Death on the Page

by Essie Lang

  When customers entered the store, they found the fiction section lining the entire left-hand wall, neatly presented in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Only books. Mysteries were kept on two freestanding shelving units close to the main counter, and along the right wall, the shorter of the two, were a variety of seasonal nonfiction titles filed by subject. Again, only books.

  Of course, there were bookends at intervals, shaped as different wild animals and carved in dark oak. They were beautiful and looked like they might have cost a lot, but she didn’t place them in the “worth stealing” category. The occasional book-related tchotchke, placed around the room, fit on that list, also. And Shelby was pretty sure nothing was missing.

  The addition that housed the bookstore had been built in 2001, when the Heritage Society had decided Blye Castle should become a tourist attraction. They’d added several large windows, giving the space a light, airy look. Edie had decided on two white wicker chairs set between the largest windows, inviting customers to sit and browse awhile. That part didn’t always work out, as their customers usually had a lot of castle to visit in a short time. It made for an appealing working space, though.

  To do a more thorough search of the bookshelves, Shelby would need a printed inventory and several hours. None of the books were of interest to antiquarians though, so Shelby wasn’t too worried about abnormal shrinkage. She decided that Edie was indeed the one who would best know if anything other than books was missing. She poured herself another cup of coffee and dialed Edie at home. They’d had a long conversation the day before about Edie taking a few more days off, especially since the weather was bad. She really hoped Edie had stuck with the plan.

  Edie answered on the first ring, and Shelby quickly explained what had happened that morning. “So, can you think of anything valuable enough to be stolen from the bookstore?”

  Edie was silent for a few seconds. “Not offhand, and I’d be totally surprised if I had something there that anyone would want, other than books. I’ll keep thinking about it, though, and get back to you if something comes to mind. Now, I was just about to take a quick nap, so maybe my subconscious can figure something out. We’ll talk later.”

  Around noon, Matthew wandered in. “Thought I’d get in out of the rain, but don’t worry, I’ll be careful around your books.”

  Shelby smiled. He obviously remembered her rant a couple of months ago after some rowdy toddlers hadn’t been so careful with their rain gear. “I have complete faith in you, Matthew.”

  “Now that’s something I don’t hear most days.” He winked. “Thank you, Shelby.”

  “Would you like some coffee?”

  “I was hoping you’d ask. And I want to ask you if you’d noticed anything missing recently.”

  “Same question Chief Stone asked earlier, and Chrissie. I haven’t noticed anything missing or even out of place. I also phoned Aunt Edie to see if she knew of anything valuable that could be stolen, and she couldn’t come up with a thing. So, what’s this all about?” she asked as she headed into the back room to pour them both a cup of coffee. She was dying to find out more details.

  He’d tucked his raincoat and boots in a corner by the time she got back. He took the coffee and had a sip before answering. “I’m trying to figure that out myself. All I know is what I’ve been told, which is that some items have gone missing from the castle. They haven’t told me what, except for the plan for the castle, but it sounds like most of the items are small and fairly portable, so maybe someone just got creative and lifted them during open hours. Big purses and deep pockets, you know. Knowing the chief, though, this will all be laid on my doorstep. As caretaker of the property, I should have been keeping a closer eye on things, or so she’ll say.”

  “But you’re not paid to do security for the castle, are you? What about the security company? That should be their responsibility.”

  “I’m not paid to do security, but they do like me to keep an eye peeled, which I do. And, as you know, there are only two paid security staff here each day. They tend to do more moving of furniture when that’s needed than actual security. And no one is here inside the castle overnight. There are only the motion sensors that are hooked up to an alarm, more to scare someone off, because by the time anyone could get over from the Bay to back me up, the culprits would be long gone. Of course, the night of the murder, the sensors were turned off, so that’s of no help. And I certainly haven’t heard any alarms at any other time, so it’s unlikely someone broke in at night just to steal a few small items.” He took a sip and looked up. “None of the locks on the main doors or windows has been jimmied either. I think the murderer knew how to get in but didn’t take the time to think it through. The padlock on the door to the tunnels was cut off but not replaced with a new one, just put back on, so it wasn’t hard to find the point of entry.”

  “So, the tunnels do lead outdoors,” Shelby said. “I’d been wondering. It sounds like that’s how Savannah’s killer got in. Do you think the killer and the thief are the same person? Maybe it really was a theft gone wrong. The thief, or thieves, came back to steal some larger items and didn’t know that Savannah would be there. She surprised them and they killed her, then got out.”

  “Slow down. That’s if she did surprise them at the stairs. You know, it sounds like you’re getting too wrapped up in this. Let’s get back to my initial question, because I have no idea whatsoever about the rest of it.”

  He sipped some more coffee as Shelby thought about what he’d said. Then she nodded. “Fine. But nothing is missing from the bookstore; at least, if it is, it’s not noticeable. That does make it sound like the theft of the plans was well planned, so to speak. How would he get them out? I’d love to know what else was taken, because I’m sure that’s a clue as to how it was done. I guess the cops are checking pawnshops and antique dealers in town.”

  Matthew nodded. “Pretty sure. And also in nearby towns.”

  “Well, it would have been obvious if someone had broken in here, and look for yourself—the door lock is just fine.”

  “I saw that. I’m sure the chief took note of it also.”

  “And I also checked the windows. So, do you think the plan of the castle was stolen beforehand and that’s how they knew to break in through the tunnels?”

  “You have too many questions, Shelby. Good ones, but this is not what you should be concerned about.”

  “Okay, but I do have one more question. Have you heard any more details about Savannah’s death?”

  He shrugged. “What makes you think I know anything after all I’ve said about my relationship with the police?”

  Shelby remembered, all right. She’d heard all about how Matthew had at one time been suspected of murdering his wife, but it had never been proven. When he’d moved to the Bay, Chief Stone had been on his case, suspicious of his every move. And she still seemed to be.

  “Well, maybe a security guard let something else slip.” She raised her eyebrows.

  He shook his head.

  “Okay, make that two questions. Do you know Frank White, the butler on that night?”

  “Nope. They told me his name, in case we ran into each other, I guess. But that’s it. We weren’t formally introduced. I hate to ask, but why do you want to know?”

  “Well, he was here when it happened, right? Didn’t he hear Savannah screaming when she fell? She must have screamed, unless she was already dead before being shoved down the stairs.”

  Matthew put his hands over his face for a few seconds. “You’re giving this far too much thought. I hope this doesn’t mean you’re thinking about getting involved again. Remember what happened last time? You almost ended up a statistic. And think of poor Edie. She’ll get positively apoplectic if she thinks you’re getting in harm’s way again.”

  That sent a shiver down Shelby’s spine. “I’m not seriously thinking about investigating. I’m the first to admit I don’t have a reason to get involved except for the fact that I knew Savannah. And it
happened here in the castle. But, having said that, I am very curious. Did you know anything about Savannah? I mean, you having also been a true-crime writer?”

  Matthew shook his head. “That was a long time ago, well before she started writing. I haven’t had anything to do with publishing since then. That’s not someplace I want to go, Shelby.”

  She felt bad that she’d brought it up. She knew the story about his past and also how he didn’t like to talk about it. She felt embarrassed for her lack of empathy.

  He cleared his throat. “Well, just remember what I said. Now, I should be going. I’m keeping an eye out for leaks. Thanks for the coffee.” He slid into his jacket and tugged on his boots, then gave her a small wave before leaving.

  * * *

  As it got closer to closing time, Shelby was thoroughly depressed. There had been so few customers and no Taylor to talk things over with. She had been relieved, though, when Taylor had called to say she’d be staying home. She didn’t want her to slip and fall in the awful weather.

  Shelby had put the long afternoon to good use, dusting and rearranging some shelves. Those seemed to be endless jobs around a bookstore. Just another of many details she’d never even thought about before stepping into her role as part owner and manager. She had also made some lists of how to box things up when it was time to clear out the store.

  She leaned against the counter and glanced around the room, something she’d been doing all day. But this time it was to let the feeling of the whole bookstore sink right in. She did love being in this space, she loved being surrounded by books, and she acknowledged that it hadn’t taken her too long to feel a part of the castle. Funny how life worked out sometimes. She’d never really looked beyond living in Lenox and continuing on in her small life. This felt much bigger. This was where she belonged.

  Some late-in-the-day customers wandered in, and she set aside her dust cloth and her musing.

  An hour later as she was about to leave, the phone rang. She thought about letting it go to voice mail, but the caller ID showed it was Edie.

  “Do you mind coming here before going home?” she asked.

  Shelby agreed but didn’t have time to ask any questions. The horn signaling the imminent arrival of the boat had just sounded. She locked up and hurried to the dock, careful not to slip on the wet surfaces. She huddled in the cabin for this trip, as the rain had returned, along with a hefty wind.

  She gave a moment’s thought to driving up to Edie’s, given the weather, but admonished herself for being a wimp and instead tied her hood tighter and did her best to hurry. She didn’t take time, as she usually did, to stop and admire the outside of the two-story white clapboard house before rushing up to the front door. It had been home to the Cox family since the mid-1920s. Even Edie’s impressive garden seemed shrouded in sadness today, though.

  By the time Shelby knocked, then opened the door at Edie’s house, she was soaked and back in a foul mood.

  “It’s me, Aunt Edie,” she called out as she shrugged out of her wet things in the entry.

  “I’m in the kitchen.”

  “What a miserable day. I don’t think even the ducks are happy,” she complained as she entered the warm, aromatic room at the back of the house.

  Edie chuckled. “We’re getting into fall weather. Better get used to it, although we do get a lot of beautiful sunny days, too, along with some wonderful fall colors.”

  “Huh. It’s good to see you getting around, but not too much, I hope.”

  “I’m doing just fine. Don’t you worry about me. Now, I wanted to run something by you.”

  Shelby plopped into one of the wicker chairs by the back window. She took a deep breath and looked around the homey kitchen. Although it had been updated over the past ten years, she guessed, it still had retained the cozy feel. She could feel her foul mood passing. “Shoot.”

  “I got to thinking some more about things going missing,” Edie began, “and I still can’t think of anything valuable at the castle store, although I will come by tomorrow if I feel up to it and double-check. But then I started wondering about the main store, so I asked my neighbor to run me over so that I could take a look around. Trudy hadn’t noticed anything, and I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but I did check in the back room. Not that we keep anything valuable in there. But I noticed that one of the plans was missing from where I’d left them. Either that or it was misplaced, which would mean someone had looked through or under them. Trudy said she hadn’t touched them.”

  “You mean, one of the batch of plans you recently bought at that garage sale?”

  “Yes. I had them spread out in the back because they’d been rolled up for so long. I was going to frame a couple of them and hang them. One, I’d meant to take to the castle.”

  “Are you sure one was missing? What type of plan was it?”

  “Well, I hadn’t looked at it recently, but it was a preliminary architectural sketch of the castle. I looked through the remaining ones and also checked the room pretty thoroughly. It’s gone.”

  “How did you even get that plan? Shouldn’t it have been with the Heritage Society?”

  “You’d think, but there it was, along with a lot of other old plans of the Alex Bay area. I hadn’t decided whether to donate it or hang it on our wall. The society does have a similar one already on display, after all.”

  “Not any longer.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It was stolen at some point.”

  “Really?” Edie sat down abruptly, her skirt fanning out. “What’s going on? And why is ours missing also?”

  “It’s all very mysterious. Who knew about the plans in the back room?”

  “All of us, of course. But Cody seemed the most interested.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The next morning, Shelby went over her conversation with Edie once again, as she’d done the night before when she’d gotten home. Fortunately, she’d been able to convince Edie not to come to the island to check things out. Not just yet, anyway. Slippery walkways and all.

  The fact that Cody had asked all sorts of questions about the castle plans meant nothing more than that he had an inquisitive mind. Shelby knew this from all his research just a few months earlier on the Prohibition days and smuggling in the area.

  Shelby had pressed Edie to let Chief Stone know about the missing plan. This might have been how the thieves had found out about the secret passages, which they had then used to get into and back out of the castle. But then, why steal the second set of plans? Or had the one from the castle gone missing first? Then why take the one from the store? Were they even the same plan? None of it made any sense.

  But to think that Cody had anything to do with any part of it was ridiculous. In fact, she’d even asked Edie not to mention his name to Chief Stone but to say instead that they would check with the staff to find out when the plans had last been seen and if anyone had expressed interest in it. After all, the back room did not have a door but rather a screen in front of it. Anyone could have slid in behind the screen, if he or she had been so inclined. But that person would first of all have had to know about the existence of the plans.

  She finished her granola and quickly ground some beans for an espresso. She’d drive herself crazy if she thought about this any more right now. She’d wait until Edie had spoken to Trudy, Cody, and even Taylor. Of course, talking to Cody would have to wait until the weekend when he came home from college. Shelby had insisted she be in on that conversation.

  J.T. jumped on the counter and rubbed against her arm, becoming pushier until she finally gave him her full attention and patted his head. It seemed to be constantly itchy. She’d wondered at first if this meant a trip to the vet was in order, but Erica had convinced her it was not unusual behavior, which just drove home the fact that owning a cat wasn’t an easy process. It seemed she had so much to learn … about many things.

  Shelby listened to the purring as she drank her espresso and
decided it was all worth it.

  She made it to the main dock early for a change, giving her a chance to get caught up on castle gossip with some of the volunteers while waiting for the shuttle, not that there was anything of major importance happening these days. No one knew anything more about the most important topic, the murder. Shelby enjoyed touching base with the volunteers, though, something she didn’t get a chance to do during the day, although she could track down a lunch buddy if she wanted. She admitted that, way down deep, she still felt that old tug to keep to herself during most breaks. Unless she spent them with Matthew. She was fairly pleased and surprised that she had felt so comfortable with him so quickly. Of course, that could be because of his relationship with Edie. She wondered if it was going anywhere permanent, and then, as she usually did, stopped herself from being overly nosy.

  At least the weather was more agreeable today. The sun occasionally peeked from behind fluffy white clouds, and the forecast said it would eventually win the game and stay around for the afternoon. The shuttle ride turned out to be pleasant, with the gentle breeze blowing through her hair, and she was almost reluctant to disembark. A longer boat ride would have been fun. Today she wished she were a tourist.

  She paused at the bottom of the stone walkway that led from the dock up to the castle. The scene before her never failed to take her breath away. This castle was the smallest of the three that were the main tourist attractions in the Thousand Islands, and to Shelby, it had the most charm. Maybe that was because she’d actually been a part of its existence for the past four months. She spent more time in the castle bookstore than at home, it seemed. That made it a sort of second home, she felt.

  The expanse of green lawn flowed downward from the castle to the water’s edge. It could make you feel like a kid again, seeming to invite a roll down the hill. But watch out for the trees. They dotted the landscape at uneven intervals, and many were now starting to lose leaves as they changed into various harvest colors of orange, gold, and brown. The evergreens remained true to the surroundings, some guarding the sides of the castle, others gathered beside the Sugar Shack, the snack and ice cream booth that was now closed until next spring.