Page 12 of Secrets in the Stacks

“You’re saying my exercise for the day would be your cooldown? Way to make me feel like a slacker.” Rarity paused at the corner to talk to her neighbor.

“Sorry, old habits from my military days, I’m afraid. And since I couldn’t ride a bike on my ship, I’m loving this scenery.” He leaned down and scratched Killer’s head. “Your friend okay after losing her grandmother?”

Rarity thought about seeing Darby this weekend. “I’m not sure okay is quite the word yet, but I think she’ll get there. Grief is a hard process.”

“It seems to get easier as we age. At least that’s been my experience. I’ve gone to three funerals this year, and I’m sure there will be more to come. But your friend is young. She’s going to hurt with this loss, I’m afraid.” He nodded to the street that led to Main. “Do you want me to walk you to the store? I was just going home to make me some breakfast. I can take a detour.”

“I’m fine.” She nodded at Killer. “Like you said, I have security.”

“Okay, but I’m going to tell him he did a bad job at your funeral if something happens.” Terrance shook a finger at Killer. “Don’t you forget that, little man.”

Killer barked as if to say, I’m on the case.

Rarity laughed and shrugged. “Like I said, he’s got it.”

“Let me know if you want to start walking with me.” Terrance waved and headed down their street to his house.

When they got to the bookstore, Killer took advantage of the time it took for her to unlock the door to use his little patch of fake grass by the door. She held the door open for him and praised him as they went inside. She’d been lucky that Martha, Killer’s previous owner, had done a good job potty training him. And the fact that Rarity generously used treat rewards hadn’t hurt. She set her tote down and grabbed a treat from the bowl on the counter. Then she released his leash and gave him his treat. He took it and ran to his bed by the fireplace.

Routines. They were the focus of her life. When she went through cancer treatment, she’d kept up her routines as much as possible to make her life feel at least a little normal. Of course, kicking out Kevin from the house they’d shared for several years had changed several of her practices, but for the better. She didn’t have to make a full dinner every night anymore. She could walk to the nearest restaurant and have a salad, then walk home, getting both her meal and her exercise time in. She’d thought she would be lonely sans Kevin, but instead, she felt liberated. Now she had a completely new life.

Rarity started some coffee and got to work on the boxes they’d brought back from the festival. She’d just opened the last box when the bell went off and the door opened. “Good morning, welcome to The Next Chapter.”

The man who walked in looked familiar. When he smiled as he walked toward her, she realized he’d been at the festival. He held up a hand and said, “Good morning.”

He’d been the one to ask her if she had a specific copy of a Winston Churchill book on Saturday. She held it up as he walked toward her. “My assistant found this and brought it back to the festival, but we didn’t see you.”

“Sorry, my afternoon got busy, and I didn’t make it back.” He opened his wallet and pulled out two twenties. “That’s why I’m here now, to buy the book. I hope I didn’t cause you a lot of trouble.”

“None at all,” Rarity lied. Darby had mentioned that the book had been mis-shelved with fiction, but she’d seen it as she was grabbing some more titles for the festival. “You’re lucky we found it, though. Someone must have put it in the wrong place when they were browsing.”

She rang up the purchases and gave him his change and the receipt. She held up a bookmark. “I can sign you up for a nonfiction newsletter if you give me your details. Bonus, you get a coupon for fifty percent off your next purchase. I can do it now if you want.”

He took the money and put it neatly back into his pocket and put the change into a jar she had sitting on the table. It wasn’t quite a tip jar, more a “find a penny, need a penny” place. “Actually, I’m not local, so I won’t be able to use it.”

“Okay, but if you change your mind, I can ship to your home address too.” Rarity put the bookmark into the book and then slipped it into a paper bag.

“Where is your assistant? Is she working today?” He glanced around the lobby, his gaze lingering on Killer, who was now standing near his bed by the fireplace, watching the visitor.

The door opened again, and Jonathon Anderson came inside. Killer yipped a greeting, and the man by the counter stepped back.

“Sorry, I’ve got to run.” He held up the bag. “Thanks for holding this for me.”

Jonathon held the door open for the man as he almost ran out of the store. He came up to the counter. “I hope I didn’t interrupt something.”

Rarity watched the man through the window as he paused and dropped something in the trash can by Madame Zelda’s shop. Weird. He was all chatty until Jonathon had arrived. “No, of course not. I think he must not like a lot of people around. What can I do for you?”

By the time Jonathon wandered through the store and picked out several books, Darby had arrived. Killer ran to her and stood on her legs, asking to be picked up. She reached down, and he cuddled into her.

“How are you doing?” Rarity asked softly. Jonathon was on the other side of the store, but if Darby wasn’t up to working, she needed to know so she could send her home. Or at least to Holly’s house.

She rubbed Killer’s ears. “I’m better. Still sad. A little mad about what happened. Mr. Anderson called yesterday. They confirmed it’s a murder.”

“I know it’s hard. But if you need more time off, you don’t have to work today. Or even this week.”

Darby wiped her hand over her cheek. “I want to be here. Besides, Malia and Holly said that maybe the book club could help. You know, like you solved Martha’s murder before?”

“We didn’t really solve it,” Rarity said as she saw Jonathon coming up to add one more book to his pile. “The police solved it.”

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