Page 40 of Secrets in the Stacks

Darby nodded. “Chloe Evans, the minister’s wife? She asked if she could retrieve a book she’d lent Grandma. I went in with her, and she found it right away on the desk. Something about bringing hope to third world countries. I checked, and she had her name in the book. So you might want to take that off the inventory list.”

“Okay, I’ll do that as soon as I get home. I’ve got the list there. Do you remember who the author was?” Rarity pulled out a notebook and pen from her bag.

Darby closed her eyes and paused for a moment. “Let’s see. The book was called Hope for the Future, and the author was a woman. Cheryl something.”

Rarity’s fingers froze as she looked up from writing the note. “Cheryl Jackson?”

Darby nodded. “Do you know the author? I hadn’t heard of her, but Grandma had several of her books. I thought she wrote fiction, though, for some reason.”

“I have some local Sedona guidebooks by an author of that name at the bookstore. I’ll take this one off the inventory list.” Rarity didn’t want to alarm Darby, and besides, Catherine borrowing this book didn’t mean anything. Not really. It was just a coincidence. But something was nagging at her. She turned to Shirley. “Did you happen to know Cheryl Jackson?”

“The author of the book?” Shirley looked confused. “Why, do you think she came to talk to the women’s group?”

“Maybe. After finding her Sedona guidebooks, I was researching the author. Her bio says she lived in Sedona. I wanted to see if I could get her to come in for a signing, but I can’t seem to find her.” Rarity finished her note and tucked the book back into her tote.

“I don’t know everyone who ever lived in Sedona, dear.” Shirley chuckled at the idea. “We’ve only been down here, well, about twenty-five years now. After George retired from the mine.”

“Sorry, I know it was a long shot, but I thought I’d ask.” She turned back to Archer. “Are you ready to go, then?”

“I’m starving.” He nodded to the others. “Darby, feel free to call me if you need anything with the house or whatever. I may not be able to fix all the problems, but I can get you hooked up with local contractors who will give you a fair price. Shirley, that goes for you and George too. I suspect the last thing he wants to do is handle anything to do with plumbing now.”

Shirley’s smile looked sad. “That’s very kind of you, Archer.”

Darby nodded as well. “Thanks. I have Grandma’s address book, but she doesn’t list people by what they did. I’m not sure if a name is a friend, a church member, or a contractor. It’s a little frustrating. I guess I should have paid more attention when she talked about who she was hiring for house stuff.”

“You didn’t know you would need to know these things.” Rarity wanted to give Darby another hug but thought she might have been overwhelmed with emotions today. “Anyway, the same offer from me. I can’t tell you who to hire as a plumber, but I can help you talk through some decisions when you want to make them.”

“Thanks.” Darby wiped at her eyes. “I appreciate all your help. I guess I can’t expect my folks to return anytime soon.”

Shirley patted her hand but let the comment slide.

“Okay, we’re out of here, then.” Archer took Rarity’s hand. “Dinner awaits.”

The street outside the house was empty except for Shirley’s oversized SUV. Archer pointed to the street sign on the next block. “I’m parked down there. Do you want to walk with me?”

“Please. I need to stretch my legs after playing catering staff all afternoon. My feet hurt from being on them all day, but I moved in short bursts. A walk would do me good. Can we stop at the house before we go to the restaurant? I’d like to let Killer out.” Rarity adjusted her tote as they started walking. “I hope this helps Darby start healing. I don’t think she’s had time to think since her grandmother passed.”

“I can’t believe Jeff and Sara took off like that. I’d call and try to track him down again, but I’m thinking it’s a lost cause.” He pulled his keys out of his pants pocket.

“Darby was really upset. I wonder what scared them.” Rarity stopped on the sidewalk. “Darby said she told them about the break-in, and then they decided they had to leave. Why would a break-in make them disappear?”

“That’s a question for Drew.” Archer unlocked the Jeep and opened the door for her. “But I bet it’s one he hasn’t thought of yet. You should call him.”

Rarity tried to call while Archer drove them to her house. When she got his voice mail, she left a long message outlining what had happened between Darby and her parents. And then she added a personal request. “Please don’t call her tonight. Holly and Malia are taking her to dinner. She needs some time to decompress from the funeral and everything today. Well, bye.”

Archer pulled the Jeep into her driveway. “I’ll wait here unless you think it’s going to be a while. I’ve got some voice mails that I hope are reservations for tomorrow’s hike.”

“I’ll let Killer out and check his food. I might change into something casual, if you don’t mind.”

“As long as you don’t go shorts and a tank, I’m fine. You realize I’m in a suit.” He put the Jeep in park and left it running to keep the air conditioner going. “See you in a few.”

“I’ll put on a pretty sundress, just so we look like it’s a real date.” She slipped out of the Jeep and hurried to the front porch, taking her keys out as she walked.

Killer was at the door, barking when she opened it. She nodded to the back door. “Do you want to go outside?”

He ran to the door, and after she let him out, she went to change. He was still sniffing around the fence area when she was finished, so she refilled his water bowl and his dry food. Then she pulled out the inventory lists from Darby’s library. She studied each page, noting in her notebook each time a book written by Cheryl Jackson was listed. Then she crossed out the one the minister’s wife had retrieved for her own library.

Maybe she needed to visit with Mrs. Evans and see what she knew about this elusive author. Killer barked at the back door, and she put away the lists and went to let him in. Then she forgot about the funeral and the missing author and went out to have a nice dinner with her boyfriend.

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