Page 38 of Secrets in the Stacks

Shirley set the tray down and opened the dishwasher door. She rinsed glasses as she talked. “I first met Catherine at church. She came in with Jeff, who must have been eighteen or so at the time. The minister had introduced them at service, and I was in charge of the women’s group then. Naturally, I invited her and Jeff to have lunch with George and me. Of course, George decided to go right home. He had some project he was working on. He was always puttering in the garage, trying to invent the next big thing. His mind would come up with such crazy ideas.”

Rarity could see Shirley smiling as she remembered the man her husband used to be. It hurt her heart for her friend to know he was lost to her now. “He sounds like he loved doing stuff with his hands.”

“Oh, he did.” Shirley blinked several times, then continued the story. “Anyway, I don’t think Jeff wanted to be there either, but Catherine made him come. He left the table as soon as we’d ordered and went to watch some kid play the video game that the Garnet used to have in the corner. You could still see the kids across the dining room, but they had a little separation from hanging out with the boring adults.”

“I was always too scared to try those games. It takes a while to figure out what you’re doing. I didn’t want to lose all my money learning,” Sam said from where she was now filling small plates with lasagna. “We’re officially out of cookies. I put two more casseroles into the oven to warm up. It doesn’t seem like people are leaving anytime soon.”

“Yeah, I noticed that. Darby’s going to be worn out by the time this is over.” Rarity stepped closer to Shirley and started to rinse and dry the trays. “So what did Catherine say about her husband?”

“Not much at first; then I found out why. It was horrible. He’d been murdered right outside their home. He’d come home from work. He was an engineer, I believe, one of those guys who works with electricity. Anyway, the rumor mill said it was a random killing, and no one was ever charged with the crime, so Catherine decided to come live here full-time. They’d visited the area before, and she wanted a change of scenery.” Shirley rinsed the last glass and started on the little plates. “I need to get the dishwasher going, or she’s not going to have a clean plate or fork in the house.”

“Oh, no, I don’t think that’s possible. Catherine had tons of dinnerware. I think every time she bought a new set, she must have kept the old one.” Sam pointed to a set of cupboards at the other side of the kitchen. “There are more in there.”

“Okay, then. We’ll just keep washing.” Rarity dried another tray and set it over by where Sam was working. “Catherine must have been heartbroken.”

“Oh, she was. Over the years, she had many offers for coffee dates from local single men, but she never took anyone up on it. She said she’d had her one great love, and she wasn’t going to put anyone else in that position again.” Shirley closed the dishwasher and dried her hands. “I think we can do another pass to gather plates and such, then this will be filled. Then we’ll just have to rinse and stack. I’d rather run these through the dishwasher to get them sterilized since so many people are here. I’d hate to get Darby sick.”

Rarity ran over what Shirley had said just now. Something was bothering her. “Wait, before you go out again. Catherine said she didn’t want to put anyone in that position again? What position?”

Shirley hung the towel she’d been using on the refrigerator door handle. Then she turned back to Rarity. “You know, I never asked her. I assumed she meant no one could replace her husband in her heart. But you’re right; the way she phrased it was different.”

“Different like she thought she had put him in danger. We need to find out where Catherine and her husband came from and read up on his death. Maybe that will give us some clues.” Rarity filled a tray with the plates Sam had just filled with food. “Another thing I wanted to ask Darby’s parents about before they skipped town.”

Shirley stood next to her and filled a tray. “We don’t have to bother Darby with this. I can find out from my old church records. I told you I was in charge of the women’s group back then. I should still have the get-to-know-you form she filled out when they joined.”

“You have an application for joining the church?” Sam giggled at the look Shirley gave her.

“It’s not like that. The form is just some background information to help the newcomer settle in faster and see what roles more suit their style and their experience. It’s not an application. No one gets turned away based on the answers on the form.” Shirley didn’t meet Rarity’s gaze.

“So you use it to figure out who can be useful in different spots. I get it.” Sam grabbed her own tray and filled it.

“You’re twisting my words, but I won’t play into your game. Anyway, I must have her original form at home in my church file. I’ll find it tonight and give you a call.”

“If I don’t pick up, I might be at dinner with Archer,” Rarity said. “But leave a message or call me at the store tomorrow. I gave Darby the weekend off, so I’m going to be busy this weekend if anyone stops by.”

“Didn’t you get the email from the chamber? We’ve got two tour buses coming in on Saturday and one on Sunday. They wanted to alert all the businesses so they could have extra staff on board. And you let your one and only staff member have the day off?” Sam shook her head. “Seriously, you need another full-time staff member. You can’t just keep getting by on your own with Darby coming in here and there.”

“She needed the job and is still going to Flagstaff for school. Anyone with a heart would have hired her.” Rarity didn’t know why Sam’s statement was making her defensive. Sam was just being Sam. She took a deep breath and let it out. “Sorry, I think this murder has me on edge. You’re right, I need another employee. I’ll start the process tomorrow.”

“I could work if you want more help,” Shirley said from the door, where she had been taking out food until she’d heard their argument.

“Shirley? Are you sure? You have a lot going on with George and all.” Rarity bit her tongue. She was about to out the worst-kept secret in Sedona. The fact that George was in a long-term care facility. “We can work around what you need, but maybe you’d rather be hanging out with George than working in the store.”

“Believe me, George will thank you. I think he’s getting a little fed up with me always being around.” Shirley used her back to open the door to the dining room and then disappeared.

When Rarity could finally take a breath, she looked at Sam. “Do you think she’s open enough to tell her we know about George?”

“No, I think she’s just lonely and wants to be useful.” Sam grinned. “I’ve been watching Oprah on my lunch hour. By the end of the month, I should be able to counsel people professionally. And, bonus, I’ll be able to get all the town gossip from my clients.”

Chapter 16

Two hours later, the house was nearly empty, and all the food that had been brought had been eaten or thrown out, and the dishes were back on the dining room table with names on the bottom. Shirley had suggested cleaning up the pans and dishes as they went through the fridge and then putting them out for people who’d come to the wake to take their dishes back.

“I’ve frozen several individual servings of some of the better casseroles so you can just pop them into the oven or microwave, and you have dinner.” Shirley was explaining the process to Darby. “And if you still have pans here next week, let me know, and I’ll take them over to the church on Sunday and see how many we can get back to their owners.”

Sam and Rarity exchanged a glance. Shirley was in her element. The sadness they’d picked up on a few months ago had dissolved in this flurry of taking care of someone else.

“Thanks for everything, guys. I could have cleaned up after the party. It would have given me something to do.” Darby glanced around the almost clean kitchen.

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