by Rose Pressey
I was looking through a few papers when the computer screen popped on. Since Annie was beside the computer, I knew that she was the one responsible.
“I can’t look at messages right now, Annie.”
Have to. The words were written on the screen.
“But I have work to do,” I said.
Don’t like Leslie, don’t like Leslie, don’t like Leslie.
The words were written over and over again on the screen.
“Annie, don’t write that. What if she sees it?”
Annie was looking at something over my shoulder. I was praying that it was Jane Austen, but I had a feeling it was Leslie. When I turned around, Leslie was glaring at me. She pointed at the screen. “That is completely unprofessional.”
Too late. Leslie had seen the message. I hoped that Annie hadn’t done that on purpose.
“Leslie, I didn’t write that.”
“Oh, yeah? Then who did? The cat? Oh, let me guess—one of the ghosts from your stupid tour did it?”
Well, she wasn’t far off with that one. “Leslie, I am sorry.”
“Save your apologies. I don’t care if you don’t like me.” She stared for a moment longer and then stomped away.
There really was no way to explain that one. I could have blamed it on a patron, but since none were around she probably wouldn’t have believed it anyway.
“I can’t believe you did that, Annie. I have to work with her and now it will be even more unpleasant than before.” And I hadn’t thought that was even possible.
I’m sorry popped up on the screen.
At least she had apologized. “Just don’t do anything like that again,” I said.
A customer walked by and I had to pretend like I had been on the phone. When the woman moved away, I said, “You have to stop talking now. I have to get back to work and I don’t want anyone to see me talking to myself.”
I’d told Annie that before, but she didn’t seem to get the message or she was just ignoring my request. Another message popped onto the screen.
“Why are you being so chatty today?” I asked.
Find who had access to the food.
“Why would I want to do that?” I asked. I had access to the food and so did all of the Book Wormers.
Poison, poison, poison. More words written on the screen.
“You think it was one of the Book Wormers who poisoned Marion?” I asked.
Yes, was all that Annie wrote this time.
I already knew who had access to the food. The better question was why would someone poison Marion and how did they get the poison? I knew that the women all had reason to be mad at Marion, but would they really go so far as to kill her? I supposed anything was possible. Annie had me thinking now though. I was curious and I had even more reason to wonder who could have killed Marion. Now that the chief had practically accused me of being involved, I couldn’t let people think that I had anything to do with Marion’s death.
I tapped my fingers against the counter. What could I do? The police surely were on top of this. They were the ones experienced in solving crime. I had read every Nancy Drew book though. Did that count?
My computer screen lit up again.
Check the novel. In the book the murder victim succumbs to poison and was also murdered during a book club meeting.
Annie’s messages were getting longer.
“You’re saying a clue is in the book?” I asked skeptically.
I doubted a novel could provide me with any clues to Marion’s demise. I guessed it couldn’t hurt to look though. A customer was headed my way.
“I can’t keep talking,” I whispered.
The customer approached just as I finished talking. “Did you say something, dear?” the little old lady asked.
I shook my head. “No, ma’am.”
She eyed me for a moment. “Don’t you also do the ghost tour?”
Uh-oh. I figured she’d tell me how she didn’t believe in ghosts and such. I heard that a lot.
She handed me the book she wanted to check out. “I’ve been wanting to go on your tour. I think I’ll get my grandson to take me.”
I clicked off the screen with Annie’s writing and checked out the book for the woman. I handed the book back to her. “That would be very nice. I’d like that.” She’d surprised me.
The woman clutched the book under her arm and walked away. “You’ll be seeing me soon.”
The library was almost empty now, so that gave me time to think about what Annie had said. The computer screen lit up again.
I’ll remind you again, maybe Marion was poisoned too. Like in the book.
Now she had me curious. Why was she so sure that it was important for me to look at it?
Look at the book, Annie insisted again.
I blew hair out of my eyes. “Okay. I’ll look at the book. What was the name again?”
I grabbed a piece of scrap paper and pencil. Hidden Secrets popped up on the screen. I had to admit I was only reluctantly taking Annie’s advice to dig deeper into the circumstances around Marion’s death. Only because she wouldn’t stop sending me the messages. Well, maybe that was the only reason… I didn’t want anyone to think I had anything to do with her death.
“You said maybe Marion was murdered too.”
That was when it popped into my head that there had been a computer search for poison. Someone had been looking up poison and that had been right before Marion had been murdered. That sent a chill down my spine. Maybe there really was something to this. It couldn’t have been a coincidence, but who would have searched for that? None of the Book Wormers had been in the library until it had been time for their meeting. Then again, I couldn’t be sure that they hadn’t been there, because I had been in my office. I needed to look and see who had signed up to use the computers that day. Within a couple key strokes, I had that day’s information. It looked as if Dana had used the computers.
Would she have poisoned Marion?
A noise sounded behind me. When I turned around, I spotted Leslie. I could have sworn she had been peeking from around the shelves at me. That was kind of strange. Apparently, she was still mad at me. I didn’t know how I would make it up to her. I suppose I couldn’t blame her for being mad either—after all, she thought I had written that message on the computer. I doubted she would believe me if I told her it was a ghost.
“Leslie?” I called out, but she didn’t answer.
Just then I glanced over and spotted Tammy. “I’m glad you don’t have many days off,” I said.
She frowned. “You want me to work a lot?”
I laughed. “No, but things have been a little tense around here.”
Tammy moved around the counter. “Let me guess. Leslie?”
I nodded. “Yes. I think she’s mad at me.”
I couldn’t explain to Tammy why Leslie was mad at me either. Maybe it was time for me to come clean. Tammy would understand, or at the very least, pretend that she understood.
Tammy looked at her watch. “It won’t be long until time to close. Can I help you out?”
I hated to ask her to work on her day off. “Maybe you could watch the front desk for a moment while I find Leslie?”
Tammy pulled up a stool and sat down. “Of course. And it’s about time you let her have it.”
“Well, I wasn’t exactly going to yell at her.”
“Why not? I figure she must have done something wrong today. That’s why she is mad at you, right?”
“Um, yeah. Sure, that’s it. I’ll be right back.” I headed toward the aisle where I’d seen Leslie.
Of course she wasn’t there now, so I headed down the nearby hallway. That darkened corridor really did creep me out. I never knew when something might jump out of the shadows.
When I reached my office Leslie emerged.
“What are you doing?” I asked. I didn’t hide the irritation in my voice.
“I was looking for a book you had earlier.”
“Which
book?” I crossed my arms in front of my waist.
She held the book up that I’d had earlier.
I stared at her for a moment. “Oh, sorry. Well, I apologize for what was on the screen. It really wasn’t me. Someone else must have written it as a joke when I wasn’t watching.” I hoped that she believed me.
“Okay, but if I find out who did it I will…” Her face turned red. “Well, let’s just say they will be sorry.” Leslie walked past me without saying another word.
Okay, that had been a little creepy. The look in her eyes when she’d said the words… What did Leslie have planned for the person she thought had left the message? Had she planned on doing that to me when she thought I’d been the one to leave the message? I had to tell Annie never to do that again.
Speaking of Annie… I had no idea where she’d disappeared to. No doubt she would pop up at the worst possible time. Instead of going into my office, I headed down the hallway back toward the front of the library. I really needed to find that book that Annie had told me about.
Tammy was helping customers when I made it back to the front desk. Since it looked as if she had everything under control, I decided to check out the book that Annie kept telling me about. I looked at my phone to make sure I had the book name correct and then headed for the mystery section. I figured it wouldn’t lead to anything, but I couldn’t stop myself from looking anyway. Annie seemed so convinced that it made me curious.
I strolled down the aisle, casually perusing the book spines. If I acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary no one would think I was weird. Not that anyone was really paying attention to me anyway.
I didn’t even know where Annie was because she had disappeared right after the computer incident. I looked around again to see if anyone was watching nearby. If people knew I was taking book recommendations from a ghost, they’d for sure think I was certifiable.
When I reached the section where the book would be, I stopped. After looking through a couple books, I found the one I was looking for. I pulled it from the shelf and then leaned against the stack so that I could leaf through the pages. Would there really be a clue in there somewhere?
As I stood there flipping through the pages, the sensation of being watched fell over me. I looked to my left and then to my right, but no one was there. I looked up toward the ceiling to see if maybe Annie was floating up there, but she wasn’t there either. I went back to the book, but the feeling lingered. I couldn’t shake it. When I glanced up from the book again, I looked straight ahead. There was a space between the books allowing me to see to the other side of the rack. Someone was watching me from between the stacks.
Darting to my left, I ran around the shelf, but no one was there. How had the person gotten away so soon? I had no idea if it was a man or woman because all I’d seen were the eyes. It looked like a solid, real person, so I didn’t think it could be another ghost. I moved to the end of the stack and looked to my right and to my left. No one was in sight. I still didn’t know how the person could have gotten away so quickly. But I was convinced it was no ghost spying on me. The person had been too solid for that.
Tammy called out, “Rip, we have trouble up here. Come right away.”
Tammy never said we had trouble, so I knew the fact that she was uttering the words meant that there probably was something serious. Had she seen the ghost? She probably wouldn’t have sounded quite as calm if that had happened. I rushed toward the front of the library.
When I reached the desk area, I came to a halt. Mrs. Agnew was the last person I wanted to see right now. The frown on her face as she stared at me let me know she wasn’t pleased with me either.
Chapter Seventeen
The board member who had hired me marched over to where I stood. I was sure I had a shocked look on my face. When I glanced to where Leslie stood she was snickering. She’d probably called Mrs. Agnew as payback for the message on the computer.
“Ms. Van Raden, I am here to discuss your job at Bilson Library.” Mrs. Agnew shifted her purse to the other arm.
I cast a glance toward Tammy. She looked as terrified as I felt. This probably meant that Mrs. Agnew was getting ready to fire me. Didn’t I get a chance? I’d only just started. Never mind that someone had died in the library on my first day… yeah, I should probably pack my belongings and get out now.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” Tammy threw her hands up. “I have books to put back on the shelves. If you’ll please excuse me.”
The color probably drained from my face. How could she abandon me in my time of need?
“Would you like to discuss this in my office?” I asked.
Mrs. Agnew gave me a curt nod and walked down the hallway. Walking back through the aisles of books, I felt like I was walking to the principal’s office. At least I had the books for comfort. I hadn’t had a chance when I initially came for the interview to look over the library again as thoroughly as I’d wanted. It had been quite a few years since I’d been in the building. I couldn’t wait to inspect every inch of the place. I had always felt at home surrounded by books. Oddly enough, now I almost felt as if eyes watched me. I glanced over my shoulder, thinking that someone was following me, but not a soul was in sight.
When I stepped into the office, Mrs. Agnew had already taken a seat behind the long oak desk, waiting for me. She was sitting behind it as if she was the queen of the library. I’d have given anything to lose my cardigan at that moment. Was it just me or was the room like a sauna? Piles of paper were stacked across the desk’s surface. I was sure to her it looked like as if I hadn’t done a thing since I’d arrived. I certainly had my work cut out for me.
She waved me forward. Why did I feel like I was definitely being fired? This woman made me nervous. Unease curled in my gut.
She gestured toward the chair in front of the desk. “Please have a seat. I came by earlier and you weren’t here.”
That implied that I had been late and I was definitely not late. In fact, I’d been thirty minutes early. I’d just taken my time looking around, that was all. Now that I knew everyone else arrived at the library before the crack of dawn, I’d have to remember to beat them there.
Mrs. Agnew’s walnut-brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun. She glared at me with her beady eyes from behind her glasses, looking me up and down.
“We don’t have a dress code, per se.” She stared at my chest. “But I trust that you’ll know what is appropriate.”
I looked down at my black pants, sweater, and black boots. I hardly thought that my outfit was questionable. She’d probably prefer I wear a brown suit to match hers. There was nothing wrong with a little color in my opinion. My wardrobe could be blah, but at least I added splashes of color occasionally—like today’s choice of red scarf.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am for this position. I want to thank the library board so much for hiring me.” I fidgeted in the chair. The leather squeaked as I shifted. The room was definitely getting hotter.
“We think you’re the right person for the job. Now don’t let us down,” she warned with a wave of her finger.
I pushed my shoulders back, lifted my chin and attempted a smile. I had to look confident, even if on the inside I was on the verge of crumbling. If I appeared self-assured, then she’d think I totally had control of the situation.
“We’d have to fire you if you mess up.” She laughed boisterously.
I didn’t doubt that for a minute. Good to see she was getting a kick out of my misery. What a dear, sweet lady.
“I have a lot of ideas for the library that I’m very excited about,” I said, ignoring her last comment.
She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes.
“Um, one of my ideas is to use social media for the library. You know, Twitter, Facebook, et cetera.”
Her eyes widened and she sat up straighter in the chair. “You want to list the library on a dating site?”
“Excuse me?” I asked.
“Facebook? Isn’t tha
t some kind of dating site? I don’t want that kind of questionable behavior here at Bilson Library.” She folded her arms in front of her chest.
Oh, dear heavens. Was she serious? Little old grandmothers had Facebook pages, for Pete’s sake. Mrs. Agnew was going to be a thorn in my side. I sensed it already.
I waved my hands. “No, Facebook is… never mind.” My shoulders slumped. It looked like my social media strategy would take a little more work than I anticipated.
“Well, as I said when we hired you, the operating budget was cut for this fiscal year, so you’ll have your hands full trying to make things work. Now, Mrs. Stanley did a lovely job, I don’t know why she had to retire.”
I swore I heard a sniffle as Mrs. Agnew looked away. If tears formed in everyone’s eyes at the mere thought of Mrs. Stanley, then I was doomed.
Mrs. Agnew focused her attention on me again. She sighed and said, “We let a couple library employees go to be able to offer you a larger salary, so I know you won’t make us regret that decision.”
I’d taken two people’s jobs? Great. The town probably hated me already. What had I gotten myself into? A library with no budget, few to no staff, and a rumored haunting—no wonder no one else had wanted the position.
Could I make the library a happening place? I’d have to think of some creative ways to draw attention to it—other than a rocking Facebook page. Why all people didn’t flock to books was beyond me. I had a lot of great ideas, but with limited funds, it would be hard to accomplish.
After going over everything that they expected of me, Mrs. Agnew finally stood. “We’ll be watching you.”
I had no doubt about that.
“Good day, Ms. Van Raden.” She nodded and left me alone in the office.
I walked out of the office right behind Mrs. Agnew. I wanted to say more, but doing so would probably only make matters worse. She didn’t slow down once she made it to the front desk, she just kept on going until she was out the door.
“Goodbye, Mrs. Agnew,” Tammy said in her wake.
