Page 5 of Murder on the Page

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book!”

—Caroline Bingley, in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

Isnatched my cell phone from Tegan. “Marigold, it’s Allie. Are you okay?” I heard athudthrough the line. “Oh, no! She must have fallen. Tegan, wasn’t anyone at the bookstore when you left?”

“Uh-uh. Auntie was gearing up for her meeting and wanted privacy.”

“Let’s go.”

I removed my cap, raced out of the kitchen, grabbed my peacoat and threw Tegan her parka, and we hightailed it to the Ford Transit.

Like Dream Cuisine, the bookstore was located on Main Street but closer to Mountain Road. I parked in the public parking on Holly Street and raced to the shop. Tegan slogged behind me, panting heavily. It wasn’t the altitude affecting her. Bramblewood was no more than two thousand feet above sea level, but some people, like Tegan, who wasn’t a jogger, let alone a runner, could suffer.

“Slow down if you have to,” I said. “I’ve got this.” I took extensive hikes weekly and tried to run at least two miles every other day. A caterer needed to keep fit.

I jammed toward Feast for the Eyes. Posters for the upcoming Celtic Festival were everywhere. Unlike Asheville’s festival, which was held in the winter, our Celtic Festival occurred in the spring, both indoors and outdoors at the Bramblewood Park and Rec Center, which abutted the park. Posters, such asGet in touch with your Celtic roots ! Dress up!andImmerse yourself in the history!,abounded.Tegan and I had discussed joining in the fun. Over the years, we’d attended many Renaissance fairs and other costumed occasions.

TheCLOSEDsign on the bookshop was visible, but the door was ajar, not locked as I’d expected it to be. “Marigold!” I called upon entering. I dashed past the year-round book tree decorated with miniature book ornaments and yelled again.

The floor plan of the shop included four aisles to the right and three to the left, plus a reading nook fitted with an L-shaped couch, an assortment of beanbags, and midcentury modern upholstered chairs. A display island was positioned in front of the sales counter. The stockroom and office were beyond it.

I peered down the first aisle to my left, its shelves packed with books. Marigold wasn’t lying on the floor. She hadn’t fallen off the rolling ladder. “Marigold!”

No answer.

I peeked down all of the other aisles and into the reading nook. Empty. I checked inside the customer bathroom beyond the nook. It was vacant.

“Tegan, where’s Chloe?” I asked. She was the other clerk. “Didn’t she come in today?”

“Yes, but she left for a dental appointment.”

“Marigold!” I yelled again.

Maybe she was in the office. It was visible from the main shop, although the blinds on the picture window were drawn.

Someone moaned. I peeked past the island of books and caught sight of feet in black ballet slippers jutting from behind the sales counter.

“Oh, no!”

I darted to Marigold and bent down. She was lying faceup, eyes open, mouth agape. Her wispy silver hair haloed her aging face. The diamond pendant she always wore was askew. Her aqua-blue painter’s smock was bunched around her black trousers. Pencils and Post-it notepads had spilled from the smock’s pockets.

I took her hand and patted it. “Marigold, it’s me, Allie.” Having catered at the Eatery, I’d seen my fair share of people passed out from overdrinking alcohol, overeating, and the like. I was trained in CPR. I was familiar with how to check for a victim’s responsiveness and other life-threatening conditions. And I knew enough to turn a victim struggling for breath onto her back. Fortunately, I didn’t have to in this case.

Marigold’s eyes blinked open. She focused on my face.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“Mm-hmm,”she murmured. “I think so, dear.”

“Allie!” Tegan yelled. “Where are you?”

“Over here.” I kept my focus on Marigold. “What happened?”

“I’m not exactly sure.” She licked her parched lips. “I must have fainted.”

“Is it possible you had an episode?”

“I don’t think so. I never have.”

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