Hush-Hush

by Elizabeth Spann Craig

  “Hi, officer,” he said formally.

  Burton said, “Good morning, sir. I’m the police chief, Burton Edison. Just wondering how you came to be at the library this early in the morning.” He gestured toward me and said, “It’s even early for the librarian to be here, much less a patron.”

  The man cleared his throat. “Well, I actually saw your lights and heard the siren and thought I’d see what had happened at the library.”

  Burton quirked a brow as if to indicate that was an odd thing to do.

  The man took a deep breath and continued, “I knew the library wasn’t open yet, so I was curious as to what emergency might be happening there so early. That’s all.”

  “Is it?” drawled Burton.

  Burton had an effective way of drawing out people that I had seen him use before. He just got very quiet and didn’t say a word. The person would get more and more uncomfortable as the silence dragged on and would finally fill it. This man did, too.

  He cleared his throat again. “I’m Ted Griffith, by the way. You’re right—I know one of the librarians here. Her name is Ellie and I thought I remembered she was opening up the library today.”

  The last part was directed at me, but I wasn’t sure how much Burton wanted to disclose, so I glanced over at him.

  Burton said, “Well, that’s very interesting. You must be good friends with her, Mr. Griffith, if you’re that familiar with her work schedule.”

  Now Ted looked even more uncomfortable than he had before. “Not really. I’ve been helping to teach her Spanish. She was interested in learning and I’m fairly fluent.”

  “That’s very educational-sounding,” said Burton levelly. He was quiet for a moment as if trying to decide something. Then he said, “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but your instincts were right. Ellie is deceased.”

  Ted’s face turned white and I realized it was a good thing he was sitting down. “What happened to her?”

  “We’re trying to figure that out,” said Burton. His voice was a little gentler. “I’m sorry. It sounds like you cared about her.”

  Ted said, “As a friend. Of course I did. I was in the library one day and she struck up a conversation with me. She was very outgoing. I was reading a book in Spanish and she said she’d always wanted to learn Spanish but had taken French in school. So I started up some casual classes over lunch to help teach her the language.”

  “Where were you last night?” asked Burton, abruptly changing topics.

  Ted’s face grew even paler than it was. “What?”

  “It’s standard procedure,” said Burton without much inflection in his voice.

  Ted stuttered, “Well, I was sleeping, of course.”

  “Earlier than that. Say around nine o’clock.”

  Ted said slowly, “At home with my wife. Probably reading that Spanish literature book.”

  Burton took out a small notebook from his pocket and jotted down a couple of notes. He looked up at Ted again. “If it turns out to be foul play, do you have any idea who might be connected? Has Ellie talked about any problems she’s had with anyone? Any arguments?”

  Ted considered this for a few moments. “Well, we didn’t spend much time talking about personal things. But I think she mentioned a bit of conflict with her sister. Pris is her name, I think. It sounded just like everyday irritation from having somebody move in with you.” He glanced longingly at the road. “I should be getting along. I have to go to work.”

  Burton said, “Absolutely, sir. I wouldn’t want to hold you up. I just need to have your contact information.”

  Ted hurriedly provided it to him and drove away.

  Burton looked over at me and said, “Seems to be more to that story than Spanish lessons.”

  “I didn’t know Ellie really well, but I’d never heard her mention foreign language lessons to me. Nor a deep desire to learn Spanish.” I hesitated. “Luna thought they were having a relationship. We saw Ted’s wife, Sunny, come into the library yesterday and there seemed to be some tension there.”

  “His wife approached Ellie?” asked Burton.

  “No. Actually, Ellie approached Sunny.”

  Burton snorted. “Well, she had guts.”

  “Or something. Sunny is on the board of trustees for the library and was there to speak with Wilson.” I paused. “Or, at least, that’s the way it seemed.” I glanced at my watch. “Oh gosh. I really need to call Wilson.”

  Burton bobbed his head toward an approaching vehicle. “No need. Looks like your director is coming right now.”

  The state police also seemed to be coming up and Burton walked off to speak with them.

  Wilson pulled his car up alongside me and hopped out, looking anxious. “Ann, what’s going on?”

  I took a deep breath and filled him in. Wilson’s face grew even more concerned as I continued. We stared in solemn silence at the library when I finished.

  Wilson said slowly, “There’s no way those shelves fell by themselves.”

  “No,” I agreed. “They were sturdy.”

  “Someone did this. To Ellie.”

  I nodded silently. We watched as the state police and Burton strung up police tape around the library.

  Wilson asked, “Could you go to the office supply store and pick up materials to make a sign to indicate the library is closed today? I’ll call Luna and the other staff members and ask Luna to post on social media to let everyone know we’re temporarily closed.”

  I nodded again and watched as Burton approached us. He said to Wilson, “I’m going to need Ellie’s address and other information so I can notify her sister.”

  “Of course. I can pull that up on my laptop here.” Wilson turned to me and said, “Actually, that reminds me, Ann. Can you make some arrangements for the library to bring food for Ellie’s sister on behalf of the library for tomorrow?”

  I told him I would and left while he spoke to Burton. I came back half an hour later with two poster board signs, which I put on both library doors. I saw Luna drive up and walked over to her car.

  Her eyes were huge. “Ann, what happened?”

  I gave her a quick rundown and Luna frowned. “The shelf came down on her? What?”

  “I know. I didn’t think that was a very likely scenario, either.”

  Luna gave a low whistle. “So you’re thinking somebody did that intentionally. That somebody pushed a huge shelving unit on top of Ellie on purpose.”

  “I can’t see any other way it would have happened. She wouldn’t have pulled it down on herself and it wouldn’t have just spontaneously fallen like that. It’s not as if Wilson would have allowed anything unsafe to be in the library. It would be a liability otherwise.”

  We were quiet for a few moments before Luna said slowly, “You know, I didn’t really like Ellie, but I never wanted something like this to happen. I simply wanted her to take her lunch breaks when she was supposed to and maybe stop being so nosy.” She stopped suddenly and looked at me. “You don’t think her nosiness had something to do with this?”

  “I don’t know. But it might have.”

  Burton saw I was speaking with Luna and waved to her. She smiled and waved back. “He’s always so friendly, isn’t he?” she asked.

  Friendlier to Luna than he was to me, I thought with a smile. “He sure is. He’s a nice guy,” I said pointedly.

  Luna didn’t respond, instead, she glanced across the parking lot. “Look, it’s Linus. He’ll be disappointed the library is closed today.”

  I furrowed my eyebrows. “Actually, he was by earlier, so he knows it’s going to be closed. He must be here for another reason.”

  Linus now wore his usual suit and came up to Luna and me with a serious expression on his face, sans Ivy this time.

  “I’m very sorry about your colleague,” he said in his quiet, earnest voice. He glanced toward Burton, who was speaking with a state policeman. He hesitated. “There was just something I thought might possibly be important and I thought I shou
ld mention it to the police chief. I hope I’m not wasting his time or implicating someone who’s completely innocent.”

  Luna’s eyes were wide. “What did you see?”

  “Well, I was sitting in my car a few days earlier and just gathering my library books together. I’d decided to drive since it looked like it might rain later—you know I usually walk over.” Linus looked a little anxious.

  I smiled encouragingly. “And something happened in the parking lot?”

  He nodded. “The new librarian—Ellie, I believe you said her name was—she was arguing with another woman nearby. I wasn’t trying to listen in, but it was very hard not to overhear them. In fact, hearing them so clearly reminded me that I needed to put one of my car windows up.”

  “What were they saying?” asked Luna.

  Linus winced as if reluctant to say. “It sounded as if Ellie was trying to blackmail the other woman. I couldn’t tell for sure, of course, but she was saying something like she intended on releasing information if the woman didn’t pay her. That she’d be sorry.”

  “Did you recognize the other woman?” I asked.

  Linus nodded again. “That is, I recognized her, but don’t know her. She wears her hair in a ponytail, looks very young, and I see her from time to time working in that coffee shop on the square.”

  Luna put a hand to her mouth. “Tara Fuller!”

  Linus quickly interjected, “Like I mentioned, I don’t know exactly what I overheard, and I might have misinterpreted it. I certainly don’t want to get anyone into any trouble when they had nothing to do with this business. But when I was home with Ivy, I kept thinking I should let the police know about it, just in case.”

  “You did the right thing,” I said to reassure the older man.

  “Absolutely,” said Luna with a weak smile.

  Linus cleared his throat. “Well, it looks as if Burton is free now, so I’ll go speak with him. Thanks for lending an ear, and sorry again about Ellie.”

  Luna looked at me urgently. “Let’s go to the coffee shop. I want to talk to Tara.”

  Chapter Five

  I sighed. “Luna, I don’t think it’s a good idea to go interrogate Tara.”

  “I’m not going to interrogate her. I just want to find out what Ellie was trying to blackmail her over.”

  I stared at Luna. This all sounded very much like an interrogation.

  Luna said, “I’ve just become friends with Tara and I think trying to make sure she’s okay is a friendly thing to do, that’s all. Besides, this is the perfect time for us to go since we don’t have any work today. Then, after this, maybe I can reschedule my mom’s doctor’s visit to this afternoon so I won’t have to take that afternoon off next week.”

  I could tell she was already mentally ticking off boxes of things to do. I said, “The only thing is that I have Fitz with me.”

  We glanced down at the carrier and Fitz blinked up at us in his laid-back way. He seemed perfectly content in his carrier during all of this. Wilson had kept an eye on him for me when I’d gone to the store for the supplies for the sign.

  Luna said, “Run him home and get him settled. I’ll follow you and then drive you to the coffee shop. Remember your goal—to get out of the house more.”

  I wasn’t sure if this was my goal or Luna’s goal. But I nodded. I could tell when Luna was totally determined.

  A few minutes later, I’d gotten Fitz settled into a bright sunbeam on my kitchen floor. He drowsily curled up into a ball with his fluffy tail over his nose and quickly fell asleep. I joined Luna in her car, and we headed out.

  The coffee shop was on the same square the library was situated on. It was a beautiful old square, with the town hall in the middle and old oaks scattered throughout. The coffee shop was called “Keep Grounded.” I had to admit I felt my spirits lift a little when I walked in, and it wasn’t just because I was about to get caffeine. The shop was a cheerful place with brick walls, light streaming through the many windows, inviting bookshelves, and brightly painted wooden chairs and tables.

  Tara was just as Linus had described her, and was wiping down an already spotless table when we came in. She was probably in her late twenties and had her dark hair up in a jaunty ponytail. She wore an apron with “Keep Grounded” and their coffee cup logo on it. She gave them both a warm grin and said, “Luna! Hey girl, how are you?”

  Luna hugged her back fiercely and blurted out, “Tara, was Ellie blackmailing you?”

  I sighed, glad we were the only customers in the shop. I hadn’t even been formally introduced to Tara and Luna was already trying to strongarm her secrets out of her. I cleared my throat and Luna added absently, “Oh, and this is Ann. She works with me.”

  Tara was at a total loss for words and turned a little pale.

  Luna finally noticed Tara’s expression and gave her another hug. “Sorry! I’m sorry. I’m just so worried about you.”

  Tara looked desperate to get her bearings before being dragged into a conversation she didn’t want to have. She hesitantly asked us if she could get us some coffees and looked relieved as she went through the familiar motions of making them. Then she gave me a bright smile as she gestured to my e-reader.

  “What are you reading? I’ve haven’t read anything for a while and I really miss it.”

  I smiled back at her. “House of Mirth.”

  Luna snorted. “A little light reading.”

  I said, “It’s a favorite of mine, so I was re-reading it. But I’d be happy to give you a few suggestions, if you can tell me genres you enjoy.”

  We spent the next few minutes chatting about books and I jotted down some ideas for titles on a napkin and handed it to Tara.

  Then Tara became solemn. “How did you hear about the blackmail?” she finally asked in a small voice.

  Luna threw up her hands. “Hearsay. You know how it is in a small town. So it’s true then?”

  Tara sighed. “Gotta love small towns, right? Yes, it’s true. Sort of.”

  “Sort of?” pressed Luna, brow wrinkling in concern.

  “Yes. I used to be friends with Ellie, before she started blackmailing me, of course.” Tara gave a short laugh. “She was fun, and I needed someone to do things with.”

  Luna said, “We’re going to do fun things, Tara. I can promise no blackmail will be involved.”

  “I appreciate that,” said Tara, eyes finally getting a little twinkle back in them. “Anyway, I was working at my hospital job before here—you remember I told you about it, Luna?”

  “Right. You were working in the pharmacy at the regional hospital.”

  Whitby was too small to qualify for its own hospital, but fortunately there was a large regional hospital that served the county.

  “Exactly.” Tara absently laid down the cleaning cloth she was still clutching in her hand. “I’m not proud of this, but I used to be addicted to prescription painkillers.” A flush rose from her neck, staining her cheeks.

  Luna gave her another quick hug. “You poor thing.”

  “They really took over my life. I had no idea what I was in for. I’d been in a car accident a couple of years ago and the doctor prescribed them for the back pain I was having. It was the kind of pain that was just always around—I couldn’t shake it. I guess I must have an addictive personality though, because I ended up getting hooked.”

  “And Ellie somehow found out about it?” I asked.

  Tara nodded. “I was desperate,” she said in a soft voice. “I was out of drugs and having withdrawal side effects. Plus, I was low-energy and had lost weight. I looked really awful.”

  Looking at Tara now, it was hard to imagine. She was the picture of health. Tara was clearly free from the grasp of addiction now.

  I said, “Ellie always seemed really perceptive.” And, I thought, very nosy.

  “Exactly. She noticed and asked me right away what was wrong. When I hesitated, she asked if I was ‘on something.’ She said my eyes were really bloodshot. As soon as she asked me
, I couldn’t help but spill everything. I was so relieved to finally tell somebody and ask for help.”

  Luna said, “So you asked Ellie to help find you a way to stop using the prescription drugs?”

  Tara snorted. “You’re sweet, Luna. I can tell you’ve never been an addict. No, I’m afraid I didn’t ask for her help to stop using. Instead, I asked Ellie for money.”

  What did Ellie say?” I asked curiously.

  “Oh, she seemed worried about me, and super-supportive,” said Tara bitterly. “But I didn’t think about one thing until later.”

  “What’s that?” asked Luna.

  “The fact she was pumping me for information. I thought she was just being a good friend and being an ear for me . . . letting me spill out all my troubles. But she was really just gathering all my secrets and the fact I worked at a sensitive job: with pharmaceuticals at the hospital. Once she got everything she needed, she started asking me for money.”

  I said quietly, “But you weren’t really in a position to pay.”

  “Of course not. I laughed in her face when she asked me. I was the one originally asking her for money.”

  “So what did you do?” asked Luna.

  “What could I do? I didn’t have anything to pay her with. I couldn’t even afford my own habit. That’s when the hospital laid me off, too—nothing to do with my drug use. I got the job here, cleaned myself up, and tried to get my life back on track.”

  “Did Ellie give up with the blackmail demands?” I asked. My mind returned to Linus and the fact he’d just overheard Ellie and Tara only a few days earlier.

  “Nope. I don’t think ‘giving up’ is a phrase Ellie is familiar with. She’s still trying to shake me down. Y’all work with her every day, so watch your backs. Keep your secrets to yourselves.”

  Luna and I looked at each other as we realized we hadn’t given Tara the news yet.

  “Tara, that’s why we’re here. Ellie is dead,” said Luna.

  A mix of emotions passed over Tara’s features. I saw relief, which I expected and understood, but also a glimpse of surprise and then, finally, concern.