Page 49 of Secrets in the Stacks

She was helping someone find a book, but she excused herself so she could respond. “I don’t want to leave Killer alone in the house with the situation right now.”

Archer nodded. “Then I’ll pick you and Killer up at five with dinner already in the Jeep.”

“You’re the best.” Rarity turned back to the woman who was looking for a time travel book she hadn’t read yet.

“Your husband’s cute.” The woman pulled out a new release. “What about this one?”

“We’re just dating.” Rarity could feel her cheeks heat. “And yes, the book does have a time travel, alternate reality theme. Good catch. I forgot about that one.”

“You obviously have dinner on your mind.” She grinned as she tucked the book under her arm. “I’ll look around a bit more and see if there’s anything else that catches my fancy.”

By the time Rarity was ready to close the shop, they’d had an extremely good day. She totaled out the cash register as Darby went around and reshelved the books people had decided not to buy. Darby picked up one of the Cheryl Jackson mysteries. “Grandma had this one and several others by her in her library. Have you read them? They’re fun.”

Rarity gasped as her hand dropped from the register. “Darby, I need to tell you something.”

“I know, Archer moved the books. I saw him come in. That woman you were helping about drooled when he came up to you.” Darby laughed as she turned to go shelve the last books.

“No, not the journals. I was going to tell you something else too. It’s about Cheryl Jackson. Your grandmother used that as a pen name. She wrote those books.”

“You have got to be kidding.” Darby held the book, turning it over to see the cover. “I didn’t know she actually wrote books. Maybe that accountant is holding out on me on more things than money. This was published a few years ago.”

“I know. I thought I might bring the author in for a signing since the bio said she lived in Sedona, but I couldn’t find her. I got a response back from the publisher’s publicist saying that Cheryl had just passed on and that her real name was Catherine Doyle, which was why I couldn’t find her.” Rarity took the book from Darby. “Now that I know, I can tell the journals are written by the same person. Something was bothering me about the journals. Like I’d read the book before, or a book by that same person.”

“My grandmother was a published author.” Darby looked up at Rarity. Tears sparkled in her eyes. “What else did she hide from me?”

Chapter 20

After dinner, Archer asked if he could watch a news show that was having a hiking segment on a nearby trail system. “I can go home to watch it, but if I do, I need to leave now. If I can watch it here, we can spend a little more time together.”

“And you can keep an eye out for an intruder. I get it.” Rarity held up a journal from the table. “I’ve got two more to finish before tomorrow night, so I’ll just be reading anyway. You could watch sports if you wanted to. What’s in season now, golf?”

“Basketball, thank you. You don’t watch sports much?” He found the channel and turned down the volume as they talked.

“I have too many books to read. If I’m watching television, it’s a movie or a series or maybe a cooking show. It depends on what I’m feeling. But no, I’m not a big sports or reality show junkie.”

“Except for cooking competitions,” he deadpanned.

She grabbed her glass of wine and walked over to the couch. “Those aren’t reality television. There’s a point to the madness. It’s not just six beautiful people locked inside a mystery house. No, it’s fighting for your life. Don’t judge.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He kissed her, then turned up the volume. “My show’s starting.”

She curled up on the couch next to him. “And Catherine’s journal is calling.”

After reading for a while, she got up and made a note in her clues book, bringing it over to where they were sitting. She made another one a few minutes later. And then another.

Finally, Archer pulled the notebook over to him during a commercial break. “What is this you keep writing?”

“Things I don’t understand. I think now that we know Catherine was also Cheryl Jackson, a lot of the earlier questions have been answered. But this one, I don’t think I’ve seen before. And she sounds scared of the guy.”

Archer set down the paper. “Can you read it to me?”

“Of course, but what about your news story?”

He turned off the television. “It’s done. And the place is going on my list to visit next summer. Fancy a trip to Colorado in June?”

“I’ll have to see if I have someone to cover me. Or I can close the shop.” She turned back to the page she’d written first. “Okay, here it is.”

After Rarity read off the paragraph, she turned to Archer, who was leaned back on the couch. “Does it sound like she was afraid?”

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