Checked Out

by Elizabeth Spann Craig

  With my first impression I’d wondered if maybe she’d stayed up too late partying the night before and then overslept because of a hangover. I was a little ashamed of myself for my leap to judgement. Despite all she seemed to be dealing with, she was warm and laid-back. Definitely more of an earth mother type. And kind, I thought as I spotted the twinkle in her eyes.

  I gave Luna a quick tour of the library and helped get her acclimated. “The children’s section is amazing, and it’s really well-stocked. Nancy Drew was my favorite growing up and the Whitby Library has a huge collection of Nancys available for checkout. The patrons are terrific. And you’ll never get bored. There hasn’t been a day when I’ve worked here that I haven’t been surprised by something.” I figured this might be a good segue to telling her there was a cat in the lounge area. “Yesterday, for instance. Two boys came running in to ask for help rescuing two cats who were in a culvert outside in that rainstorm.”

  For the first time, Luna frowned. “Were they okay? The cats?”

  I nodded. “One of them is still here. Heads-up that there’s an orange cat hanging out in the breakroom. He seems really chilled out, actually, despite the fact he was in danger of drowning yesterday and got fixed by a vet last night.”

  “And the other cat?” asked Luna.

  “One of our storytime moms jumped into action and bought a slew of stuff for the cats. She ended up taking the tabby home—the vet said the tabby was most likely the orange cat’s mom,” I said.

  “Sounds like I’ve got a cool group for storytime,” said Luna with a slow-spreading grin. Then she raised her eyebrows.

  “Uh-oh. Don’t look now, but it looks like you’re wanted by the cops.”

  Chapter Five

  I TURNED AND SAW BURTON Edison approaching me. He blinked briefly in surprise at Luna’s general appearance before giving her a hesitant smile.

  “Could you just give me a few minutes?” I asked. Luna gave the chief a saucy wink which made him color slightly, and then she headed off in the direction of the children’s section.

  “Hi, Chief Edison,” I said.

  “Call me Burton,” he said immediately. “Hope you’re having a quieter day than you did yesterday.” His eyes followed Luna as she disappeared into the children’s section.

  Despite the fractured storytime and the sudden appearance of the vet, it was a quieter day. Which was quite a testament to how crazy yesterday had been. I nodded. “Do you have any news on what happened to Roger?” I asked quietly. Not because I was trying to be especially quiet in our library, which was always filled with happy chatter except in the study zone. But because voices tended to carry there. Something to do with the acoustics of the old place.

  Burton gave a wry chuckle. “If only. No, it’s probably going to take us a while to get to the bottom of this one. But I was driving by the library and thought I’d pop in so we could finalize the details of the self-defense class.”

  I nodded, pulling out the library event calendar app I kept on my phone. “Didn’t you want to do it sooner rather than later? We have a canceled event in a couple of days and the community room is available after five. That would be Monday. I know that’s short notice and you might need more time to prepare. Or, you know, the murder investigation might be taking a big chunk of your time.”

  Burton said, “A self-defense class is something I could do in my sleep, fortunately. That will work out fine. I’ve got to keep somewhat regular hours, even with an investigation going on. Believe me, I’m no good without meals, sleep, and downtime. Let’s do it then.”

  I hesitated. “I hate for you to waste your time. I know you must be really busy trying to ramp up into your job. And I’m not sure how high attendance will be since I won’t be able to put the word out for very long.”

  “No problem. Even if there are just one or two attendees, it’ll be worth my time. It’s something I feel pretty passionately about,” said Burton. He hesitated. “While I’m here, there’s something I’d like to bounce off of you.”

  “Sure thing,” I said. I gestured over to a nearby table and chairs. “Do you want to sit down?”

  We took a seat. Burton said, “I noticed you spent a little time speaking with Roger Wilson’s sister, Heather. I don’t mind telling you that when it was time for us to talk, she really buttoned her lips. I don’t know if she’s just not fond of the police or what, but all I could get out of her was that Roger was a devoted brother.”

  I said, “Maybe that’s all there was to their relationship. She said much the same to me.”

  “But here’s the thing. I know he’s a single guy. So am I. But in my house, I’ve got family pictures up. Some of them are pictures my mom gave me or my sister-in-law. I have Christmas cards up and whatnot. And on my fridge, there are hand-drawn pictures of me as a stick man with a big head that my little niece and nephew drew. Me—as a stick man!” Burton looked ruefully down at his solid frame.

  “I see what you’re getting at. So, for Roger to be such a devoted brother, you’d think there’d be some sort of evidence of that in his house,” I said. “Things that show he interacted with them and celebrated holidays with them.”

  Burton nodded.

  “I wish I could tell you more about their relationship,” I said slowly. “But although I’ve seen Heather pretty frequently at the library in the past, I don’t really know her. And I didn’t know Roger at all. But I can tell you that Heather said there was someone who might have been especially upset with Roger. Apparently one of his former coworkers blamed him for her not getting a promotion. And then she was fired or let go or something, and she somehow thought he was complicit in that, too.”

  Burton had his notebook out and was making notes in a very neat handwriting. “Can you remember this woman’s name?”

  I thought about this for a second. “Mary, I think. I can’t remember her last name, but she works over at the tanning salon in the strip mall.”

  Burton raised his eyebrows. “Considering we know Roger was an investment counselor, that seems like a pretty big step down in salary. No wonder she’s feeling bitter. Okay, thanks for this. I’ll follow up on that.” He tapped his pencil on the notepad. “One other question. Are you familiar at all with a Nathan Richardson?”

  I frowned. “Yes, I know him really well. Is he all right?”

  Burton immediately adopted a calming demeanor. “I’m sure he’s fine. I’ve just got a few questions for him, that’s all. It seems he might have had an altercation with the deceased. Does that sound likely?”

  “Not at all,” I said. “He was my English professor and we still keep in touch. In fact, I visit him just about every week. I can’t imagine him having an altercation with anyone. Do you have more information?”

  He closed his notebook and quickly said, “Not really. It’s just something I have to check into.” Clearly, this was the end of the questions about Nathan. I felt a knot in my stomach. I’d have to get in touch with him and see what was going on.

  Burton glanced over at the stacks and spotted a book. He got up from our table and walked over to pick out a World War II military history, Rick Atkinson’s An Army at Dawn.

  “Good choice,” I said, nodding at the book. “It’s really well-written.”

  “Is it?” asked Burton, thumbing through it.

  “It won the Pulitzer, actually. And it’s part of a trilogy, so if you like it, there are two more volumes here,” I said.

  He nodded again. “I like to read before I fall asleep at night. Mostly nonfiction.”

  “This should be right up your alley. Do you have a library card?” I asked.

  He flushed and then gave an awkward laugh. “Nope! I guess I was just going to walk out of here with it. Some chief of police I am.”

  I smiled at him. “It’s okay to be absent-minded when you have as much going on as you do right now. I’ll get you a card. It’ll take just a couple of minutes, I promise.” Once again, I remembered how I’d pegged him as the backwoods, b
ackwards small-town cop and shook my head. Burton, despite his appearance, was clearly anything but.

  He cleared his throat as I got him registered for a library card and checked his book out. “Your librarian there. She’s very different from most of the residents I’ve seen here in Whitby.”

  “Luna? She just started here today. She’s apparently not been in Whitby for a while, but her mom lives here, and she’s taking care of her while she’s under the weather.”

  He said slowly, “So she’s only here temporarily?”

  “Actually, no. At least, not as far as I understand. She’s our new children’s librarian, and it’s not supposed to be a temporary position,” I said.

  I was a little confused as to why Burton was so interested. Did he think Luna looked like a person of interest in a case? Did he think she might be trouble? But then I saw his gaze following her as she walked to the computer area. Was he interested in Luna . . . romantically? I hid a smile. I’d never have put the two of them together. He looked like the personification of law and order and Luna looked like a free spirit. I noticed he looked away hurriedly when he saw I’d been watching him.

  “Thanks for this,” he said in a hurry, waving the book in the air. “See you soon.”

  I nodded absently, still thinking I needed to get the word out for the class. Even though Burton didn’t seem to mind the idea of teaching a class with low attendance, I sure didn’t want to be the only one who showed up.

  Luna walked up to me, smiling. “That orange cat is amazing, by the way. What’s the plan with him? Are we looking for a home for him?”

  “Do you need a cat?” I asked hopefully. “Or does your mom?”

  Luna laughed. “I wish I could take him! My mom loves cats, but has her hands full with the one she has. Plus, he’s not a cat that plays well with others. And I’m living with my mom. If I weren’t, I’d love to take him.”

  “I hope Wilson changes his mind about keeping him. I think he’d make an awesome addition to the library.”

  “What’s he worried about?” asked Luna with a frown.

  “I just don’t think he’s all that much into animals,” I said. “And I think he’s worried that having a cat here might make for problems. At any rate, I’m going to put up some flyers with the cat and see if we can find him a good home.”

  Luna said, “I bet he’ll change his mind. That cat is like a ragdoll . . . he’s going to curl up next to patrons or on patrons and make everybody’s collective stress level go way down.” She glanced outside and saw Burton getting in his car. “Say, if you don’t mind me asking, what was the deal with the cop?”

  Sadly, Burton didn’t seem to be on Luna’s radar in a romantic sense. Pity.

  I took a deep breath in order to answer her question. “Yesterday was a pretty awful day.” I quickly filled Luna in on what had happened after I left the library.

  She gave a low whistle. “That’s the worst date I’ve ever heard of. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine—it was just a shock. I’m more worried about Roger’s family. And maybe the folks who’ve come under suspicion.” My mind went back to my old professor. I said, “I’m sorry, I think I need to make a quick phone call. And shouldn’t you be on your lunch break?”

  Luna squinted at the wall clock. “Yikes. See ya later.” And she scurried off in the direction of the lounge.

  I stepped into the stacks for a minute to make a surreptitious call. Nathan picked right up.

  “Ann?” he asked.

  “Hey there,” I blurted. “Listen, I’m at work, but I just wanted to check in with you really quick. Have you . . . well, are you familiar with Roger Walton at all?”

  There was a pause on the other end and then Nathan’s voice, sounding tired. “I’m afraid so. And I think I know why you’re checking on me. The police chief called me this morning and wants to speak with me this afternoon. I heard about Roger’s death. But Ann, I had nothing to do with it.”

  The stress in his voice gave me a pang. “Of course you didn’t,” I said fiercely. “Nobody could possibly think you did.” This was the same man who’d gotten his classes to memorize and recite the prologue to The Canterbury Tales in middle English. It was completely impossible that he’d stabbed someone with a grill skewer.

  He gave a wry chuckle. “I’m very much afraid they could, Ann. At any rate, I can fill you in later today after I’ve spoken with him. Why don’t you come over for supper? Say around 6:30, if you’re free?”

  This was a regular thing for us. He’d invite me over for supper to his house—and I’d always offer to bring Chinese takeaway. That’s because his cooking since his wife died had tended towards frozen pizza and microwave meals, but also because Chinese food was his favorite.

  “That sounds perfect.” I hesitated. “Maybe you should ask a lawyer to be there with you. Just to be on the safe side.”

  Nathan said gently, “I have nothing to hide. Although, unfortunately, I also don’t have an alibi since I live alone. Unless Mr. Henry can offer one.”

  I heard a little yip in the background from the little Yorkshire terrier as he heard Nathan say his name. I smiled. “I’ll see you both at 6:30.”

  I hung up and stretched to get the stress out of my shoulders. I’d always been fond of Nathan, even as a student. But after my aunt died a few years ago, he’d become almost like my surrogate grandfather. I didn’t want him to be a suspect in a murder investigation.

  The rest of the hour until my lunch break was spent with a patron who was a computer novice and was trying to research a particular type of cancer her sister had. I was able to pull up some reliable sources for her from the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society, printing them out so she could read through them later. Then I walked into the breakroom to grab both my lunch and my purse. Usually I ate lunch at the library, but today I had a different plan.

  Luna was walking out as I was walking in and gave me a wink. I glanced, confused, into the room and saw Wilson sitting in a chair with the orange cat purring like crazy in his lap.

  I hastily hid a smile and acted as if it wasn’t a totally astonishing scene.

  Wilson said gruffly, “Why haven’t you picked out a name for this cat? It’s ridiculous to keep calling it ‘cat’ or ‘orange cat.’ It makes me feel about five years old.”

  “Well, I was trying to avoid getting too attached to the cat,” I said. “Under the circumstances.”

  “What circumstances are those?” asked Wilson, glowering at me.

  I swear sometimes he made me feel as if I was the one losing my mind with his swift about-faces. “Where we’re finding a good home for him.”

  “No, no. We’re not doing that. This cat will be pure marketing gold, Ann. Gold, I’m telling you.” The orange cat reached up and bumped his head lovingly under Wilson’s chin.

  I opened my mouth and then just shut it again. Wilson seemed to be on a roll.

  “What I need you to do is to find out what we can do to help eliminate the whole allergy problem,” said Wilson.

  I nodded, getting my lunch out of the fridge.

  “No, really. Can you do that now?” asked Wilson.

  I plopped down and pulled out my phone. “I’m on it.” A few minutes later I said, “It looks like vacuuming with a HEPA filter really helps. This article also mentions removing carpet and drapes. But we’ve already done that.” Wilson had gone on a renovation spree a few years back and had had the old, stained carpeting ripped up and the curtains taken down. It made things a bit louder, but the general effect was one of a well-lit, comfortable space.

  “Anything else?” he asked.

  “Filters. Filters on the vents are useful, as well, according to the article.” I put my phone away and started walking to the door, pointedly, with my lunch.

  Wilson was apparently still lost in his own world. A world revolving around felines. “And the name? He needs to have a name.”

  “How about, when I get back from lunch, if I get t
he patrons involved in the process?” I asked, giving the door a longing look.

  Wilson snapped his fingers. “A contest. We’ll make it a contest and put up flyers in the library and posts on social media. It’s all about engagement, Ann. We need to keep the community engaged.”

  “It’s a perfect idea, Wilson,” I said. “I’ll get right on it.”

  I hurried out the door with a relieved sigh. When Wilson got on a roll, there was no telling what would end up on my to-do list. And right now, I had something else I wanted to do. I wanted to meet Mary, Roger’s former coworker. I knew she was also now on Burton’s list of people to talk with, but my talk would be a lot more casual. I didn’t want to get on Mary’s radar as a problem. I hopped in my car, taking a few bites of my pimento cheese sandwich.

  Chapter Six

  WHITBY WAS NOT A BIG town, so I knew exactly where the tanning salon was, despite never having been there. It was in a strip of older shops that wasn’t exactly the town’s best feature. The rest of Whitby looked like something out of a Chamber of Commerce catalog: carefully preserved old buildings, a picturesque town square with an interesting historic statue of a bespectacled man waving his arms about, and a wide boulevard of a main street dotted with businesses and beautiful old homes.

  On the way over I managed to eat most of my lunch. I was used to eating quickly anyway, since sometimes the other library staff would need my help and interrupt my lunch break. Besides, it wasn’t exactly the type of lunch you cared to linger over, savoring every bite. I parked in front of the tanning salon, rather uncreatively named ‘Suntastic’ and walked in the door.

  There was only one employee there, and I hoped she was Mary Hughes. She was a short woman of about fifty who was a little heavy and sported a great tan. I suddenly realized how very pale I must look in comparison. Her blonde hair had the look of being dyed and her brown eyes seemed bored. She had a manicure that needed touching-up.