Page 23 of Secrets in the Stacks

“I should have called you, but I figured Darby would tell everyone at book club.” Rarity picked up the cups and paused on the way to the back room. “Do you want coffee or something? I can’t drink another cup, but the pot’s still fresh.”

“I can be away from the store for a bit. This morning’s been dead. I know we just had a festival last weekend, but you’d think Sedona was a ghost town from my walk-ins.” She followed Rarity into the back. “I can pour my coffee if you want to be out front.”

“I need to grab a water.” Rarity hurried over to the fridge and pulled a bottle out. “I’ll be out by the fireplace. You’re probably right, I shouldn’t leave the front unattended.”

By the time Sam came back, Rarity had settled on a chair where she could see the front door. Killer curled up on her lap.

“You look cozy there.” Sam set down a plate with the last of the cookies from Tuesday night. “Tell me what happened.”

Rarity went back to Wednesday night and ran though the story again. When she finished, she leaned back into the chair. “I don’t know if moving to a small town was the best thing for me. In St. Louis, people were getting shot and dying according to the news, but I didn’t know them. I know I didn’t know Catherine, but Darby’s really hurting. And to make matters worse, she can’t get a hold of her parents. Archer said he had some contact numbers, so he’s going to try today.”

“Sedona isn’t known for its murders.” Sam reached over and squeezed Rarity’s hand. “We’ve just had a string of bad luck the last few months.”

“I can’t help but think that the only thing that’s changed here is me. Maybe I ruined the protective values of the vortex or something.” Rarity grabbed a cookie and took a bite.

Sam started laughing. “First you don’t believe in the new age stuff around here. Now you’re worried that you broke the delicate balance. Besides, if there was a max weight limit for the woo-woo part of the town, two people have died and at least two, Drew’s parents, have moved away, so you should be already on the covered list.”

“You make the mystical part of the town sound like a waiting line at the pharmacy.” Rarity could feel her shoulders relaxing a bit with Sam’s logic.

“And you sound like Daphne from Scooby Doo.” Sam glanced at her watch and stood. “Don’t worry so much. Everything’s going to turn out fine. Besides, we’ve got Darby covered now. If anyone wants to get to her, they have to go through one of us.”

Rarity followed her and stopped at the register, where Sam dropped off her coffee mug. With this many visitors, she was going to have to run the dishwasher in the break room sooner rather than later. She picked up her opening list and checked off a few things she’d completed before the redheaded man had walked into her shop and ruined her day.

She looked at Sam, who was walking toward the door. “I just hope the killer or whoever did the break-in doesn’t try anything until after tomorrow.”

“Why, so they’re on my watch?” Sam held the door open as she turned back to say goodbye.

Rarity pulled out her notebook with a list of books she needed to order. She focused on Sam. “No, I’m not worried about your nights. If they’re coming back, I just don’t want them to do it on Shirley’s nights. See you later.”

Chapter 10

When Darby came to work on Saturday morning, Rarity had decided the best plan was to go through Catherine’s books. She waited until Darby got settled, then she opened the discussion by casually asking the question. “Hey, Darby, what are your plans with the house?”

Darby leaned on the counter. “Actually, I’m not sure. I’ve been told not to make any big decisions for a while. I need to finish my degree before I even think about a future. I’d like to stay here, but there aren’t a lot of jobs besides retail in town. I’d like to work in a corporate setting in marketing, like you did.”

“Well, if you want to sell any of your grandmother’s books, I’d love to go through her library and make you an offer. You wouldn’t have to take me up on it now. I could wait, but if you at least knew what she had, it might give you some money to get by on. If you need it.” She finished the email she’d been writing and closed the laptop. “I know I mentioned this before, but if someone’s interested enough to break in to go through the books, maybe there’s something in the stacks you don’t know about.”

“I’m not sure I want to sell them, but I was thinking the same thing. I was going to ask you for a favor. I’ll pay you for your time. Is there any way you can go through the books and see if there are any other rare editions? I mean, I’ve been thinking that had to be what the person who broke in was going after, right?”

Rarity laughed and rolled her eyes. “I’m totally on the same page. I’m not sure Drew realizes what a book can be worth, and besides, he doesn’t have the time or the expertise to do an inventory. I can close the store and come over tomorrow, and we can figure out if there’s something in the study that maybe your grandmother didn’t realize was valuable either.”

“It’s a lot of books. Maybe you and Killer should come tonight, and we can get started. If there’s a rare book there and we find it and put it in a safe deposit box or something, I’ll feel better about sleeping in that house. Last night, I stayed up until midnight worrying about what would happen if someone broke in. I love Shirley, but she was asleep by nine.” Darby yawned. “I’ve got to get some coffee. Just let me know when you want to start the inventory. We can order pizza and make a night of it.”

“You realize no one besides book geeks would think inventorying a library would be a fun night.” She pointed to the back. “Coffee’s on. I just made a pot.”

While Darby was getting her coffee, Rarity sent an email to the book club. She explained their plan and invited anyone who wasn’t busy to come join their book inventory adventure. And at the bottom, she added a note to Shirley, letting her know that she’d be there tonight if Shirley didn’t want to stay over. Rarity assumed Shirley would stay, but just in case she felt conflicted about not seeing George, Rarity wanted to give her an out. The woman was busy dealing with her husband’s medical issues. She didn’t need more stress.

By the end of the day, she’d heard from the rest of the club. Sam and Shirley were both in, but Holly and Malia were working. They’d come over for dinner at eight so they could be caught up on what was going on and the theory, but then they’d go back to work.

Rarity explained the results to Darby, who was heading home early. “Holly has scheduled something for Tuesday night at book club. I tried to get it out of her, but she wants us all to be there when she makes the announcement.”

“The girl likes her drama,” Darby said as she grabbed her tote. “I’d wait and walk with you, but I’ve got homework I haven’t started that’s due on Monday. If I wait, I won’t get it done on time.”

“No worries. You need to have a life too.” She paused, wondering if Drew had talked to her. “I hate to bring up the subject, but have you started planning the funeral?”

Darby shook her head. “Not yet. He told me I could wait until Monday to hear from my folks, but then that’s it. It’s looking like the funeral will be next Wednesday or Thursday at the latest. With or without my parents.”

After Darby left, Rarity texted Archer. Have you heard from Darby’s folks yet? She’s upset.

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