I was careful not to immediately look, but when I did, I spotted her at the checkout counter, sorting clothes that had been brought in into different piles. I remembered Luna’s devilish look and said, “You must have had a good idea she was going to be here since you’ve shopped here before.”
Luna looked pleased with herself. “I’ve seen her here before and thought we might want to do a little investigating while you shop. She’s a bit long in the tooth to be a regular member. She must be a sustainer and just enjoys volunteering here.”
I smiled to myself. Luna read a lot of Nancy Drew books as a child and clearly still relished the idea of being part of an investigation. It was another reason why she and Burton would make such a good match if she would just open her eyes.
It was truly a pleasant shop. There was old pop music from the 70s playing softly in the background and the assorted clothes were in pleasing shades. The shop was well-organized and bright and cheery and there were a good number of women who were looking through the selection. Plus, you couldn’t beat the fact it was all consignment and the prices fit my budget. It definitely didn’t seem a bad place to volunteer.
Luna steered me toward some clothes that fit in with her sense of fun but weren’t too crazy for me. The colors were bright but not over the top, and the style was straightforward. I walked over to Sunny to see if I could try them on in one of the three fitting rooms at the back of the room.
Sunny looked up at me distracted, her blonde hair falling over her face. As she absently pushed it away, she gave me a surprised look. “Hi there! It’s Ann, isn’t it? Sorry, I should definitely know everyone at the library, being on the board, but somehow I’m not as good with names as I should be.” She looked solemn suddenly. “I think Wilson mentioned to me that you were the one who found Ellie yesterday morning. I’m so sorry.”
I nodded, looking serious. “We feel awful about what happened to Ellie. It’s been quite a week.”
Sunny nodded back, her face carefully emotionless. “It really must have been. And now you’re maybe doing some shopping to try to cheer up a little?”
I gave her a wry look. “It’s more that my coworker Luna has decided I need to wear more color, at least in terms of my casual-wear wardrobe. I might possibly have a date in my future and everything I have at home is pretty . . .”
“Dry and boring?” chirped Luna from behind me.
“I was going to say neutral.”
Sunny was wearing neutrals herself, a tan skirt and black top that I had a feeling did not come from Nearly New. She nodded and gave me a considering look. “You could get away with neutrals for your date if you had some fun jewelry to make them seem a little less professional.”
“Apparently, I don’t own any fun jewelry,” I said dryly, remembering the state of my jewelry box.
Sunny continued looking thoughtfully at me as if I were a puzzle to figure out. “Got it. All right, so let’s do two things. Let’s find fun jewelry for future dates and outings so you can go from work to evening quickly and let’s try and find a few pieces that are a bit brighter on the color palette. How do you feel about patterns?”
My expression must have shown exactly how I felt about patterns because Sunny chuckled. “I see.”
Luna rolled her eyes. “For heaven’s sake, Ann. Just try something on. You might find you really like it. That’s the great thing about trying stuff on—you can see different versions of yourself and decide whether you like them or not. Patterns can be very subtle. It doesn’t mean you have to wear big stripes or something.”
Sunny said, “I do have a few prints that I’ve been eyeing. One has tiny dots on a navy background and one is a small floral pattern on a black background. One’s a blouse you can wear with your neutral slacks and the other is a dress.”
Luna clasped her hands together. “A dress!”
I ended up taking both back into the changing room to try them on. While I was in there, Luna and Sunny managed to locate a lemon-colored top, a green blouse, and some other prints and colors. A few times I came out of the dressing room to show them (Luna seemed to like everything) and a few times the vision in the mirror in front of me was so bad that I didn’t leave the dressing room at all.
I finally decided on both the dot and floral prints and the lemon-colored blouse. Then I was handed an assortment of jewelry to liven up my usual outfits. I ended up with a pair of drop earrings, stacked bangle bracelets, and a multicolored necklace. Luna picked up a few things, too.
It looked like a lot of stuff and I sort of held my breath as Sunny rang it all up. When she told me they were all just $25, I let the breath out in relief. I was definitely going to have to come back to Nearly New.
As I pulled my debit card out, Sunny said, “Have you heard anything else about Ellie? I’m planning on going to the funeral service, of course.”
Luna and I glanced at each other. I said, “I haven’t heard anything about the service, no. I did speak with her sister yesterday and it sounded like she was starting to plan something, but I don’t know when it’s going to be.”
Sunny nodded absently and then said, “Have you heard if the police have any leads? It did sound as if it was a deliberate act and not an accident.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I’m sure Burton will conduct a very thorough investigation.”
Luna, never one to beat around the bush, said, “They’re thinking it happened that night around the time the library was closing. Were you out and about then?”
Sunny gave her a startled look and Luna continued with a laugh, “I mean, were you out where you might have witnessed anything going on at the library? I’m starting to think no one goes out in this town after eight o’clock.”
Sunny said slowly, “No, I’m afraid I was at home and didn’t see anything at all.” She gave me a tight smile. “I hope you enjoy your new clothes, Ann, and that you have a good time on your date.”
That definitely seemed like a dismissal.
Back in the car, I mused, “You know, she definitely doesn’t seem like a Sunny, which implies something far lighter and happier.”
“Reserved is the word that comes to mind,” said Luna with a snort. “I guess that’s not a name, though.” She glanced over at me. “I thought it was interesting that she acted like she really didn’t know Ellie. Like she was just some random new librarian and not a woman trying to ruin her life by breaking up her marriage.”
“Well, that’s hardly something she was going to bring up with us, was it? She knows us on a professional level, after all. She wasn’t going to start spewing out her personal life to us. That would be weird.”
Luna said, “True. But I think the way she was acting was even weirder. She’s going to go to Ellie’s funeral as if she’s someone who cared about her?”
“She has to act like any other trustee. Sunny wouldn’t want to draw attention to herself. She’s probably hoping no one knows about her interactions with Ellie. But that’s where she’s wrong.”
Luna said, “I thought I spotted you with Burton earlier. Did you fill him in?”
“I did. I figured he could sort through all the information I had and make sense out of it. I mean, maybe some of the stuff we heard is off-track but it’s not our responsibility to separate the truth from the lies, is it?” I frowned over at Luna. It was a point that was bothering me a little. I didn’t like implicating people I knew, but I liked keeping damaging information to myself even less.
Luna said stoutly, “You did the right thing, Ann. You mentioned Frank Morrison, I hope? That was so messed up. I hope Burton throws the book at him.” She pulled into my driveway.
“Can he, though? For one thing, it’s hearsay. For another, the source of the hearsay is dead. There weren’t any witnesses.”
Luna said, “There’s got to be something he can do. Maybe he can catch Frank off-guard during an interview and get him to admit to it. Anyway, I’m not happy with him working at the library, under the circumstances.”
>
“I was going to mention it to Wilson, but I haven’t had a chance yet.” I still felt a little uneasy about it, considering it was basically just a rumor, but I felt like Wilson needed to at least know and then he could decide for himself. Frank wasn’t a full employee, after all, just a contract worker.
I suddenly felt very tired. Whether it was because I felt I was suddenly surrounded by people with questionable ethics or whether it was because going shopping had been exhausting, I had no idea.
Luna apparently picked up on it. “Hey, you look wiped. Why don’t you go in and lie down for a while and snuggle with Fitz? You’ve got something to eat for supper, right?”
I did still need to make a run to the grocery store, but I just didn’t feel up to it right then. “I think I can make myself a can of tomato soup or a grilled cheese sandwich. I’ll be fine. I’m mostly just tired, not hungry.”
Luna appeared to be getting into maternal mode. “Stay hydrated and get some rest. You know, you don’t have to come in tomorrow. You could call Wilson and he’d totally understand.”
I shook my head. “I’d be worse just moping around home the whole day. Better to stay distracted and keep busy, right?” I opened the car door and stepped out, gathering my bags and giving her a wave. “Thanks for all your help.”
I went in and started a load of laundry of my new, used, clothes and then sat down on the sofa to cuddle Fitz, who’d been watching me solemnly as I started the washer. I read for a little while, then turned on the TV to watch the news. The news, however, stressed me out, so I switched it off and opted to head off to bed after putting my things in the dryer. It felt good to be stretched out with Fitz curled up next to my side. Soon, I fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, I woke up feeling refreshed. I showered and then looked in my closet to pull out one of the outfits that I thought of as my “uniform” for work. But then I hesitated. Maybe a change would cheer me up a little. I ran the dryer again for a few minutes to get the wrinkles out that had set in overnight and then pulled out the lemon-colored blouse and paired it with a couple of bangles, hoping they wouldn’t drive me too crazy as I typed at work during the day.
When I arrived with Fitz at the library, Luna was already there, preparing for her early storytime with the toddler crowd. When she spotted me, her eyes opened wide.
“A date? Tonight?” she asked.
“No and no,” I said lightly. “I just thought I’d give some of my new things a spin, that’s all. I haven’t heard from Connor at all, nor did I expect to.” This wasn’t completely true, only because he seemed so determined to follow up with me to set our next outing up. But it wasn’t as if I was dwelling on it.
Luna frowned. “Well, he might be trying to just give you a little space. He wouldn’t want to act as if he was coming on too strong. I’m glad you’re brightening up your work clothes! You’re going to make us all smile today . . . that lemon is pretty cheerful.”
She hurried off to finish setting up the storytime as the first toddlers and moms filed in and I dove into my emails.
I rubbed my head as I saw there were two already asking about the tech drop-in. It had to be really frustrating for the patrons who were having trouble with their computers—in this day and age, it could really mess you up on a number of levels not to be able to communicate or get information like you wanted to. I sent an email to Timothy to ask him what his availability looked like so I could send an answer along to the patrons as to the date for the event. Then I started working on the column I wrote for the newspaper on behalf of the library.
That’s what I was deeply engrossed in when I heard someone say my name. I jumped and then smiled sheepishly at Grayson, who had apparently been standing right in front of me for some time.
“Sorry,” I said. “I’m actually working on the column for you and obviously got a little too absorbed in it.”
He grinned at me. “Hey, I’m glad to see you take it so seriously. Not that I ever had any doubt, though.”
“Did you need anything?”
“No, just saying hi. I’m here to do some research on a story about Whitby’s history and just thought I’d run by the desk. Oh, and did you want to plan a day for our picnic and hike?”
“Sure, just let me pull my calendar up so I can see what my work schedule looks like.” I got my phone out and opened the calendar app. While I was doing that, I heard my name again, a different voice this time.
It was Connor, looking pleased to see me and giving me that confident smile of his as he stood there in his scrubs. “Hey, Ann,” he said. “Just getting off a shift and thought I’d stick my head in and see if you wanted to catch supper with me again.”
I watched curiously as Grayson’s mouth tightened into a displeased frown. He didn’t seem to like Connor very much. I’d like to think it had something to do with me, but after so much time spent in just-friends territory, I suspected it might be something else.
Connor, at any rate, seemed either oblivious or immune to his dislike. He stuck his hand out and said, “Hi, I’m Connor.” He smiled his impish smile, blue eyes dancing.
Grayson grunted and rather reluctantly extended his own hand. “Grayson.”
“Good to meet you!” said Connor warmly before turning back to me. “What do you say, Ann? Free tonight? How late are you working?”
“Just until six tonight and then I’ll have to run Fitz back home. But supper would be great,” I said.
“Wonderful,” he said, flashing his sparkly grin at me again. “Sorry to interrupt you guys. See you later, Ann.”
Grayson watched Connor as he practically skipped out the building and headed for his sports car. “I don’t think I’ve seen him around town. Is he new here?”
“New and not-new at the same time. He grew up here in Whitby, but then left to go to school and have his residency.”
“A doctor, then.” Grayson crinkled up his forehead. “Well, that explains the car and the scrubs. Did you know him when you were growing up?”
Grayson had only been in Whitby for the last year or two. I said lightly, “Yes, we were friends. Actually, we dated for a while when we were in high school. We’ve been catching up.”
“That’s nice,” said Grayson a little stiffly.
“Anyway, back to the hike and picnic,” I said. “It looks like I have some free time on Sunday, if that works for you?”
Grayson still looked rather bemused as if he’d totally lost his focus. “Right. Sunday works for me, too. I’ll call you and set up a time later.”
“Okay, sounds good.” I watched him head out of the library and then tried to get back into my column for the newspaper.
When Luna checked back in with me late in the afternoon after we’d both had a busy day, she said, “Want to go grab some food out? I saw the deli was having a buy-one-get-one-half-off.”
“I would, but Connor ran by here a while ago and asked me to dinner. I guess I’ll just focus on my leftovers in the breakroom,” I said. Then I smiled as Luna’s face lit up.
“He did? Why didn’t you say so earlier? It’s that lemon-colored top, I’m telling you. He couldn’t resist you.”
I shrugged and gave a laugh. “Whatever. Like I said, I still think we’re mostly just friends. At any rate, it’s fun to go out and do things.”
Luna said with a frown, “Didn’t I see Grayson come in earlier, too?”
I scooped up Fitz, who had seen me collecting my things and knew it must be time for us to go home. “Yes, he came by to set up our hike and picnic.”
Luna’s eyebrows flew up. “Really? I’m sensing a love triangle.”
“Your senses are sadly off. Malfunctioning, actually. Grayson and I, as usual, are doing something strictly as friends and so that he can write a story on local hikes for the paper.”
Luna looked disappointed. “We really could use a love triangle, you know. It would liven up things at the library.”
I put Fitz in the cat carrier and said, “As far as
this dinner goes tonight, I’m mostly just trying to be open to see where things lead. Connor is easy to be with and it’s kind of flattering to get the attention, to be perfectly honest. If nothing else, he’s fun to be with.”
Luna said, “Go have fun. If anybody deserves it, you do.”
Chapter Eleven
After taking Fitz back home and feeding him, the phone rang. It was Connor, sounding regretful. “I hate this, but a coworker asked me to trade shifts with him because he’s having some sort of family emergency. I’m so sorry.”
“No worries, Connor. That’s nice of you to step in like that. Didn’t you just get off a long shift, though?”
“Afraid so. But I did have a few hours in-between and took a nap and a shower, so it’s not as bad as it could be. I mostly feel bad about supper. Can we take a raincheck?”
I said, “Of course we can. Anytime.”
As I hung up, I reflected that part of me did feel a very mild disappointment. But part of me was relieved to just spend a quiet evening at home with some mac and cheese, my book, and Fitz. I wondered if I’d have had the same reaction if it had been Grayson.
A couple of days went by, thankfully uneventfully. I sent Grayson over the column I’d written for the newspaper full of book recommendations and upcoming library events—and was even able to mention the tech drop-in date, since I’d coordinated a date with Timothy for that. Connor and I didn’t have the supper, but we did have lunch and it was just as fun as our first outing together had been, with lots of laughing and reminiscences.
Then things got quite a bit more solemn as the date for Ellie’s funeral came. Wilson had coordinated the schedule so he and I could both be there as representatives for the library. He felt positive there would also be a couple of library trustees, if not more. The day was blustery and gray and seemed fit for a funeral, especially one for a young person. When Wilson and I arrived at the cemetery for the graveside service, Pris was already there, speaking with the funeral director and looking pale and drawn.
Wilson murmured to me, “I suppose we’ll stand in the back, to make room for family under the tent.”
Hush-Hush Page 9
