Page 43 of Secrets in the Stacks

She locked the front door and turned around to see Sam on the sidewalk, waiting. She hurried over, and they took off in the direction of the Garnet. There were other restaurants, but the Garnet was close by and had a focused lunch menu. Besides, Malia worked there, so they might run into their friend as a bonus.

“Do you know where Drew went this morning? When I called to ask you about lunch, I half expected you to say you were busy as well,” Sam said as they strolled down the sidewalk.

“You know Drew and I are just friends. I’m with Archer. You shouldn’t be jealous.” Rarity looked over at Sam. “Besides, the only time I see him is if he comes by to see Killer or update me on some incident in town. Since I’m the leader of the local sleuthers’ club. Which is supposed to be an actual book club, but somehow we get dragged into these investigations.”

“It’s not our fault that bad things seem to happen to us or the ones we love.” Sam pressed her lips together. “But maybe that’s a clue too. Why are there so many murders in Sedona? Maybe it’s like that one little town that the woman who wrote the cozy mystery books talked about.”

“I’m sure it’s not about the place,” Rarity said, but on the other hand, she kind of agreed with the comparison. “Anyway, he didn’t say it was a secret, so I’ll tell you what I know.”

After they got seated and put their orders in, Rarity told Sam about the journalist. “It’s the guy who was in the bookstore that freaked me out. I think he was looking for a specific book in my collection. Maybe he thought Catherine had sold it to me. I do take used books, but not very often. And if it was that valuable, she wouldn’t have gotten rid of it.”

“Unless she didn’t know it was valuable. Did anyone ask Darby if Catherine had given away anything to a charity or Goodwill? Maybe it got mixed in with some books she was donating,” Sam said, pausing as the waitress delivered their burgers and fries.

“I’ll put it on the list of questions we need to ask Darby on Tuesday.” Rarity pulled out her notebook and wrote a note quickly. “Are you seeing Jonathon anytime soon?”

“We’re having coffee tomorrow. Why?”

Rarity tucked her notebook down in her tote. “Tell him I’m sorry I spilled the beans with Drew. In my defense, though, he did trick me into telling him.”

Sam picked up her burger, but before she took a bite, she met Rarity’s gaze. “You’ve never been the type to be able to keep a secret. Especially if it’s important.”

“I’m not that bad, am I?”

“Oh, friend, you can’t hold water.” Sam took a bite and wiped her face with a napkin. “Man, this is good. Anyway, it’s not a bad thing. You just want everyone to get along. You’ve always been that way, even in college.”

“Just tell him I’m sorry.” She pushed away thoughts of solving the murder. “So what’s going on with you?”

* * * *

Back at the bookstore, Rarity was about to close up for the night when Chloe Evans walked in the front door. The sleuthing gods must be watching out for me. Rarity walked around the counter to meet Chloe. “So nice to see you. I wanted to let you know how lovely Catherine’s service was. I’m sure Darby appreciated it.”

“You should tell James, not me.” Chloe smiled and looked around the bookstore. “I’m here to find a historical romance with at least one duke who isn’t living up to his potential.”

“I think I have some options for you. I didn’t know you liked historical romance.” Rarity pointed to the correct section, and they made their way toward it.

“If anyone asks me, I’ll deny it. But I adore romance. I like seeing couples fight for what they need and find it together. My husband isn’t as supportive of my reading tastes. He thinks I should be focusing on the classics.” There was a bit of pink on Chloe’s face.

“Then we just won’t tell him, will we?” Rarity pulled down several books that had gotten great reviews. “Here’s a few to browse. I’m glad you came in. I wanted to ask you about Catherine.”

Chloe was reading the back cover of a book and didn’t look up when she asked, “What about her?”

“I was wondering where she moved from. Were you and your husband in Sedona then? And do you know what happened to her husband?” Rarity figured the rapid-fire method of questioning might throw her off.

“I’ll take all three of these. And please order the rest of the series for each.” She handed Rarity the books and dug into her purse for her wallet as they walked to the counter. “As far as Catherine, yes, James and I were here when she and Jeff moved here. He was a quiet boy, but he fit into the teen bible study group easily. Catherine was a little more distant, at least until she got involved with our charity group. She put together the soup kitchen roster every year after she moved here. And browbeat people into signing up.”

Rarity rang up the books and told Chloe the total. “She sounds like a wonderful woman. Everyone talks about how generous she was. I was just wondering why she moved here. Did she or her husband have family here?”

“No family. At least that’s what she said. Her husband was killed. Murdered, was the rumor. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought she was in witness protection. But she was too involved in events to actually be in the program. We had a speaker come and talk to our women’s group about the problems people have in the program. She didn’t fit the mold.” She handed Rarity her card. “Here you go. And thanks for keeping my secret.”

“Thanks for coming in. And for talking to me about Catherine. Darby’s going crazy in that big house, especially since she doesn’t know why her grandmother was killed.” Rarity handed back the card and the bag filled with books. “The receipt’s inside. One more thing. Did you ever hear Catherine talk about gardening or writing?”

“Wow, those are two ends of the spectrum. Actually, Catherine taught a short story class for the youth group every year. She even sponsored a monetary prize for the winner. But I didn’t hear her talk at all about gardening. Unless you’re working in a greenhouse around here, your growing season is pretty short.” She glanced at her buzzing phone. “Sorry, I’ve got to take this. I’m being summoned by my husband. I think he’s worried about dinner not being on the table. I’ll see you soon.”

Rarity looked over, and Killer was watching her. “I guess you’re ready to head home for dinner as well? Or did you just hear Mrs. Evans say the word?”

He barked in response, so Rarity got the store ready to close up, and then they headed home. Walking by Terrance’s house, she heard her name being called. She stopped, and Terrance lumbered off the deck and toward the sidewalk. She hadn’t noticed his limp before. Maybe it was some arthritis acting up.

“Terrance, how are you?”

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