by R. D. Brady
As chief, she was on call almost constantly. Luckily, not much happened in Dover, but there’d been a few times when she’d been called away in the middle of the night or in the middle of a family celebration. Reggie had never made her feel guilty about it. As a former Marine, he understood duty better than most.
Speaking of which, Nevaeh put on her indicator, waiting for the oncoming traffic to pass before she pulled into the library’s parking lot. Unlike the supermarket, it was almost completely empty of cars. Only one car sat by the front entrance—a red Subaru wagon. It belonged to Paula Schwann, the assistant librarian. The head librarian, Miss Minnie Walters, didn’t drive. Her house was right next door to the library. She’d lived there all her life. Miss Minnie had been the town’s librarian for the last fifty years, and Miss Minnie’s aunt had been the previous librarian.
Minnie was a librarian right out of central casting. No one dared ask her age, but she had to be upwards of seventy, if not eighty. She ruled the library like her own little fiefdom and was known to be harsh with any rule breakers.
Nevaeh eased into a spot near Paula’s car. She’d just stepped out of her car when Paula hurried around the car toward her. “Chief, thank God.”
Paula was thirty-two, and unlike Minnie, incredibly social and well-liked in town. She’d joined the library staff two years ago and implemented a range of community programs that had been well received, like a children’s story hour, movies on weekends, and technology seminars. Minnie had quietly allowed the intrusion into her space. Paula was so friendly, it was hard for even Minnie not to like her.
Paula’s blonde hair was stuffed under a heavy wool hat, her cheeks and nose red from the cold. “I keep trying the library phone, but there’s no answer. And the doors are locked.”
“You don’t have a key?”
Paula shook her head. “Minnie likes to lock up and open up. And that’s fine with me, usually. But today …”
“Okay. Let’s go see what’s going on, shall we?” Nevaeh headed toward the front door, noting the footsteps in the newly fallen snow.
Paula must have marched back and forth a dozen times. Now, she hurried next to Nevaeh, wringing her hands. “I just … What if she fell? Or if she’s had a stroke? Oh, I should have insisted on getting a key. But it just seemed so important for her to maintain that piece of independence, you know?”
Paula didn’t wait for an answer. She continued her nervous talking, not looking for any response. Nevaeh’s mind, though, was moving just as fast as Paula’s, racing through all the possibilities. Best-case scenario, Miss Minnie fell down and was unable to get to the phone for help. Worst-case scenario …
Nevaeh pulled out her large set of keys. She had a key for each of the public buildings in Dover. The library key had a pink key cap around it, because Miss Minnie always wore pink. Unlocking the door, she pushed it open and stepped inside. Her skin tingled at the blast of warmth, which was a welcome reprieve from the frosted air outside.
Paula slipped in behind her. “Miss Minnie?” She started into the library, but Nevaeh held out her hand, shaking her head. “You need to stay in the foyer.”
“But—”
“Paula, let me check it out first, all right?”
“Okay. But if you need help …”
“I will call you right away.”
“Okay, okay. You go.” Paula yanked off her hat, sending her hair shooting off in all directions.
Nevaeh stepped into the main section of the library. It was a large room, with new releases along one wall and movies and audiobooks along the other. The large wooden circulation desk stood directly opposite the entrance. No sound came from inside. Nevaeh walked over to the desk and stepped behind it. No Miss Minnie. Nevaeh let out a sigh of relief. But then she spied Miss Minnie’s handbag with the big pink bow on a lower shelf, her pink gloves sitting next to it.
No boots or hat. Nevaeh headed back around the desk and into the stacks in the far room. She scanned each aisle as she made her way to the lounge at the back of the library. It held a couch, dinette set, fridge, and it was where Miss Minnie normally placed her boots and coat. The door was closed.
A chill ran over Nevaeh, but she shrugged it off. It was the silence of the library. It was unnerving. She pushed open the door, releasing the strap on her holster as she did so. The room was dark. She slid her hand along the wall. Finding the light switch, she flicked it on. The first thing she saw was Miss Minnie’s pink coat hanging on the coatrack across the room.
The second thing she saw was all the blood.
Chapter Twenty
Declan stood in the living room of his and Russ’s new home, which was warm despite the snow and wind blowing outside, debating what to do first. The house dated back to 1932, and they were hoping to maintain most of its original character. A lot of renovations had happened over the decades, and they were going to need to peel all that away. It was a huge job. But Declan was looking forward to it. He wanted to work with his hands for a while. The last couple of years with the state police, it seemed like all he did was shuffle paper and attend meetings.
He’d planned on tackling the porch this week, but then the storm had cropped up. And because of the weather, he also couldn’t do anything that required him to air out the place, which meant painting and sanding down the woodwork was out.
Which left demolishing the kitchen. He figured he could at least get the cabinets down. They’d been put up in the seventies and were an unfortunate shade of avocado green. He would be happy to see those go. He could pile everything up in the mudroom and have a nice big pile ready for the dumpster when the weather broke.
But instead of heading to the bedroom to get on his work clothes, he headed to the dining room, where he and Russ had created a makeshift kitchen with a toaster oven, microwave, refrigerator, and the all-important Keurig. They’d set an old door on two sawhorses to act as a counter. It wasn’t the best setup, but the cabinets would be ready next week, so hopefully it wouldn’t be for much longer. Reggie and Steve said they’d help install them. Between the four of them, it should only take a day to set them and the appliances in place. Then they’d only need the counters.
He poured himself another cup of coffee, his hands gripping the warmth greedily. He walked back to the window, sipping as he stared at the blowing snow.
He’d spent last night on the phone, trying to see if there was any new information on the Hodgkins investigation, but there wasn’t. Albany had no leads besides Keith’s final words. There were still no witnesses. It’d been too late at night for many people to be around. There were no windows overlooking the alley and no cameras in that part of town to offer any help, except for one traffic cam two blocks away.
Thankfully the higher-ups in the Albany Police Department decided against releasing the 9-1-1 call. They knew it would turn into a circus once that hit the airwaves. The Millners Kill case had been in the headlines for months. Albany didn’t want to pull in that kind of attention if they could avoid it.
But some of it had already started. Two news shows had brought in law enforcement consultants to rehash Keith’s handling of Simone’s case and the other murders. From the public response, it was clear the public was still divided as to how innocent they thought Steve was. Some argued he was a victim, others said he was the true killer, and still others argued that Steve and Jack had been in on it together.
Declan sighed. He understood why the judge had unsealed Steve’s name. There was a compelling law enforcement concern. But it also meant the idyllic life Steve and Julie had carved out for themselves was now at risk.
A heavy weight shifted to the middle of Declan’s chest. He rubbed at it, as if he could push it away. He didn’t want this for Steve again. Steve finally had a decent life. No, he had a good life. With Julie and Bess, he had a family. He was happy. Declan knew that the shadows of the past stayed with him, but he finally seemed able to put all of that behind him. Even if this went nowhere, even if the detectives realized i
t was just Keith seeing things, this was still going to set him back.
Damn you, Keith. Even in death, he was causing Steve problems.
Declan took another sip of the coffee, letting the warmth ease some of the pressure in his chest. He stood there staring out into the snow for another few minutes, his mind blank, before he shook himself from his reverie. This isn’t getting me anywhere.
Placing his mug on the dining room table, he headed to the bedroom. He needed to get the kitchen demolished. The storm was going to make it impossible to go anywhere, so hopefully he could get the entire thing done today.
Julie had offered to let him stay with them during the demolition phase. Being they lived only two houses down, Declan was definitely thinking he might be spending the night over there on occasion. He could even paint a little and then spend the nights at their house to escape the fumes.
Outside, it was whiteout conditions, visibility down to maybe about a foot. He didn’t relish the idea of being on his own, trapped inside a little house, especially if the power went out. They were seriously bare bones in terms of amenities. Until the demolition was over, they were kind of living like squatters. Russ wouldn’t even be here full time for another four months.
Declan had been surprised he’d even agreed to move. Declan had figured he’d stay in Millners Kill after he retired until Russ retired. But Russ said life was too short to spend away from the people you cared about. He, Julie, Reggie, and Steve had become family through the events in Millners Kill. And you wanted to be close to family.
After changing into his paint-splattered jeans, a sweatshirt, and some heavy work boots, he grabbed his sledgehammer from the counter. Putting on safety goggles, he took his first swing. Connecting with the first cabinet door felt good, really good. In his mind, he pictured Jack and all that he’d done. Anger sizzled inside him as he swung and swung, destroying those god-awful avocado cabinets and feeling a little better each time his sledgehammer connected. Lost in the destruction of the kitchen, it took him a moment to recognize the sound of his cell phone ringing.
He paused, breathing a little hard and crossed over into the living room, which currently held only a loveseat. He grabbed his cell phone from it, glancing at the screen before answering. “Hey, Nevaeh.”
“Declan, thank God. Are you in town?”
Declan frowned. Nevaeh was a pretty unexcitable person. She did not panic easily. But right now, she was panicked. “Yeah, I’m at the house. I just started demolishing the kitchen. What’s going on?”
She released a large breath, her words now more measured. “We have a bit of a situation at the library. I was hoping I could get your help.”
A feeling of dread settled over Declan. Nevaeh was competent, confident, and had no ego when it came to law enforcement. She knew what she was doing. If she was asking for help, it meant that something serious had happened. Something that Declan had more experience with. “What happened?”
“It’s Minnie Walters. She was killed in the library.”
For one quick moment Declan thought, With the candlestick? He shot the stupid thought from his mind. “Killed? Or died?”
Nevaeh paused. “Killed. There’s nothing natural about this death.”
Declan closed his eyes. Dammit. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Snow was packed along the roads and the sidewalks as Declan pulled out of his driveway. There was a good three inches of packed snow on the road as well. He hoped the heavily traveled roads were in better shape.
They weren’t. It took Declan double the time it normally did to get to even Main Street. And when he turned on it, he slid a little, the snow reducing the traction of the road to nearly nothing. Everyone was taking it slow, but he’d still seen two cars spinning their wheels, going nowhere.
The drive to the library was amazingly stressful for such a short ride. He pulled into the parking lot of the library next to Nevaeh’s Jeep. He looked to the right, where a small brick house with a peaked roof sat. It looked like a little gnome house. It was Miss Minnie’s. It had been in her family for close to a hundred years. The brick had stood up well to the test of time, just like Miss Minnie.
Declan turned off the engine and sat for a moment, staring at the library, trying to psych himself up for what was to come. He reached into the passenger seat of the car and grabbed his thick black duffel bag.
He was all but officially retired from the state investigators, but a few months back, Nevaeh had deputized him. In her words, “just in case.” Technically he was considered a volunteer police officer. Declan figured he’d end up helping with crowds for the Fourth of July parade and other small duties that were beyond the capability of the small police force. He hadn’t expected to investigate a murder scene.
Of course, you kept your bag, didn’t you? a small voice asked from the corner of his mind.
Gripping the bag, he stepped out into the snow. His car would be covered before he returned to it. He paused for a second and then popped the trunk and grabbed the snow shovel. Hard snow pricked against his skin, leaving his face feeling raw. He liked snow, generally. But this snow was stinging, closer to hail. It wasn’t the light, fluffy snow that fell gently down and made kids smile. It was the type that felt like little pellets of sand digging into your face as you walked.
He ducked his head, trying to keep some of the pain away as he headed for the library door. The roads were going to be slick later if it kept up like this.
Ahead, Nevaeh opened the library door to allow Declan to slip past. “Thanks for coming.” She locked the door behind him.
Declan stomped the snow off of his boots, leaving the shovel against the wall and placing his bag next to it. “Okay if I leave my jacket here? Where’s the scene?”
Nevaeh nudged her chin toward the back of the library. “She’s in the lounge. It looks like everything happened in there. I didn’t see any signs of violence anywhere else when I did a search.”
Declan studied Nevaeh’s face. “You okay?”
She started to nod before she paused and then shook her head. “No, not really. I mean, this isn’t my first murder, but it’s the first time I’ve known the victim. And it’s Miss Minnie. I mean, I know she’s like the stereotype of the strict librarian, but she made it this far in life. She deserved a better end than this.”
“Yes, she did. But the best we can do for her now is find out who did this to her.”
Nevaeh took a deep breath. “I know. Come on, I’ll show you the way. It’s not a pretty scene.”
As they headed to the lounge, Declan noted that the rest of the library looked undisturbed. Nevaeh was right; there was no sign of anything amiss.
“So Paula was the last one to see her?”
Nevaeh nodded. “Yes. She left a little early last night. She wanted to get home and get things set up for the kids for today, knowing that they would probably be off school. Miss Minnie locked up.”
“And the library was locked when she got here?”
“Yes. But Miss Minnie locks up while she’s tidying up after the library’s closed, so I can’t tell if she ever made it home last night.”
Nevaeh paused outside the lounge room door, which was closed. Both Declan and Nevaeh had placed plastic booties on their shoes and had gloved up to preserve any evidence. Declan pointed at the door. “Was it closed when you arrived?”
Nevaeh swallowed. “Yes.” Her mouth was a tight line as she reached out and opened the door.
Nevaeh was right. It was not a pretty scene. Declan scanned the room, his heart ticking up a notch. The lounge held a couch, two chairs, and a coffee table on the right. Straight ahead against the back wall was a small kitchenette with a refrigerator, sink, counter, microwave, and small toaster oven. Sitting on the counter was Miss Minnie’s electric teapot, in pink. In the middle of the room was a large kitchen table that could seat eight.
Miss Minnie was sprawled on top of the kitchen table on her back.
A spray of blood was splashed across the white refrigerator.
Declan’s attention shifted back to the shoe on the ground. Miss Minnie would hate that. She was always perfectly dressed, never a hair out of place. Her death seemed that much crueler in that it had removed her fastidious appearance.
Declan bowed his head. I’m sorry, Miss Minnie. He raised his head, scanning the room before he knelt down to the bag and pulled out his camera. He began shooting from the doorway.
Nevaeh moved to the doorway as Declan stepped into the room. “I took a bunch of shots as well while I waited for you.”
“Good. We’ll combine them and see what we’ve got. Did Paula say if it was the same outfit as yesterday?”
Nevaeh shook her head. “She wasn’t able to. I didn’t bring her in, just showed her a photo. But she just collapsed. Her sister and husband came and picked her and her car up.”
Declan didn’t know the assistant librarian beyond someone to say hi to. She seemed nice enough. But in his experience, most people had a strong response to an unexpected death.
He wondered what it said about him that he didn’t. He tried to remember back to his first murder scene. It had been a man in his twenties, scrawny with greasy hair. A drug deal gone wrong. He’d felt revulsion at the scene, but then he’d gotten to work.
Years later, he was so used to checking his emotions at the door that even when it was someone he knew well, like Mel, he didn’t feel much besides a quick dash of sympathy. Right now, he pulled on that time-tested armor. He shut off all emotions as he carefully photographed every angle of the body and the surrounding area. Blood was sprayed across the floor and up the walls, including along the refrigerator. Someone had slashed her quite a lot. He pictured it in his mind, imagining her reaching for her throat. He took a close-up of her hands, which were stained with blood, along with the cuffs of her blazer.
