Overdue

by Elizabeth Spann Craig

  Tanya muttered again, “Complete speculation. Nonsense.”

  “If it’s such nonsense, why are you holding a hammer? Why are you at my house after dark?” I asked. “Let me answer for you. It’s because of my trip over to your home today, isn’t it? You called me to pick up the rest of the books. Maybe when you looked at them, instead of feeling sad, like you’d told me, they made you feel guilty, instead. Regardless, you wanted them out of your sight. While I was over there, you remembered there was a book upstairs you wanted to add to the group. That gave me the opportunity to look over all the signed photos of important people you and Howard had up in your entrance hall.”

  Now Tanya’s brow wrinkled. This was it, I could tell. That moment from earlier today when I knew something, but didn’t know what it was, was when Tanya had gotten worried.

  “While I was looking at the photos, I kept finding myself returning to one particular photo,” I said.

  Tanya shrugged. “There are plenty of interesting pictures. Why wouldn’t you find one of them appealing?”

  “Yes, but this isn’t one of the ones you’d think I’d keep returning to. It wasn’t a photo of you and Howard with a president or a celebrity. It was a photo of a climber.”

  Tanya gave a short laugh. “If you knew much about the world of climbing, you’d realize these climbers are celebrities. Especially the solo climbers, who scale mountains without the aid of ropes. They perform remarkable feats. Their progress up the mountains represent some of the highest forms of human achievement. They are featured in films and on the covers of magazines like National Geographic.”

  “They have book deals?” I asked archly.

  Tanya took in a hissing breath.

  “Apparently, they do,” I said. “Because Luna and I saw one of the books when we were in the basement after Carmen fell. Which, to me, is evidence you were down there, too.”

  Tanya’s eyes were worried, but she said, “As if that’s any real evidence.”

  “Oh, I think the police would find it very interesting you were down there when you’d claimed not to be at the library that day. The signed book definitely hadn’t been there before—Luna commented on it herself and said she’d like to buy the book when it went on sale. She also mentioned it was signed to a board member. What possible reason could you have to lie about something like that, otherwise?”

  Tanya said, “You really don’t understand anything, do you? There are plenty of reasons to lie, all the time. I have an important position in this town.”

  “And you didn’t want any scandal to interfere with that position, did you?” I asked.

  Tanya said, “It’s not just that. I don’t want my mom to hear about any scandal. She doesn’t deserve it.” Her voice had risen sharply. “She’s always been so proud of our family name and our place in Whitby. In her final years, she doesn’t need to worry about prurient whispers and gossip.”

  “Which is exactly why you had to kill Howard. He knew you’d murdered Carmen. He wasn’t a stupid man. And you needed to silence him before he went to the police,” I said.

  “The same way I need to silence you,” hissed Tanya. “Didn’t you think you were so smart? But intelligence doesn’t always pay off.”

  She took a threatening step forward with the hammer, but I was ready for her. I reached out and grabbed the hardest, most punishing thing within arm’s length: the library’s copy of Ulysses. As Tanya swung at me, I swung at her. For all Tanya’s determination, I was a lot younger than she was. And pretty determined, myself, to stay alive.

  Tanya gave a grunting gasp as the hammer was knocked out of her hand. She grabbled for it on my hardwood floor and I took the opportunity to hit her again as hard as I could on the back of the head with the heavy book.

  She was out like a light. With shaking hands, I took my cell phone out of my pocket and called Burton.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Burton was there within minutes, along with an ambulance. He took just a few moments to grimly survey the scene in front of him and briefly speak with me before gesturing to the paramedic and EMT to examine Tanya. Then he spoke with Tanya while she was sitting in the ambulance. Finally, he came over to speak with me.

  “Has she confessed?” I asked anxiously.

  Burton smiled at me. “She was reluctant to, at first. But she changed her mind when I turned on the voice recorder you handed me.”

  I smiled back at him.

  “Could you fill me in a little more as to what exactly happened?” he asked.

  I took a deep breath. “Tanya followed me tonight, although I was too tired and lost in my thoughts to really realize it. She was in the library parking lot when I left—I thought she was a patron who was taking forever to leave when I was trying to close up.”

  “And she followed you home?”

  “That’s right. I didn’t even realize she was behind me until she said something. She’d apparently picked up on the fact that I knew something that might point to her.”

  Burton asked, “So she was threatening right away?”

  “No, but she was off. That’s why I turned on the voice recorder. She made up an excuse about exercising as to why she was there. But she forced me inside the house with that hammer,” I said.

  Burton’s face was grim. “Yeah, that hammer was one of Blake’s missing pieces of equipment. It’s even got his initials on the base.”

  I stared at him. “Tanya intended for Blake to get the blame? But that doesn’t make sense. She and Howard thought of Blake as their own son.”

  Burton said in a tired voice, “I guess that must have been true for a while, but when push came to shove, Tanya wanted to save herself. Her main instinct was for self-preservation. She sent the email implicating him, too. Apparently, she was very concerned about her mother finding out Tanya had murdered Carmen and Howard.”

  I nodded. “She’d mentioned before that she wants to protect her mother from anything that might upset her. Apparently, she thought I knew something and she was determined to silence me for good.”

  Burton quirked an eyebrow. “Clearly, you did know something.”

  “Yes, but I didn’t really know what it was I knew and I didn’t have much time to think about it, either. The library has been completely crazy. But when I was at Tanya’s house earlier, waiting for her to gather books together, I was looking at a bunch of their photos,” I said.

  Burton frowned. “What, you were leafing through her photo albums?”

  “No, these were on the wall. Tanya and Howard have apparently always loved entertaining, especially when their guests are important people of some kind. They have signed photos from movie stars and politicians. And athletes. They’d host them at a dinner and they’d sign the photos.”

  Burton’s frown deepened and he looked even more confused.

  “One of those photos was of a free solo climber. You know—those guys that scale some of the toughest mountains in the world without any ropes or harnesses or anything.”

  Burton said slowly, “So . . . crazy people.”

  “Maybe. Anyway, it reminded me of something I couldn’t immediately put my finger on. But later, when Tanya was confronting me, I remembered what it was. After finding Carmen at the bottom of the stairs, there was a particular book from the book sale that sort of stood out—it was an autographed copy of one of the free solo guy’s books,” I said. “It was lying on the basement steps.”

  Burton rubbed his forehead as if it was hurting. “Okay, so that clearly points to Tanya being involved in the book sale.”

  “Exactly. Who else would have a signed copy of that particular book in a town like Whitby?”

  Burton said, “But we know she was always there for library business. That she’s even on the library board.”

  “Yes, but that book wasn’t with the other books for the library sale,” I said. “Plus, Luna mentioned she’d like to buy the book. That it hadn’t been there before.”

  “You’re saying it was dropped
by the killer,” said Burton, nodding slowly.

  “Or maybe just put down when she was checking to see if Carmen was all right. Then she completely forgot about it when she realized Carmen was dead. What’s more, we all thought Tanya hadn’t even shown up for helping Carmen, which is why I got drafted by Wilson. And that was really out of the ordinary. When Tanya said she was going to show up at the library, she showed up. Sure enough, she’d been there that morning. But she left as soon as she realized what she’d done.”

  Burton sighed. “And it was all about an affair.”

  “An affair, for sure. But maybe also about her station in this town and how everyone viewed her as an important figure. As something of a leader, herself. Tanya was involved in everything, after all. She was very influential since she knew everyone and was married to the mayor. She came from an old family and old money and she cared a lot about protecting her mother. The last thing she wanted was any kind of a scandal,” I said.

  Burton said, “Why not just tell them both to knock it off? Why go to the bother of killing them?”

  I said, “I’m guessing Carmen’s death was a result of Tanya just lashing out at her. Tanya must have been furious. She’s always wanted to be in control and Carmen was the same way. They butted heads all the time. Maybe Carmen said something snide to Tanya—Carmen could sometimes be that way. Tanya doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would put up with that. It could have been planned, but I’m thinking most likely it was just an argument that got out of hand.”

  Burton nodded. “Tanya said her husband guessed she’d been responsible. Apparently, he’d been suspicious since Carmen’s death—mostly because of the circumstances. It happened at the library and Tanya was at the library. Or, at least, he knew that’s where she’d planned on being. But when Tanya returned home, she told him she hadn’t been at the library.”

  “That would have been really unusual behavior for Tanya. She was one of those people who always showed up for everything she was supposed to do. And was there early, too. That must have been a real red flag for Howard. Then he’d have found out about Carmen’s death and put two and two together,” I said.

  “Exactly. Tanya said that’s exactly what he did do. He wasn’t one to avoid confrontation, either, so he asked her about it directly. When she didn’t answer him immediately, Howard knew. He told her she needed to go directly to the police and tell them what had happened. That she should only get manslaughter. Howard told her she wouldn’t be able to live with herself otherwise and he wouldn’t be able to live with her, either.”

  I winced. “Which was precisely what Tanya didn’t want. The last thing she wanted was for her mother to find out what Tanya had done. She wanted absolutely no shame for the family. To her, the only way to stop her mother from finding out was by silencing Howard for good.”

  Burton said, “Right. But she should have known she’d have to keep killing to cover up what she’d done. That she’d keep being wary and suspicious that people knew what she’d done—like you.”

  I shivered and Burton continued briskly, “Let’s change the subject. By the way,” said Burton, coloring a little, “I finally talked with Luna about the study buddies event, like you said.”

  “How did that go?” I asked. Luna hadn’t even mentioned it to me, which meant she saw it strictly in the realm of Library Business and not something personal.

  Burton gave me a grin. It broke my heart a little to see him look so pleased. “It was good! She thought collaborating with the police department was a solid idea so we went right to Wilson with it. And he immediately signed off on it. Looks like it’ll be on the calendar in the next few months.”

  “Great! I’ll be sure to mention it to teens and moms at the circulation desk. Maybe we can get Fitz to advertise it on social media, too. He’s good for attendance,” I said.

  “Maybe he can make a special appearance at the event?” asked Burton.

  “I’m sure he’d love it. He’s always lounging in the Young Adult nook and the kids seem to love him.”

  “That sounds perfect,” said Burton, a happy lilt in his voice. “Now you need to turn in. It must have been a very long day for you today.”

  “It was long even before this happened,” I admitted in a rueful voice.

  Burton shook his head and laughed. “And to think heavy literature came to your rescue.”

  I smiled back at him. “Now I’m eternally grateful to Ulysses. The only reason the book was there was because I hadn’t finished reading it. I suppose that means I’m going to have to finish it now. Suddenly, I feel a lot more motivated to.”

  “Ann? Ann? Are you okay? What’s going on?”

  I turned and saw Grayson hurrying up from the street.

  Burton chuckled and said, “Looks like you’re not going to get cracking on Ulysses tonight after all.”

  “Oh, Grayson and I are just friends. Barely even that,” I stammered.

  “Really? Doesn’t look that way to me,” said Burton as he winked at me and walked away, whistling as Grayson strode toward me.

  About the Author:

  Elizabeth writes the Southern Quilting mysteries and Memphis Barbeque mysteries for Penguin Random House and the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink and independently. She blogs at ElizabethSpannCraig.com/blog, named by Writer’s Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers. Elizabeth makes her home in Matthews, North Carolina, with her husband. She’s the mother of two.

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  I love hearing from my readers. You can find me on Facebook as Elizabeth Spann Craig Author, on Twitter as elizabethscraig, on my website at elizabethspanncraig.com, and by email at elizabethspanncraig@gmail.com.

  Thanks so much for reading my book...I appreciate it. If you enjoyed the story, would you please leave a short review on the site where you purchased it? Just a few words would be great. Not only do I feel encouraged reading them, but they also help other readers discover my books. Thank you!

  Did you know my books are available in print and ebook formats? Most of the Myrtle Clover series is available in audio and some of the Southern Quilting mysteries are. Find the audiobooks here.

  Interested in having a character named after you? In a preview of my books before they're released? Or even just your name listed in the acknowledgments of a future book? Visit my Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/elizabethspanncraig .

  I have Myrtle Clover tote bags, charms, magnets, and other goodies at my Café Press shop: https://www.cafepress.com/cozymystery

  If you'd like an autographed book for yourself or a friend, please visit my Etsy page.

  I’d also like to thank some folks who helped me put this book together. Thanks to my cover designer, Karri Klawiter, for her awesome covers. Thanks to my editors, Zoe Nightingale and Judy Beatty for their help. Thanks to beta readers Amanda Arrieta and Dan Harris for all of their helpful suggestions and careful reading. Thanks to my ARC readers for helping to spread the word. Thanks, as always, to my family and readers.

  Other Works by Elizabeth:

  Myrtle Clover Series in Order (be sure to look for the Myrtle series in audio, ebook, and print):

  Pretty is as Pretty Dies

  Progressive Dinner Deadly

  A Dyeing Shame

  A Body in the Backyard

  Death at a Drop-In

  A Body at Book Club

  Death Pays a Visit

  A Body at Bunco

  Murder on Opening Night

  Cruising for Murder

  Cooking is Murder

  A Body in the Trunk

  Cleaning is Murder

  Edit to Death

  Hushed Up

  A Body in the Attic (2020)

  Southern Quilting Mysteries in Order:

  Quilt or Innocence

  Knot What it Seams

  Quilt Trip

  Shear Trouble
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  Tying the Knot

  Patch of Trouble

  Fall to Pieces

  Rest in Pieces

  On Pins and Needles

  Fit to be Tied

  Embroidering the Truth (2020)

  The Village Library Mysteries in Order (Debuting 2019):

  Checked Out

  Overdue

  Borrowed Time (2020)

  Memphis Barbeque Mysteries in Order (Written as Riley Adams):

  Delicious and Suspicious

  Finger Lickin’ Dead

  Hickory Smoked Homicide

  Rubbed Out

  And a standalone “cozy zombie” novel: Race to Refuge, written as Liz Craig