by Rose Pressey
The deeper I got into the investigation of Marion’s death, the deeper I got myself into trouble. I hoped that I didn’t get in so deep that I couldn’t get out. But it was like there was a supernatural force that wouldn’t allow me to stop. Something or someone else was in control and I had to follow that lead.
I’d had a good day at the festival in spite of seeing Travis. Brannon hadn’t stopped by the booth, which was just as well. I’d asked Tammy about his ex being back in town, but she had no information. Maybe she was just trying to protect me.
The next morning, I dressed in a black pencil skirt, white blouse and black flats with a blue scarf for a splash of color and then headed for the library. Clouds hung over Devil’s Moon and it looked as if the rain would start at any moment. The ghost of George Wise followed me as I made my way to the coffee shop. When I looked back, he would float away, but out of the corner of my eye I knew he was there. When I reached the library, he disappeared completely. He’d sent a text and this time it said: Follow the leads. I was certainly trying just that, but so far I’d had little luck.
It was just as well that he hadn’t stayed with me. One ghost was enough. Annie was standing by the front door when I entered the library. Something told me that Annie wouldn’t want the competition for my attention.
Good morning, my message said. I smiled, but couldn’t answer. Annie knew what my smile meant though. Get work done and then work on clues. I wished I could text her back, but that wasn’t a possibility. I would have to move to a room where we could talk.
Leslie was frowning at me as she stood behind the front desk. If she didn’t like getting to work before me then she needed to stop arriving so early. Usually, I helped Leslie before going to my office, but this morning I would have to change that routine. “Leslie, I have a few things to take care of in my office. I’ll be back in a minute.”
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. She still obviously hadn’t forgiven me for the whole computer message thing. A couple hours had passed and I was surprised that Leslie hadn’t come back to get me with some problem. When I walked from my office to the front of the library, I saw Sue standing at the front desk talking with Leslie. Was she here to talk about the Bookwormers club? Would they still have their monthly meeting here? I hadn’t heard anything about it, but if I was in the club I would find it too creepy to come back. I’d probably stop the group altogether. Sue stopped talking and then walked out the door.
When I reached the desk, I asked, “Did Sue need something?”
Leslie frowned. “I took care of it.” She walked away without explaining what she had taken care of.
A few minutes passed and I was behind the front desk with Katherine walked in the library.
“Hello, Katherine, is there anything can help you with?” I asked.
She pushed the sunglasses from her face and onto the top of her head. “I just need to see Leslie.”
Katherine had just talked to her at the festival. I hadn’t known they were so close. It was none of business to ask why Katherine wanted to talk to Leslie, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to know.
“She’s around here somewhere. I can find her if you’d like.” Katherine peered across the library.
“Oh, I see her now. Thanks. Talk to you later.” She smiled and walked away.
I was busy between the stacks when I noticed someone out of the corner of my eye. When I glanced over I recognized Dana. She had a book in her hands, but she wasn’t reading it. She was holding it up as if she was reading, but in reality she was watching someone. I peeked over to see who she was watching, but I didn’t see anyone. That was when she noticed me. She closed the book quickly and placed it back on the shelf.
Dana chuckled. “Not the book I was looking for.”
She turned around and walked out of the library without saying anything else. That was certainly odd.
A few minutes passed and Katherine walked out of the library. I had been shelving books, so I guess she didn’t see me as she walked out. At least I liked to think that was the reason she didn’t say goodbye.
A message from Annie appeared on my phone.
Something strange is going on around here.
When Leslie came back to the front desk, I slipped into my office and Annie followed.
“Annie, I am trying to find clues but it’s not going well.”
You have to keep looking. I have faith in you.
I was glad she did, because my faith in myself was slipping.
I settled down to work before I had to go back out there and see Leslie again. She required a lot of patience and right now I wasn’t sure how much I had. I shuffled a few papers around, not knowing which pile to start with first. That was when I noticed the piece of paper. My stomach flipped and my hand shook as I reached for it. I knew I hadn’t left anything like that one my desk. Who had been in my office? I knew the answer was the killer, but I just didn’t know who the killer was. I didn’t want to find out the hard way.
The note read: You’re getting warmer finding the killer. Your days are numbered.
My stomach sank. I had to stop this madness. Annie had disappeared when I looked up. I had to know who left the note, so I rushed out of my office and to the front desk. Leslie was helping a customer so I had to wait until she was finished. I looked around to see if I recognized anyone in the library, but the few people here I had never seen before. When the customer left, Leslie whipped around as if she could feel my presence.
She glared at me and then looked down at the paper in my hand. “What’s that?” she demanded.
“Did you see anyone go into my office today?”
She stared for a moment and then shook her head. “No, I haven’t seen anyone. Is something wrong?”
I didn’t want to tell her what was going on, so I said, “No, everything is fine.”
Just then Tammy walked through the door. As soon as she looked at us she knew something was wrong. Tammy knew me well. I had to show her the note. Maybe together we could figure out who had left it.
That would have to wait though, because at that moment Brannon entered the library. He looked handsome today as usual. Tammy and I stared at him as if we’d lost the ability to speak.
“What’s going on in here? I know it’s quiet in libraries, but this seems unusually silent.” He flashed a smile.
I’d told Tammy about seeing his ex, so I knew that was why she was staring at him. But I had another reason. I was holding this threatening note. I knew I should give it to him, but like I was in too deep now. I had to find a way to avoid him.
Finally when Tammy saw that I wasn’t going to speak, she said, “What can we do for you, officer?”
He looked from her to me. “I just wanted to stop in and see how everyone is doing.”
Tammy gave a half-hearted smile. “We’re fine, officer.”
It felt a little chilly in there and it wasn’t from the ghostly activity. Thank goodness the phone rang and Leslie called out that I had a call.
“Sorry, I have to take that call.” I gestured.
Brannon nodded and grinned. But he looked confused.
I answered the call, but watched him at the same time. I hoped that he didn’t stick around. I would try to stay on the call as long as possible. After a few seconds of Brannon talking to Tammy, he walked out of the library. Of course I was sad, but it was for the best. I hung up from the call and hurried over to Tammy.
“What did he say?” I asked.
“He asked again if you were okay.”
“Did you ask about his ex?”
“No, I didn’t know if I should.”
I nodded. It was probably just as well that she hadn’t.
“He said the chief will be by soon.”
My eyes widened. The chief coming for a visit was undoubtedly not a good thing. He probably wasn’t there just to check out a book. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to avoid Brannon. I would much prefer to talk with him than the grumpy old chief.
&n
bsp; “Why did you avoid him?” Tammy asked.
“I don’t want to keep having that flirty thing going on if he is back with his ex.”
“Well, you should see what he has to say.”
I shrugged. “I don’t think I even want to know. There was nothing going on with us anyway.”
“You can’t avoid him forever,” Tammy said.
“Do you remember who you were talking to? I am the queen of avoiding people. I managed to avoid Travis’ mother for six months.”
Tammy nodded. “You did do that.”
***
It had been a long day at work, but I still had the tour to give. Trying to find a killer and talking to ghosts was exhausting. As I wrapped up my work for the day, I received a text from Annie.
You should talk with the handsome officer.
I stared at Annie. “Dating advice now?”
My phone dinged. Yes. That was her only reply.
“Thanks, but no thanks, Annie.”
Another message appeared on my phone. Go see the woman who checked out the book.
I contemplated her message for a moment. I supposed Dorothy Blanton could have returned from her vacation. Maybe it was a good idea to see her. I would have to hurry if I wanted to get there before the tour started. But first I had to go home to change into more comfortable clothing.
As soon as I walked in the door of my apartment I spotted the message in my mailbox. It was another note from the killer. This was even more disturbing: a page from one of the books depicting the murder of a librarian. There was no handwritten message, but the message was clear.
I couldn’t tell anyone the full extent of my problems because of my overwhelming need to solve issues on my own. Why would I put myself in danger just to prove a point? I needed to go to the police and that was what I fully intended to do, just as soon as I went to the woman’s house for one more clue. I had come this far, I couldn’t turn back yet. If she didn’t have any information for me then I would call Brannon. As much as I wanted to avoid him, I wanted to avoid the chief even more.
I picked up the phone to call Tammy. I hated to worry her, but she would be even more upset if I didn’t tell her about her new message. Thank goodness she picked up on the second ring.
“I got another note.”
“Now are you going to tell the police?” she asked.
“Yes, I’ll tell the police, but I have to check out at least one more thing first.”
She sighed. “I can’t let you do that alone.”
“I’m a big girl and can handle it, but because I know you will worry I will allow you to come along.”
“Gee, thanks,” she said drily. “Where is it that we are going?”
“Remember the third book? I want to go back to Dorothy Blanton’s house to see if she has it. I don’t know if she is home yet but it is worth a shot.”
Tammy sighed again.
“You can stop that anytime now,” I said.
“Habit. I will be there in a few minutes. Don’t leave without me,” she said.
“Of course not. What kind of best friend do you think I am?” I asked.
“A crazy one,” she said and then hung up.
I wouldn’t argue with her there. I had to be crazy to do all this. But she had to be too if she was going along with this. I watched out the front window and a few minutes later spotted Tammy walking along the sidewalk in front of my apartment. For a fleeting moment, I thought I spotted the ghost behind her. Was it my imagination? He was probably waiting for me. I hoped Tammy didn’t see him or realize he was back there. It would freak her out.
I rushed down the flights of stairs to the front door. Tammy had just walked ono the porch when I opened the door.
“Are you ready?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I guess. I still think you should call Brannon.”
“I promise I will right after this.”
“I’m holding you to that,” she said as I moved down the steps.
We walked to my car parked against the curb and climbed in. On the drive there Tammy tried to convince me that it wouldn’t be a bad thing to call Brannon. I wanted to, really I did, but it was hard to do the right thing all the time.
As if on cue my phone rang.
“Can you get that?” I asked.
Tammy picked up my phone and answered. She handed it to me with a smile. I pulled over so that I wouldn’t wreck while talking. If it was who I thought I was then I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the road.
“Hello?” I said cautiously.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?” Brannon asked.
My stomach flipped when I heard his voice. “I was actually driving to see someone.”
He paused. “Oh. Could you call me later?”
My heart sped up. What did he want to talk about? “If it’s important we can talk now,” I said.
There was another hesitation. “It can wait, I suppose. It’s just that I am hoping to get back in the library to investigate again.”
So that was all he wanted? That was all he wanted all along?
“Yeah. I’ll call you.”
“Thanks, Ripley,” he said.
I hung up the phone and pulled back onto the road.
“What was that all about?” Tammy asked.
“He wants to investigate the library again.”
She frowned. “Well, if that’s true you can just tell him no.”
Within a couple minutes, Tammy and I had reached the street where Dorothy Blanton lived.
“Do you know what you are going to say to her?” Tammy asked.
I shook my head. “No, I suppose I should have thought about that. But there is a lot I should have thought about.”
We parked in front of the house. I looked around for the neighbor I’d spoken to last time but I didn’t see her. I didn’t see a car in the driveway but it could have been in the garage.
“I hope she is home this time,” I said as we walked toward the door.
“I hope she doesn’t think we are crazy and slam the door in our faces,” Tammy said.
“Yeah, that too,” I said.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I knocked on the door and after a minute Dorothy answered the door. She was wearing a blue robe with curlers in her gray hair.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“Are you Dorothy Blanton?” I asked.
She looked me up and down and then glanced over at Tammy. I offered a smile when she looked at me again. She looked as if she was about to slam the door.
“My name is Ripley Van Raden. I’m the new librarian. This is Tammy and she’s a librarian too.” I gestured next to me. “You checked out the Ted Alistair book.”
Dorothy’s eyes widened. I was just thankful that she had returned from her vacation.
“Both of you came to get the book back? I didn’t think it was overdue.” She furrowed her brow.
I chuckled but she didn’t smile in return. “No, that’s not why we’re here.”
I couldn’t tell her we needed the book because it could possibly be evidence in a murder investigation. That would be one heck of a way to get rid of patrons. And I was supposed to increase the traffic to the library, not chase them away.
“We just have questions about that book,” I said.
She quirked a brow. “Yes? What kind of questions?”
“Do you have the book? You haven’t returned it yet, right?”
She frowned. “Well, actually I lent the book to Sue Lovelace. I apologize. I know I shouldn’t have done that. I promise to return it right away along with the late fees.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. She had lent it to Sue. That was yet another bad sign for Sue. But it was just a book and maybe I wouldn’t find any notes in it. I would have liked to see if any pages were missing though.
“Like I said, I am sorry that I gave her the book.” She looked from me to Tammy again, as if we were about to call the police and have her arrested.
Wonde
rful. Now the patrons would think I was some lunatic librarian who made collection calls.
“I apologize for coming to see you. Thanks again for the information.”
I couldn’t even come up with a logical excuse as to why I wanted the book, so I just left it at that. Tammy and I turned around and marched back to the car, leaving Mrs. Blanton in a state of confusion.
Could Sue Lovelace be the killer? She’d had access to the food when I brought it to the room. Sue had helped set it out and could have easily slipped something in when I wasn’t looking. Plus, Tammy had overheard her conversation at the salon and the notepad on the receptionist’s desk matched the killer’s note. All of this could just be my imagination running wild. I wasn’t a detective—maybe I shouldn’t make too much of this information.
I slipped behind the wheel of the car and Tammy hurried into the passenger seat. We buckled up and I pulled away without so much as another glance at Mrs. Blanton.
I contemplated what she’d said as I navigated the streets out of her subdivision. “I bet she thinks we are the craziest librarians in the world,” I said.
Tammy laughed. “She’s right about that though, no?”
I laughed. “Yes, I guess going to a patron’s house looking for a book that we think may have clues to a murder that took place in the library would qualify us as crazy.”
“Maybe I’m slightly less crazy than you because you are the head librarian.”
“Okay, I’ll take that title. Craziest librarian. I think the board should have known what they were getting when they found out about my ghost tours.”
“What do you think about what she said?” Tammy asked.
I made a left turn. “I guess it could be a coincidence. After all, the book club selection was the first book in the series, so if Sue liked the book then it’s reasonable to think that she would want to read the other books in the series.”
“That’s true.” Tammy nodded.
I made another turn. “But then again, I couldn’t help think about the conversation you overheard and the fact that she had the same notepad in her shop.”
“She wouldn’t leave something like that lying around, would she?” Tammy asked.
“Maybe she wants to be caught. You know, subconsciously? Some killers are like that. Since they are proud of what they’ve done, they like to talk about it. If they can’t talk about it directly they’ll leave little clues.”
