Death on the Page

by Essie Lang

  Zack had his arm resting across her shoulders as they walked back to her place, and she started wondering about what to expect when they got there.

  “Did you enjoy it?” he asked.

  “I loved it. All of it. I had such a good time.”

  “Good. So did I.” He gave her left shoulder a squeeze.

  Shelby chuckled to herself.

  “What?” Zack had felt it.

  “I was just thinking about what Taylor said. She warned me not to talk about murder tonight. As if.”

  “Definitely not a topic for tonight.” He stopped under a streetlight and turned to face her. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

  “Of course,” she answered, a little too quickly.

  “Why do I get the feeling, then, that I’m not right?”

  “Uh, I shouldn’t have brought it up. I don’t know why I did. It just floated into my mind. Next time I’ll think before I speak.”

  He sighed. “Okay, better tell me what’s on your mind.” He started walking again, this time holding her hand.

  “Are you sure?”

  He nodded.

  “Okay, well Matthew was certain someone had broken into his place, and I started wondering if it was an author who had asked me to set up a meeting with him. She wanted to ask him some questions about writing, but he said no. Then she told me she wanted to write a book about the murder of his wife. And I told her he wouldn’t go for that either. The timing of the break-in seemed like quite the coincidence. So anyway, I spotted this author in the castle earlier today, and I followed her upstairs to where she snuck into Joe Cabana’s bedroom, which is off-limits, by the way. When I confronted her about it, she said she had shifted the focus of her book to Cabana’s death and was looking for information.” She glanced at him before going on.

  “Then, when I asked her to leave, she said you two used to date and she was seeing you tomorrow night.” She hurried on before he could think she was merely jealous. “So, I thought maybe you could try and find out, in some way, if she was the one who broke into Matthew’s.”

  Zack stopped walking. “You what? No, don’t bother going through it all again. I gather you’re talking about Rachel Michaels. We did have a date or two back in my high school days, when we were here for the summer. And she did call and tell me she wants to meet me for a drink tomorrow, but I said I’d have to get back to her.”

  “Oh. You hadn’t mentioned knowing her when I first brought up her name.”

  “No, because it was so long ago and so insignificant, I’d actually forgotten. But I will tell you what I won’t do, and that’s interrogate her about a supposed break-in you think she might have committed. Do you have any idea how farfetched that all sounds?”

  “Really? It adds up to me. But I can understand if you don’t want to ruin a romantic reunion with something like that.”

  The minute it was out, she wished she could retract it. She started walking faster, wanting to leave the conversation behind.

  Zack caught up to her, but they continued in silence until they reached the dock.

  He paused and turned to face her, as if about to add something, but left instead.

  Shelby tried not to cry as she climbed back aboard the houseboat.

  * * *

  The next morning, Shelby didn’t feel too much better. She’d had a restless sleep, and she knew that was because her mind had kept working over last night’s scenario, especially the ending. She really didn’t want to be jealous. She didn’t want to feel this way about Zack. But she had to admit to both emotions. She acknowledged that she’d grown very fond of him over a few short months, something she’d thought she’d never do. And now he was annoyed with her, but even worse, he was taking out someone else. How could such a wonderful evening have turned out so wrong? She could almost hear her dad’s voice saying, “I told you so.”

  The worst part was that she’d shown him she was jealous. She shook her head all the way downstairs. Oh, Shelby, you idiot. Why couldn’t she have kept her mouth shut?

  Maybe it wasn’t so bad, she thought while dishing out food for J.T. But she knew it was. She couldn’t see a way to fix things, aside from time-traveling back about twenty-four hours. Not going to happen. Why did life have to get so complicated? Wasn’t a murder enough?

  She tried not to give it any more thought while she got ready for work. She so needed a truffle. That would help, but she wouldn’t breathe a word about what had happened to Erica.

  Shelby checked her watch as she left home. She had twenty-five minutes until the shuttle. Plenty of time.

  Chocomania seemed surprisingly quiet for a weekend, Shelby thought as she walked in. Only two tables were in use, and Erica looked calm. At least some things were status quo, even if Shelby’s life was on a tilt.

  “Good morning. In need of a fix?” Erica asked as Shelby approached the counter.

  “Two of your spiciest truffles and a latte, please, and thank you.” Two sounded about right. For starters. And the more heat the better.

  “Uh-oh. Either you had a very, very late night and require energy, which is what I’m hoping. Or …”

  “It’s the or, and that led to a restless sleep. So, both. A late night and an or,” Shelby admitted, then wished she could take these words back also. She didn’t want to get into it.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. Do you want to talk?” Erica busied herself at the espresso maker as she spoke, giving Shelby some space, or so it seemed.

  Shelby gave it some thought. She’d never really had a close girlfriend before, one to share all the really personal stuff with. Oh, sure, there had been friends, especially at work, but they never heard about her deepest feelings and fears. But this seemed right.

  “Zack and I went to the Wine Festival last night, as you know, which was a lot of fun, but later … I think we had our first real argument.”

  “You mean aside from all the times he’s told you to back off investigating, but you’ve continued, so he’s come down hard on you?”

  Shelby nodded as she gratefully accepted the latte Erica passed over.

  Erica’s eyebrows rose, inviting more information, but her smile was sympathetic.

  “I’d had a bit of a run-in earlier in the day with Rachel Michaels, the out-of-town author who wanted me to introduce her to Matthew. That meeting didn’t happen, so I think she had it in for me. Anyway, when I saw her again, she told me that she used to spend a lot of summers here as a kid, and that she and Zack had dated at one point, and that she was going out with him on Sunday. I asked him to question her for me, which he refused to do, so I confronted him, sort of, although I hadn’t meant it to sound like that, and he said it was true.”

  “Oh, wow. I can’t believe that of Zack. He was never one of those guys who played the field.”

  “Well, maybe he didn’t say they were definitely going out. His version was that he’d told her he’d get back to her if he could get away for a drink.”

  “Okay. That’s sort of different. It’s not what I’d call a real date. She was just trying to wind you up. So, when did they last date?” Erica waved at a couple as they were leaving.

  “One summer when he was in high school and she was visiting here.”

  “Really? I can’t remember her. Of course, I haven’t seen her yet. Maybe I should get a look and see if it jogs any memories or anything.”

  Shelby shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know if I want to know anything else about her, especially her past, except if it’s tied into the murder.”

  “Huh. I’ll bet he also put two and two together and told you not to do any more sleuthing.”

  “He started with that.”

  “Well, you two have been down that path before, although not with the added ingredient of a Rachel. And he could be right. Don’t do anything that puts you in danger again. Promise?”

  Shelby stifled the unease she suddenly felt.

  “Not intentionally, that’s for sure.”

  Chapter Thirty

>   In the end, Shelby had no idea if Zack was going to follow through or not on plans to see Rachel. Although she did have the feeling that he wouldn’t meddle, just as he’d said, so she guessed it was up to her. The questions was, where and when to find Rachel? But did she want to talk to the woman and give her even more of an opportunity to rub Shelby’s face in the so-called date?

  Shelby did know that she didn’t want to try finding her that evening in case she actually ran into her and Zack out together. In fact, Shelby’s plan was to lay low as soon as she got home. A nice quiet evening with J.T. on her Bose, and his namesake purring on her lap. Sounded good.

  She had been right to dread that the slow start that morning would mean the whole day would be the same way. She was relieved when the phone rang and it was Trudy.

  “How is it over there?” Trudy asked right off.

  “Slow and slower. What about you?”

  “Typical Sunday afternoon. You should consider keeping the same hours on the island—noon to four PM.”

  “I do like that idea, but I’d better check into it and make sure it’s okay with the board. Now, what can I do for you?”

  “I’ve got a glitch with the book club meeting this Thursday and I’m hoping you can help. You remember Mimi? Well, she’s ended up in the hospital and probably won’t be out by the meeting. Since it was her night to present her choice of book, she’s asked if we could give her a spot another time. She’d hate to have all her reading and research go to waste.”

  “That sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?” Shelby asked when Trudy stopped for a breath. She thought of dear, charming Mimi, one of the sisters, the one who loved gossip and ghosts. She hoped it wasn’t too serious. Shelby thought Mimi was in her late eighties. At least, that’s what she had assumed at an earlier meeting of the Bayside Book Babes Plus One. The club was officially sponsored by the store and organized by Trudy. Shelby had found the four women and one man—the Plus One—to be a delightful group, enjoying gossiping as much as talking about the book. “Why is she in the hospital?”

  “Oh, you know what’s going around these days—knee problems. She’s been on the waiting list for a knee replacement for some time now, and she took a spill yesterday. Nothing else is hurt, but they’ve decided it’s time to replace the knee. Sound familiar?”

  “She and Aunt Edie should start a support group.”

  “Exactly. Anyway, I was thinking, since several of the members were at Savannah Page’s signing and bought her book, maybe we could talk about it. And of course, since you had so much to do with her, I’d hoped you would come and tell all. I know the gang would like that. They so enjoyed having you with us last time you came.”

  “I remember. Knowing them, I’m sure there’ll be some questions about her murder, too.”

  “You can count on it. Juliette and Leonard are going to Buffalo for the weekend and leaving Thursday afternoon, so I suggested we hold the meeting on Tuesday evening, which suits everyone. Would you come?”

  Shelby thought about the upcoming week and its lack of evening activities, such as dates. “I’ll be happy to. It’s at your place again?”

  “That’s a relief, and yes, it’s at my house. Thanks, Shelby. We’ll talk before then. I’ve got a customer. Got to go.”

  Shelby wished she could say the same thing. But, in the meantime, she was fascinated by the relationship between Juliette and Leonard. It was none of her business, really. She’d have to ask Trudy at some point, just because she could. She liked the idea of there being another mature romance. Maybe that’s what she had to look forward to. Just wait a few decades. It wasn’t likely to be happening these days.

  Matthew wandered in while she was starting to wrap things up for the day.

  “How’d it go today?” he asked, leaning against the counter.

  “It was really slow this morning and I thought the day would be wasted, but these last two hours have been busy. I think the weather clearing up helped. It seems people aren’t quite ready yet to give up seeing the castle.”

  Matthew chuckled. “I’d bet we’d have visitors all year round if it stayed open. In fact, at one time the board even thought about doing just that and adding some outdoor winter activities. But saner heads prevailed, especially when they couldn’t figure out how to get people over here if, and usually when, the river freezes. I’m just as pleased about that.”

  “How do you get on and off the island if that happens?” She’d never thought about it before. “I guess I never thought about what you do in the winter. You do stay here?”

  “Someone has to keep an eye on the place, and I really do enjoy the isolation of it all. I get a lot of work done. And getting off the island isn’t a problem once the ice gets to a certain thickness. I use a snowmobile or sometimes even walk.”

  “Wow, I can’t imagine that.”

  “I’m in good shape, you know.” He flexed an arm muscle.

  “Oh, I don’t doubt it.” Shelby chuckled. “But it must take a long time.”

  He shrugged. “Some days it does. It depends on the ice. If you don’t mind my saying, you don’t seem your usual chipper self today.”

  “I’d never thought of myself as ever being chipper. I just hope I haven’t driven any customers away before buying, if it’s that obvious.”

  Matthew looked like he was waiting for an explanation.

  “Okay, I am a bit down. Zack and I had an argument last night.”

  “About you snooping again?”

  “No, not really.” She looked at him a few moments and sighed. “Well, I guess in an oblique way. Rachel Michaels told me that they had dated a while ago, and they’re going out this weekend. I think he was miffed when I mentioned it and asked if he’d question her.”

  “Oh, boy. You actually asked him to question her? Look, I’m not going to give advice to the lovelorn, but I will say that Zack’s a stand-up guy. I highly doubt you have to worry about him. And as for trying to get him to do your investigating, you know how he feels about all that.”

  Oh boy, how did we get into this conversation?

  “It’s not like there’s any commitment or anything,” she felt she needed to explain. “He has a right to date whomever he wants, but she is a murder suspect.”

  “In your mind, maybe. And if the police are thinking the same way, well, you know what I’d say.”

  “Yes, I do, Matthew, and thank you. By the way, I did have a run-in with her yesterday, which is when she told me. I spotted her going upstairs here and followed her into Joe Cabana’s bedroom.”

  Matthew looked surprised, then suspicious. “That girl doesn’t know when to back off. What was she doing in there?”

  “She went through his desk, looking for some sort of tie-in to Savannah’s murder, or so she said. I suggested she leave, and that’s when she enlightened me about her date with Zack.”

  “Sounds mean-spirited, and I’ll bet she made more of it than it really was.” He thought a moment. “Maybe I should agree to meet with her after all and try to figure out just what she knows. I might also be able to figure out if she’s the one who broke into my place.”

  “I didn’t tell you, but after you said you wouldn’t talk to her, she came back and said she’d like to investigate what happened to your wife. I told her you wouldn’t have any part of that.”

  She saw the look of anger flash across Matthew’s face and the set of his jaw as he answered. “Did she now? That’s definitely not going to happen.”

  “So, you see, if you try to talk to her and get information out of her, she’d be hammering away at you for what she’s after. Besides, even though I like her for the break-in, it would take a lot of resources on her part to do that. Like a boat, for starters. Right?”

  “That it would, but I can’t think of anyone you’ve mentioned who’s as persistent as she is. You just never know what she might accidently reveal if we met up.”

  She noted the speculative look in his eyes, even though his jaw seemed to have rela
xed.

  “Really? I don’t know. I think she knows what she wants and goes after it. She’s a good talker, after all. What if she keeps focusing on your wife?” Shelby couldn’t bring herself to say murder to his face.

  “In that case, I guess I’m going to have to up my game and be the better talker.”

  * * *

  Shelby stopped by Chocomania as soon as the boat docked and bought a small box of truffles. That would cheer her up.

  “You’re all smiles,” she said to Erica as she handed over some cash.

  “I have a dinner date.” Erica grinned as she said it.

  “With Bryce?”

  “Yes, sorry. I know you’re feeling down. Do you think it’s wise that I date him?”

  “For sure. Enjoy, just don’t get in too deep.” Sage words, Shelby.

  “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. It’s really just for fun. It’s nice to be going out for a change, rather than watching my best friend from the sidelines.”

  Shelby realized Erica was talking about her, and she wondered when she’d acquired that position. It pleased her, though.

  She smiled. “Well, enjoy.”

  She made her escape when Erica was besieged by a group of teens. She waved goodbye as she left. She had been hoping Erica wouldn’t ask how she was feeling that night. Not much had changed since the morning.

  Going home wouldn’t help her mood, but she wasn’t sure what would. Maybe some talk about babies would be distracting. She glanced at her watch. Hopefully they wouldn’t be eating. She tried giving a quick call to confirm it was okay, but the line was busy. She’d stop in anyway.

  She hadn’t been to Taylor’s before, but had passed the house plenty of times on her walks around town. It took less than ten minutes to walk there. A warm glow from a lamp looked welcoming, even though it was just beginning to get dusky out. In fact, the entire house looked welcoming to Shelby. It was a typical two-story clapboard house from the early fifties, white with navy trim. The windows had been recently updated, most noticeably in the living room in the front of the house. It looked massive, inviting lots of light inside.