Page 51 of Murder on the Page

“Why, I saw—”

“Shut it, Stella!” Quinby said sharply.

The bookshop went deadly quiet. Tegan handed Quinby Canfield his money. He didn’t thank her and left with a huff.

When the door banged closed behind him, we all heaved a collective sigh.

“What a tornado!” I exclaimed.

“He’s always been like that,” Lillian said. “He has a beef against everyone and everything.”

“FYI,” Stella said, “his kid is a slacker. I know that’s not nice to say, but he won’t apply himself.”

“How does Quinby make a living?” Lillian asked. “I mean, I know he’s a landscaper, but I don’t know how he makes a go of it. Everything he plants dies.”

“He lives frugally.” Stella paid for her items, accepted a bag from Chloe, and waved good-bye.

When the door swung shut, Tegan said, “Why would Quinby lash out against Piper? So what if he saw her in the area? Lots of people roam these streets.”

Lillian said, “Well, to be truthful, Piper can be secretive.”

Being secretive didn’t make her a killer. We all kept secrets. The diaries that were wedged between my mattress were filled with them, like the time I’d downed a dozen donuts one Sunday morning at the age of ten, or having a crush on Finn Parker in sixth grade, or making a death wish in tenth grade for Heather What’s-her-name. To this day, I couldn’t remember her last name. I’d hated her because she told lies about me. The list went on. I was no saint. And I was definitely no angel. But I wasn’t a killer.

“Lillian, how is Piper secretive?” Tegan asked as she started to ring up Stella’s books.

Lillian zipped the dress bag. “Well, I was making a home delivery in her neck of the woods the other day, a really lovely ensemble that her neighbor ordered for a theater event, and I saw Piper with a younger man. They were standing just inside her front door. Hugging. When she saw me glancing her way, she closed the door.”

“How much younger?” Tegan asked.

“Over sixteen but under twenty-one. Her arms were around him.”

“He was most likely one of the students she tutors,” Tegan reasoned. “I’ll bet she was comforting him because he got a bad grade or something.”

Lillian clucked her tongue. “It didn’t look like a mercy hug to me, but what do I know?”

Uh-uh. I wouldn’t go there. Piper was not having an affair with a student, even an of-age student. On the other hand, I swallowed hard, if she was and Marigold found out, would Piper have killed her to keep the secret?

CHAPTER12

“Books—oh! no. I am sure we never read the same, or not with the same feelings.”

—Elizabeth Bennet, in Jane Austen’sPride and Prejudice

Icouldn’t stand it. I liked Piper Lowry. I had to find out the truth. After Lillian and Stella left the bookshop, I pulled up Piper’s contact in the Rolodex by the computer and dialed her using the landline.

“Hello? Who is this?” Piper answered breathlessly.

“It’s Allie Catt.”

“Oh, hi.” She whispered my name to someone nearby.

“Piper, I’ll be direct. I heard you came into Feast for the Eyes on Sunday.”

“Why does it matter to you?” she snapped, then said quickly, “I’m sorry. That was rude. I . . . I miss Marigold. I know you do, too. I can’t believe she’s dead. I hope the police will find the killer. Do you know anything about how the investigation is going?”

“That’s sort of why I’m calling. You see, Tegan is a person of interest.”Wasa person of interest. She wasn’t any longer.Zach had cleared her. “She’s my best friend. I can’t stand for her to be a suspect. So I’m sort of looking into Marigold’s murder to clear Tegan’s name.”

“Aren’t the police doing their job?”

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