by Essie Lang
“Don’t rush. Anytime you’re able to come by is all right. I was wondering if I could ask you a question, though.”
Mae-Beth stopped thumbing through the book and gave Shelby her full attention. “Of course, my dear. What is it?”
“Are you aware of anything going missing in the castle over the last several months?”
“Missing—you mean, as in stolen? Is this what Chrissie has been tiptoeing around?”
Shelby nodded. That’s exactly what she meant.
“Well, not that it’s being referred to as stolen, but what else could it be? The old spyglass in the east bedroom has mysteriously disappeared. Now, if I believed in Joe Cabana’s ghost, I might have attributed it to him, a prank or something. But since I’m not a believer, I’d have to say someone did in fact walk off with it. I did mention it to Chrissie, by the way.”
“I don’t remember it. Was it very valuable? Would it be hard to conceal during the day?”
“That depends on what the person was wearing. I’ve seen some videos of shoplifters in stores wearing roomy coats, and it’s amazing what gets stuffed in inside pockets. As to the value of it, I have no idea.” She paused before adding, “That’s not my area of expertise, but it looked very old.”
“So, what do you think happened to it? Or have you heard any speculation about it?” Mae-Beth was turning out to be a wealth of information.
“I don’t know, and I haven’t heard anything, nor has Chrissie gotten back to me about it, but you’d think it would have come up at the board meeting or something. Does Edie know about what’s been happening, and more importantly, does the board know about it?”
Edie had been a member of the Heritage Society board for the past five years but was unable to attend all the meetings while resting her knee. And although Shelby had gone as her stand-in to one of the meetings, she hadn’t heard any mention of anything going missing. Unfortunately, neither of them had attended the most recent meeting.
“I’ll ask her. She has her ways of knowing even when she’s out of commission. Thanks.”
“How is she doing, anyway? I was really sorry to hear about what happened. That must have been very painful, falling on her new knee. I know how much she hates having to stay at home and recuperate. I do plan to stop by with a casserole later this week, if she’s up to company?”
“She’d love that, I’m sure. You know Edie.”
Mae-Beth nodded and smiled. Her expression changed, though, as she asked her next question. “That was certainly dreadful about that young author, wasn’t it? Do you know if the police are any closer to figuring out what happened?”
“I haven’t heard, unfortunately.” Should she mention there might be a tie-in to the thefts? Better not, in case the police were trying to keep any connection quiet.
“I thought it was a bad idea letting her stay here, in fact,” Mae-Beth continued. “I disagree with the idea of offering the suite on a seasonal basis.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because this is the kind of thing that happens. Oh, I don’t mean murder, nor am I suggesting that the poor girl was responsible or anything like that. But once you let the public in after hours, bad things are bound to happen. It’s such a large and special place. You’d think they’d be doing background checks on anyone they allowed to stay here. Of course, I’m sure everything was aboveboard with your author, but what about if they open to the public? I’m even against renting the castle out for special occasions, and I have heard rumors about that, too. Do I sound very judgmental?”
“It’s hard to say what the repercussions could be, but I’m sure the board will have to look very closely at all possibilities. From what I’ve seen, they take their roles very seriously.” In fact, she thought, recalling the one meeting she had attended, it seemed almost like a calling for some of them.
Mae-Beth’s smile looked a bit shaky. “Good. I don’t want to sound too negative if it really is a good promotional move for the castle.”
They had begun walking together into the main hall, and Mae-Beth sighed, running her gaze along the wooden paneling. “It is such a precious place.”
Shelby patted her arm. “It is, but I don’t think you need to be worrying about it.” She heard the tourist boat sound its horn as it approached the dock. “There’s the warning. Here they come. I hope it’s a good day for us all.”
“Especially for you, dear. Thanks again for the book.”
Shelby nodded, then crossed the hall to the bookstore. She paused a moment, her eyes closed, at the edge of the indoor fountain, listening to the waterfall for several seconds. Feeling refreshed, she took a final look around the hall. It looked like it might be a busy day, for the castle at least.
The phone rang as Shelby propped the store door open with the large stone painted like a cat. It surveyed anyone entering the space and had turned out to be a big hit with schoolkids in particular. Shelby allowed herself a pat on the back for spotting it at a craft sale earlier in the spring. She had given it the perfect home.
Edie was on the phone wanting to know if Shelby had heard anything further from Cody. “I just wondered if he’d given it some more thought and might have gotten back to you with the names of those boys. He seems to have a good rapport with you, after all.”
“I was actually out last night, but he didn’t leave a message if he did call.”
“Out? As in a date?”
Shelby felt her face heat up, even though there was no one to see her blush. “I had an unexpected dinner invitation from Zack, and it was a late night.” An understatement, but she hoped Edie wouldn’t pursue it.
Edie chuckled instead. “Glad to hear it. Okay, I guess we’ll have to wait until he’s home to find out what’s on his mind. Even if he doesn’t tell us, I hope he’ll let Tekla know. While I do believe he’s not involved in what happened at the castle, I know he feels some of that macho ‘no snitching’ stuff, but in this case, given that there was a murder, I’d bet he’ll do the right thing. He’s a good kid.”
Shelby heard some paper rustling and wondered if Edie was reading the newspaper. Her aunt was notorious for multitasking.
“Other than all that,” Edie continued, “anything planned for today? Maybe another romantic dinner tonight?”
Shelby stifled a grin. “Not that I’m aware of. How are you feeling?”
“I’m raring to get back to work, that’s how I’m feeling.”
Shelby felt a tinge of panic. “I just hope you don’t rush it. You want to be in top form for winter, and we need you to be.”
Shelby heard a muffled sound, and she hoped it meant acquiescence. “Do you want some company tonight? Are you getting bored?”
“Not tonight, thanks, dear. Trudy is coming for supper. I’ll let you get back to work now.”
Edie hung up without the usual sign-off. Shelby had quickly gotten used to her aunt’s quirky mannerisms. She had worried about it at first, wondering if it had anything to do with early dementia or something similar, but she was now convinced it was just Edie. She was thankful she’d not pursued that line of thinking. She smiled as she pictured Edie settling back with the newspaper and a cup of coffee at the kitchen table.
The phone rang again before Shelby could get away from the counter. Surely her whole morning wouldn’t be spent on the phone.
“Hello, Shelby. It’s Felicity Foxworth. I hope you’re not swamped with customers. I mean, I hope you will be, but not at this exact moment. I wanted to have a little chat. Is now okay?”
Shelby guessed that Felicity wasn’t swamped either at her art shop, the Gallery on the Bay, located next to the bookstore in town. “Now is fine, Felicity.”
Besides, her curiosity was piqued. Felicity seldom called; in fact, she hadn’t called in months, not since the grisly events of the previous spring.
“Well, you know I’ve been thinking about this new murder, and I assume you’re involved, that poor girl having been signing at your bookstores and all, so I thought you
’d want to know.”
“Know what?”
“Well, I saw them arguing late Saturday afternoon.”
“Who?”
“The author and that young man who hung around with her. You know, he was helping out opening the books at the signing.”
“Her fiancé?”
“Oh, I didn’t realize they were in a relationship. Nobody said. The poor, poor man.”
“When did you see them?”
“Well, the first time was when I got my book signed, but of course that wasn’t when they were arguing. The next day, later in the afternoon, they were walking towards the dock, and I assumed she was taking the boat over to the castle because I’d heard she was sleeping there overnight. Wasn’t that a creepy thing to do? And, as we now see, dangerous, too.”
“Could you hear what they were saying?” Shelby asked.
“No, I heard raised voices, but I didn’t want to appear too interested. I was walking over to Riley’s, and they were a bit ahead of me on the sidewalk. She did grab his sleeve, though, and he shook off her hand and stomped away from the dock.” Felicity took a deep breath. She sounded breathless, like she’d had to run for the phone, although she was the one who had placed the call.
“Are you sure it was them?”
“Absolutely. I quickly went to the other side of the street, though, so she wouldn’t think I’d overheard. She didn’t even glance around. She just stood there a few seconds watching him, while I looked in a store window, not wanting to intrude. And then she headed for the boat. And now she’s dead.” She paused. “Do you think he did it?”
“I have no idea, Felicity. I’m really trying to stay out of it.” Shelby wished that were true.
“Oh, I do understand, dear. Chief Stone made it really difficult for you last time, didn’t she? Well, you did a marvelous job solving that one, so if you’re pulled into this one, just remember what I told you about the argument, all right? We can’t have another murderer walking around our town.”
“Yes, I’ll remember. Thanks, Felicity.”
Relationships. That always seemed to be at the bottom of things. Was that what this was all about? Was that why Savannah had been murdered?
Chapter Eighteen
Shelby had little doubt Felicity had been right about what she’d seen. But the big question was, what had that argument been about? Savannah and Liam had looked like a happy couple at dinner that night.
Should she tell Chief Stone about the argument? Maybe not. She shook her head. No. Maybe. But if it turned out to be just a small lovers’ tiff, it would be a shame to expose the grieving fiancé to Chief Stone’s probing. That was not her decision to make, but she thought she’d wait until the evening before making up her mind about whether or not to give Stone a call. And, if she happened to run into Liam before then … well, it couldn’t hurt to ask him some questions.
Taylor arrived just before the first customers of the day. “Sorry I didn’t let you know first, but it was either escape today or end up with a criminal record.”
Shelby shook her head and tried to hide the smile forming. “That bad, huh?”
“After being cooped up during the rainstorms, I needed some distance.” She sat down after depositing her jacket in the back room and let out a small sigh as she settled. “Being pregnant was easier in the summer when sundress and sandals were all I needed. Now, with rain gear added, it’s getting tedious. I just hope we have a mild start to the winter, or I’ll go bonkers.”
“How are you feeling, aside from exasperated?”
“Fat.”
“I think you’re brave to take on the boat ride over here and the walk up the path to the castle.” Even though there had been early-morning showers, they were lucky there was hardly any wind.
Shelby paused before having another sip of the coffee she’d just poured. Taylor did look frustrated and tired. She wondered what she could do to help.
“Well, I want to be doing something useful, to keep my mind active and off the downside of all this. Can I stay, please?” Taylor’s large, dark eyes appeared even more so now that they were filled with emotion, and Shelby thought Taylor’s husband Chuck must be a goner at times like this. How do you say no?
“Of course, but you have to tell me the minute you’re getting too tired or, you know …”
Taylor smiled, patting down a single stray blonde hair. Shelby marveled at how her pixie cut hadn’t appeared to be ruffled by the boat ride. Maybe that was the style she should get.
“Will do,” Taylor replied. “So what can I do?”
“Take charge of the purchases when customers decide to appear. And, oh yeah, please try to think of something for Edie to do. You’re both in similar spots, you know. She needs to have her mind occupied also, so that she doesn’t head back into the store too soon.”
“Just like before. You’d think she’d be used to that convalescing routine by now and that she’d realize if she goes back too soon, it could set her back. But I get how frustrating it can be. Did you have anything in mind?”
Shelby crossed her arms and leaned on the counter. “We’ve got truffles from Chocomania in this location, and they’re a draw on their own. I wonder if there’s something we can do at the main store over winter. There can never be too many reasons to tempt customers to come in.”
“Hmm. You can’t do truffles because Chocomania is just down the street. And with Driftwood and Seawinds close by, you can’t really do small gifts.” She shrugged. “I like the idea of bringing in something new, but what could you mix and match with books? Maybe that’s the question you should ask Edie to spend her time thinking about.”
“You could be right, but I’ll bet she’s done this before, so I’d like to have at least one suggestion to get the conversation started.”
The bell over the door tinkled as the first customers, an elderly couple, wandered in. Obviously tourists, even though there wasn’t a charter bus group expected that day.
“Huh. Leave it to me and I’ll try to think of something. Oh goody, let the fun begin,” Taylor said in a quieter voice.
“Welcome to Bayside Books,” Shelby said to their new customers. “Is there something I can help you find, or do you prefer to browse?”
The woman tucked a strand of curly hair behind her left ear and answered, “Thank you, but we’re not quite sure what we’re looking for. Can you point out the local section? I usually like to buy a book, preferably something coffee-table size with lots of pictures, from the really unusual places we visit. And I’d say this castle qualifies. You do have a local section, don’t you?”
Shelby smiled. “Of course. It’s right over here.”
She left the couple and winked at Taylor, who settled back in her chair and tried not to be too obvious about watching them.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Shelby said as she walked back behind the counter to grab the coffee mug she’d just put down.
“I was thinking what a sweet-looking couple they are and wondering if strangers will say that about Chuck and me when we’re that age.”
Shelby chuckled. “I can’t picture you two at that age. Don’t rush it. Although you may have gray hair sooner than later, depending on your offspring,” she added in a hushed voice.
“Are you speaking about the well-behaved, angelic Chuck Junior?” Taylor grinned, then pulled a bag out from under the desk, anticipating a sale.
Shelby gave her a thumbs-up and walked to the back to refresh her coffee. Chuck Junior. Zack Junior. Now where had that thought come from? She gave her head a shake.
Voices reached her ears, a different male and female discussing the title of a book. She glanced at Taylor as she reentered the room, noting the phone receiver held to her ear.
“May I be of help?” she asked the younger couple.
The woman, who looked to be in her late teens or early twenties, grinned. “You bet. I hope you still have some signed copies of Savannah Page’s latest book. I understand she did a book signing he
re before, uh, before, you know …”
Shelby felt that shiver again but smiled at them. “I’m pretty sure we have at least one copy left. Let me check for you.”
She found the one remaining copy of Lies and Deaths: The A. R. Smith Story she’d brought over from the main store and handed it to the woman.
“That was nice,” Shelby said after she’d left. “I guess I’ll need to order even more copies of Savannah’s book. Would you mind checking the system to see if Trudy already did so?”
Taylor tapped the keys and read the screen. “Yes, she ordered four copies a couple of days ago.”
Shelby nodded. “Thanks for checking. I wonder if the sales will continue even without a signature. And just how long the notoriety will last.”
“At least until the killer is found. And maybe it will start up all over again once the trial starts.”
“You’re awfully confident they’ll catch him. Or her.”
“Of course I am. Chuck would disown me if he heard I said anything different.” She folded her arms across her belly as she leaned back in the chair. “It just takes time.”
“But that’s just it. On all the cop shows, it has to be done quickly or the trail runs cold. Or the suspects leave town. I wonder when her fiancé and agent are leaving.”
“You think they’re suspects?”
“Well, yeah. They were both close to her,” Shelby pointed out. “And also, I’d hate to think the murderer was someone from around here.”
“But neither of them is in jail, so they must have good alibis.”
“Hmm. Or maybe they don’t have strong motives. That we know of.”
“What are you thinking?” Taylor sat upright, immediately attentive. “I thought you were giving this a pass.”
“Well, I can’t help but wonder what the lovebirds were arguing about on the wharf just before Savannah came over to the castle.”
“You didn’t mention that before.”
“Oh, well, I only just heard about it, from Felicity of all people. She called just before you arrived this morning.”
