he murmured, his gaze turning upstairs. I stepped aside and let him pass, in case he decided to expand on that.

  "We even had our first kiss out there in the garden," said the woman following him.

  "That is so lovely." I beamed as I held out the petition.

  "If you can get enough signatures to show this place has community interest and value, the council might listen. Good work, Sara," said Marta. "I'll speak with you soon."

  "Thanks for coming!"

  "So this is the famous library," said Tom, leaning in to kiss my cheek before looking up and around. "I've gotta say, it's some kinda place."

  "Do you like it?" I asked, following his lingering gaze to the ornate cornicing and the grandfather clock.

  "Who wouldn't?" he asked. "It's charming."

  "I'm glad you think so. Can I get you to sign the petition?" I offered him the pen and he took it, signing with a flourish.

  "Thank you, Tom... Nicholson," I said, turning the clipboard to read his signature. "We appreciate your support."

  "I thought I could take you for a drink later to congratulate you on your success," he said. "I know I had to renege on the offer of lunch but I intend to make up for it. What do you say?"

  I frowned, knowing I would have to disappoint him. Not because I resented him calling to say he couldn't make lunch after all. The free time became very useful. I wasn’t so stressed out to prepare for the library event and distribute some more flyers. I brushed away the knowledge that I'd spent more of that time thinking about Jason than I had about Tom. Instead, I plastered a smile on my face. "I would love to but I need to clean up before we reopen tomorrow and I don't know how long that will take."

  "Can I help? I know my way around a mop and a trashcan." He smiled broadly, and was effortlessly charming.

  "That is so kind of you to offer but I already have a couple friends who said they would help out and I wouldn't want to waste your time. Maybe we could have lunch or meet after work tomorrow?" I added, remembering that Bree’s sister planned on calling me as soon as she got to town.

  "Sounds perfect. Hey, did you hear anymore of that talk about someone hiding treasure here?"

  I groaned. "Not you too! It's all I hear."

  "I plead innocence." He held his hands up and laughed. "I couldn't help overhearing a few conversations. Is this about the girl you knew?"

  "Yes. Some people believe she hid stolen treasure here since she worked here for a few months."

  "Do you think she did?"

  "Look around—" I waved my hands at the interior, "—do you see any jewels?"

  "No, but I'm guessing they wouldn't be anywhere obvious. Do you have any secret drawers or hidden rooms? Maybe look in the air vents or loose floorboards?" He winked.

  "I'm pretty sure if you ask around, someone will admit that they already tried that. I caught Mr. Riley examining the air vents and my mother saw Mrs. Mendez taking a good look at my desk."

  "Amateurs," laughed Tom. "I have to say how fascinating it is to see all of these regular, supposedly normal people suddenly turning into treasure hunters."

  "Hopefully, Detective Logan will ensure they calm down soon." I looked around, wondering if the detective had made an appearance. I was disappointed to see he hadn't although it was probably a good thing. The crowd would have pestered him.

  "He have any leads yet?"

  I shook my head. "I don't think so but he's probably getting annoyed when people keep calling the police station to complain about random holes being dug anywhere Bree went or might have gone."

  "Poor guy." Tom looked around. "I can see you should mingle and unless you need a ride home, I'm going to take off soon. I need to finish up some work emails. Unless I hear anymore salubrious gossip about the treasure, in which case, I might stick around. Did I tell you how fascinating it is?"

  I couldn't help laughing at his undisguised interest. "I'm glad we can provide you with some entertainment while you're in town!"

  "More than that," he said, taking my hand and pressing his lips to my knuckles as I blushed. "If I'd known how charming th
is town was, I would have made my way here years ago. Good night, Sara." At the door, he turned and waved.

  "Please tell me that's my future son-in-law," said my mother. I jumped when I found her on the other side of the staircase, looking thrilled. "Is that Tom?"

  "Yes. He came to support the library."

  "Isn't that mighty town-minded of him?! It's a good turnout. You must be very pleased."

  "Very. I filled one page of signatures already since my speech."

  "There's a lot of gossip about Bree. She turned out to be a strange one," Mom continued. "Who ever would have thought a career criminal would choose our town to hide out from the law? Everyone's speculating about where she could’ve hidden the loot."

  "You too?"

  "Me? No. I have better things to do than tunnel around town with a spade. You don't need to worry about the garden here anymore. I heard that Bree was once spotted over by that new housing development outside of town."

  "Really? When?"

  "Oh, I think it was last week sometime. Apparently, she was seen out there late at night. Probably digging up her loot before she made a run for it."

  "Why would anyone bury treasure at a construction site? That doesn't make any sense."

  "It wouldn't but Bree was seen leaving the show home. That's been finished now for a couple months; I don't imagine she was looking to buy a house here, do you?"

  "Not that I know of."

  "My point exactly. Is that Candice with more of those delicious little brownies?" asked Mom, shooting off before I could ask her what else she'd heard about Bree, or even if she signed the petition.

  The event continued for another hour until someone made some noise about a severe weather warning. With the wine all gone, and only crumbs left on the cake plates, the crowd dispersed quickly until there were only three of us left. Most of the debris was confined to the first floor, so Candice, Meredith and I grabbed trash bags and quickly scooped up the litter. I returned the used glasses to their cardboard carry boxes and bundled up the wine bottles. Candice emptied the tea and coffee urns and stowed the hospitality tray of sugar and creamers away.

  "You really don't have to stay," I told them, nodding to the rain lashing against the windows.

  "I would not leave you to clear up alone," said Meredith.

  "And I'm your ride home," said Candice. "Plus, guess what I hid to one side!" she added, reaching for a half bottle of wine that she snuck behind the desk. "Let's clean up and toast to a very successful evening. Everyone loved the displays and I overheard Marta talking about doing another town fundraiser to pay for all the repairs the library needs."

  "And we gained over three hundred signatures tonight," said Meredith. "We already have more than a thousand in just the past two weeks. I think we can get that number higher if we keep asking people."

  "But is it enough?" I wondered.

  "Even if it isn't, you tried your best," said Meredith. She poured the wine into three clean glasses and passed a glass to each of us. "To Sara, for throwing this party and reminding us all why we love the library so much."

  "Cheers," I said, taking a sip.

  Behind me the door creaked open, the noise followed by a footstep. I turned, thoroughly surprised to see Jason.

  "Hi," he said.

  "Hi. What are you doing here?"

  "The party's over," pointed out Candice.

  "I know," he said before turning his attention to me. "I thought I wouldn't be welcome."

  "Why not? You only want to knock the library down," said Candice sarcastically.

  "He's only doing his job," I said.

  "Then he should really hold a debate and invite everyone. Then we can all tell him what we think of his stinking plan."

  "Okay," said Jason, nodding. "Let's look into doing that. Until then, I came to see if you needed a ride home. I figured your car might still be in the shop."

  "It is."

  "I'm her ride," said Candice.

  "I think we need to clean upstairs," said Meredith.

  "But we already..." Candice broke off as Meredith steered her upstairs, leaving Jason and me alone. It wasn't subtle but ever-so-helpful.

  "I appreciate the offer," I told him, "but she really is my ride home."

  "You're okay locking up?" He glanced up to where I was sure Candice and Meredith hovered just out of sight.

  "I'm sure we'll be fine together, and the rain is so bad right now, I doubt anyone will be on the street at all."

  "Okay, then." Jason hesitated. "Would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow?"

  "So you can pick my brains on how the petition is coming along?" I asked, but immediately regretted blurting out the question when I saw Jason's face fall.

  "Actually, I thought we could talk about the library's current needs."

  "I didn't mean to be rude. I already made plans but perhaps you'd prefer to talk to my boss, Marta?"

  "Nothing you can get out of?" He waited, the silence between us only punctuated by the ticking of the grandfather clock. I was sure at any moment, it would chime midnight and I had the awful feeling I would turn into a pumpkin. "Another date?" he surmised. "Must be some lucky guy."

  "Jason, I..." I started, ready to tell him it wasn't a date, but instead I was waiting for Angela Daniels to call. I stopped when he stepped nearer, closing the gap between us. I could feel the heat from him, and the minty scent I inhaled earlier swarmed my senses. Then his mouth was on mine, my lips tingling as the kiss deepened. He pulled me closer and my arms circled his neck. I held onto him, my heart racing. Shivers shot down my spine at the intensity of the kiss. Breathlessly, he stepped back, breaking us apart.

  "I've wanted to do that since the first moment I laid eyes on you," he said. Before I could respond, he turned and left, closing the door behind him.

  From upstairs, I heard an "Oooh!" and Candice giggled.

  I touched my fingers to my still tingling lips and knew exactly what she meant.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The next day, Bree's sister called me. It was a few minutes after eleven and I had already been at the library for two hours, serving a steady stream of customers. It was an unusually busy morning and, like last night's party, I was certain it had nothing to do with anyone desperately needing a new book. No, they were the gawkers who couldn't make it to the party. Although I accepted the condolences with grace, and promised I would pass them along to the family, I was getting more than a little tired of the questions. When Angela called, I was good and ready for a break.

  "I already checked into the motel I told you about. It's ten miles outside of Calendar," she told me. "It's not that great but I didn't want to cancel it only to discover there was nowhere else to book; and it would be too strange to stay at Brittany's apartment."

  "I understand. Are you planning a long visit?"

  "No, I don't think so. Just long enough to speak to the police detective in charge of the case and, of course, arrange for Brittany's burial." She sniffled and fell into silence, broken every few seconds with strange, little hiccups that I assumed were probably sobs.

  "I'm so sorry you have to do that." I wished there were more I could do to help her and I resolved to offer my assistance when we met in person.

  "Someone has to," Angela sighed. "I don't know anyone else to talk to. I think you're the only person who knew Bree in town."

  "She talked to a lot of people but we were also colleagues and I thought we were friends."

  "What do you mean?"

  I hesitated, not wanting to cause offense. I settled on what I hoped weren't hurtful words. "I don't think she told me the truth about a lot of things."

  "That sounds like my sister," Angela said in a resigned tone. "She told a lot of lies. I was very worried about her. I'm afraid she must have gotten into something way over her head."

  I thought about the missing jewels and decided she was probably right; but I didn't have to say anything because she continued, "I think she screwed someone over... I really
hoped she'd straighten out her life, you know? She seemed so happy in her job."

  "You spoke to her recently?"

  "Yes, we usually kept in touch." Angela paused. "She didn't mention me at all, did she?"

  "No." I winced as I said it, knowing she probably would want to hear something nicer.

  She sighed again. "Well, anyway, I'm here now. I’m looking forward to meeting you."

  "I'm taking my lunch break soon. Why don't I drive over to you?" I smiled, glad my car had been returned this morning before I left for work. Besides, I didn't want to put her to any effort. I wondered where she'd driven from and how long it took her, knowing that when she got here, there would be no happy reunion.

  "That sounds great but I don't want to put you to any trouble. Let's not meet at the motel because it's not that nice. Do you know somewhere else convenient?"

  I reached for a pen. "I know somewhere near you," I told her. "Do you have a pen?"

  ~

  Angela Daniels didn't share a lot of physical features with her sister. We were sitting across from each other in the Mountain View Restaurant and gardens. Like the name suggested, it boasted a glorious view of the currently snow-capped mountains. In the summer, the restaurant spilled out onto a paved terrace that came alive with glorious planting. It was a nice place and rather quiet, since most people looking for a quick lunch would have aimed for one of the cafés or restaurants dotted around the main square. I didn't want to subject Angela to any undue gossip while she was visiting, nor did I want to answer any more of the locals’ questions about her sister.

  I knew Angela realized I noticed the difference in her appearance, compared to Bree, when she explained, "You might have guessed we’re half-sisters. Bree took after her mom and I took after our dad. She got the curves, I got the height. She also got her Mom's brown eyes and I got Dad's green ones. I went to live with Dad in the south so even our accents are different. To be brutally honest, we didn't share a lot in common at all."

  "Is that why you lost touch?" I asked. I warmed my hands on the coffee cup as I looked across the table at Angela.