by E. M. Moore
“Well, I’m your sister and I’m sorry I was freaking out a little when I found out they found a dead body in your library! I would hope you would freak out if they found a dead body in my store.”
Mel owned a metaphysical bookshop up the road from us. She also sold spelled stones and the resident Salem witch knickknacks. She embraced our witchy side, I did not. Refused to, actually.
I blew out a breath. “I hope you never find a dead body in your store.” Mel leaned toward the dramatics anyway and something like that would push her over the edge.
“Me either. That would be terrible. I’d have to find a different store and you know the rent closer to the museums is way too high for me. I like my shop right where it is.”
“I’m sure you’ll never have to move,” I assured her. I plopped down on the couch and wondered how we started talking about Mel when I was the one who’d seen a dead body today. That was what usually happened though. Maxie jumped up next to me and curled into a ball at my side.
After we discussed the possibilities of her ever having to find another shop to rent, she finally asked, “So, are you okay? How did he die? Was that hottie Jackson there?”
I rolled my eyes. “Mel, I’m tired. I had a long day. Can I please call you in the morning?”
“Call me? Maybe I’ll just come down for breakfast.”
“No,” I said. Maybe a little too quickly. Mel lived upstairs from me and invited herself over way too often. “I need to be at the library early. The place has to be cleaned for opening and Jackson is already threatening that I better be available to him in case he gets a warrant.”
She gasped. “A warrant? For what? They can’t possibly think you did this.”
“No,” I said. “No way. He was just mad because I wouldn’t give him the security tapes so he could look through them.” I leaned over and pulled my shoes off. My feet instantly thanked me. “He was not happy with me.”
“Why wouldn’t you give him the stupid tapes? It would help the investigation.”
“Patron privacy, Mel. I can’t go handing out the library’s tapes to everyone who asks for them. It’s a gross misuse of my patron’s trust in me.”
“Maddie, we’re not talking about the erotica Mrs. Watson takes out, we’re talking about someone dying.”
I gasped. “Mel, I knew I never should have told you that. You promised you wouldn’t say anything about it again. How did you ever even get me to tell you?”
“I think I threatened to hex you.”
I was officially stewing. Mel knew I hated when she brought the witch stuff up.
“Okay, now it’s your turn to chill. I wouldn’t hex you and as far as the security tapes go, we’re talking about evidence to find a killer of one of the most prominent men in town. Didn’t you tell me he was going to write you a nice big check for the library? Hello? You could at least pay his family respect by helping the police find his killer faster. Also, no one is going to look at what library materials your patrons are checking out. Trust me.”
“Well, I— It’s not— Whatever, Mel. I need to go to bed. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
I pulled the phone away from my ear and ended the call. Sometimes talking to my sister was a gross misuse of my time. Especially when she was… right.
Yes, she was right. I should’ve just given Jackson the tapes. I hung my head, catching sight of Maxie resting peacefully next to me. I pet him, ruffling the hair between his ears. He turned his head back to look at me. “I’m giving him the tapes, Max, but I’m not apologizing for trying to be the best librarian I can be.” Maxie blinked. “I’m not. I just won’t do it.”
He stretched onto his side, closed his eyes, and was in dream land in about five seconds. He fell asleep quicker than any dog I’d ever known. I wish I could be that lucky. I doubted sleep would come easy at all tonight. Even now, while I readied myself for bed, I kept picturing Mr. Sanders slumped body.
I should’ve just given Jackson the damn tapes when he asked for them.
I threw my toothbrush back into its holder and sighed before moving into my bedroom. I picked up the picture of Derek and I and smiled before putting it back in the same place. It was as if I could hear him now. “Call Jackson, Honey. It’s no big deal.”
Well, I wouldn’t call, but I guessed I could text him. I retrieved my cell phone from the living room and pulled up Jackson’s number. After thinking too hard and too long on what to write, I sent the following note: I’ll give you copies of the tapes tomorrow. No warrant needed.
With that, I laid down and threw my head on the bed. Maxie jumped up to join me, taking over Derek’s side. Just like a person, he laid his head on the pillow and faced me. His stare fixed on mine as if appraising me.
“Fine,” I said. I grabbed the phone and texted Jackson: I’m sorry.
Then, I powered it down and turned the bedroom light off. It was so exhausting being a librarian. Helping a murder investigation would make it ten times worse. Goddess help me.
Forget I said that. God help me.
Chapter 4
A nice big lick to the cheek woke me the next morning. I smiled and felt around until Maxie pushed his head under my hand. “Good morning, baby. I bet you need to go out, huh?”
I pulled my robe on, slipped on my beagle slippers, and walked outside with him. Just as I opened the main door to the apartments, Jackson was walking up the street. I pulled my robe closer together and tied it tighter. “What are you doing here this early?”
“I’ve been texting you and you haven’t answered.”
I shielded the sun with my eyes. When it reflected off the ocean, it could get pretty darn bright on my street. “I just woke up, and I shut it down last night… to preserve battery.” There. That sounded like a good excuse. Not that I needed to give him one, anyway.
“My mom made me come over and see if you were okay. She tried calling when I couldn’t get a hold of you. She seems to think you might not answer my calls.” Maxie jumped up on Jackson, his tail wagging excitedly. “Hey there, boy,” he said, kneeling over to pet him.
“That’s not true,” I said. “I would answer your calls.” Maybe. More than likely. Probably now more than I would have before seeing as how there was a murder in my library. Yesterday, I might not have answered his call though.
Jackson shrugged and stood. “Just telling you what she said. Then, when she couldn’t get an answer from you, she worried you might have been way too upset about what happened last night to answer the phone and told me I should come over and check on you.”
“Well, I’m fine. I’m sorry you came all the way over here for nothing.”
“All the way over here? Maddie, you know I live two and a half blocks up that way. It wasn’t as if it was a hardship.”
“Right. Well, what did you want in the first place?” Maxie tugged on his leash toward the apartment. “Hold on, Max.”
“Let’s go inside,” Jackson said, his eyes traveling down to my slippers. “You don’t want to be standing outside in your bathrobe, do you?”
Reluctantly, I turned toward the building and led Jackson upstairs. Once we were inside, I let Maxie off his leash and made my way over to the Keurig. “Tea?”
“Got any coffee?” he asked.
My shoulders stiffened. “Maybe. I’ll have to look.” I knew we did. I just didn’t know if I wanted to give him any.
“Tea’s fine, Maddie.”
“No, it’s okay. I have some right here. See?” I pulled the cupboard door open and grabbed the last box of Derek’s coffee. “It’ll just take a minute. So, what did you want? Or should I go turn on my cell phone to read the texts?”
“One, are you really okay? Seeing something like that is… Well, it’s not pleasant. It’s okay if you’re upset about it. You could, you know, talk to my mom about it or something.”
“One, I’m fine. Two, I can take care of myself.”
“We know, Maddie,” he said, his voice softening. “We all know.”
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I didn’t turn around and look because I knew what face I would see, and no one needed that this early in the morning. “What are your questions that relate to Mr. Sanders untimely death?” I asked more specifically.
The Keurig told me Jackson’s brew was ready, so I took it over to him. He sat at the small table and put his hands around the mug. “I wanted to know when we could meet about the tapes. There’s not much to go on besides that. We’re waiting for forensics to come back on the handle of the knife. We’re hoping to pull prints, but it’s a crap shoot. People are usually too smart to leave something like that around with all the crime scene shows on nowadays. The results won’t be in until this afternoon though and I don’t want to sit on this. I took statements from his family last night.”
I didn’t want to think about how his family took the news. It must have been horrible. Poor Mrs. Sanders. Poor Jackson for having to relay the bad news. “As soon as I get ready, I can meet you over there. Is that okay?” I put my tea k-cup in the Keurig and pulled the handle down. Turning toward him, I leaned against the counter. “Thirty minutes tops.”
Maxie nudged Jackson’s knee and licked his fingers. Smiling, Jackson said, “He’s the sweetest dog.”
The Keurig made gurgling noises that signaled my tea was almost done. “He is,” I said, my throat thickening. Derek and I picked him out of a shelter about a week before he died. “I’m going to get in the shower,” I said, forcing a smile. “I better hurry. Don’t want to hold your investigation up.”
“Do you mind if I stay here while you’re getting ready?”
I looked from him to the bathroom door.
“I can leave,” he said, rising from his chair.
“No, it’s fine,” I reassured him. “Please, stay. I won’t be long.” Why did I just say that? I certainly didn’t mean it. I could be so frustrating sometimes.
I gathered up my clothes to take them into the bathroom with me when Jackson called out, “No problem, by the way.”
“Huh?”
“About not giving me the tapes last night. I understand why you didn’t want to at first. It’s fine. I didn’t text that to you, but it’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
“Oh.” I gave him a small smile and then locked myself in the bathroom before leaning against the door. This socializing stuff was getting to be ridiculous. If I could, I’d be a freaking hermit. Hermits had no way of making money though and money was kind of essential if you wanted to live. If I could think of a way, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
From the other side of the door, Maxie growled and Jackson laughed. I leaned into the door with my ear close to the wood. The sound was like chocolate chip cookies—sweet and comforting.
Before I got too gooey about it, I turned on the shower to drown the sound out. I was used to it just being Max and I. It was comfortable. He was good company. I never felt lonely, did I? No, not when Mel lived right above me. No way was I lonely with her around all the time.
Speaking of Mel, I got out of the shower just in time to hear her say, “Holy Goddess.”
Oh no. Jackson and Mel in the same room together? Not good. I raced to get ready. The longer she stayed out there with him alone, the more she would embarrass me. I knew it. I threw my clothes on, ran a brush through my hair and went very spare with the makeup.
I threw the door open. Their heads were together, and they were whispering. No wonder why I couldn’t hear them as I got ready. I cleared my throat to get their attention. Evidently the creaking bathroom door hadn’t done its job. They looked my way and had the decency to look embarrassed. “Oh darn,” I said. “I thought one of you killed the other and that was why I didn’t hear any voices out here. Maybe you were hiding the body and left me alone.”
Jackson looked away. Mel raised her eyebrows. Her hair had purple streaks straight down to her butt. Some of it was braided, some of it wasn’t. “Maybe too soon for a murder joke, Maddie.”
I cringed internally. Of course it was. “Well, I wouldn’t have resorted to a terrible joke if you guys weren’t whispering about me. I’m right here. What is it that you want, Mel? I told you I was busy this morning, yet you came down anyway.”
I walked to the refrigerator and took out a Hot Pocket before throwing it in the microwave.
“I was just worried about you. I would’ve left, but I hadn’t seen Jackson in a while. We were catching up.”
“You guys live two and a half blocks away from one another,” I reminded them. “You can catch up whenever you want.”
“She only knows how far we live from each other because I told her this morning,” Jackson whispered to Mel.
“Ha. Ha.” The microwave beeped, and I grabbed my breakfast. “You ready to go, Detective Ward. I hear you’re going to be pretty busy today.”
Jackson stood and saluted me. I curled my lip in disgust and he laughed. “Meet you there.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Mel came around the kitchen table and enveloped me in a hug. “We weren’t talking bad about you. Promise. Don’t be mad. I just worried that maybe this would bring back old memories you didn’t want to resurface. I shouldn’t have said anything to him, but it wasn’t as if you were being so forthcoming on the phone last night either.”
I squeezed her back. “I’m fine. If I’m about to have a meltdown, you’ll be the first to know.”
“That’s the spirit,” she said, pulling back and play punching me in the arm. She cocked her head to the side and gave me her serious face. “Keep the communication lines open. I mean it. I’m only a phone call away. The coolest thing about having my own business is that I can just shut it down whenever I want. If you need me, I’m there.”
“Thanks, Sis. I’ll call you later. Let you know the scoop, but so far, so good.”
She kissed my cheek. “Alright, I’m off. Time to go make that money. This cool candle is being delivered today. If I like it, I’m going to order them wholesale and start selling them. If you get a chance, come by and take a sniff with me.”
The door closed behind her and her footsteps thudded all the way down the stairs. Mel always wore a pair of wicked boots with major high heels. I didn’t know how she got around in them. I would fall on my ass more often than not if I tried to be her for a day.
After taking Maxie out again and making sure he had food and water, I got in the car and drove to work. Detective Ward’s nondescript cruiser was parked across the street. He got out when he saw me pull up.
“I’ll meet you at the front,” I said. I parked in the back and let myself in the side door before unlocking the front door for Jackson.
He followed me in. I started turning on lights, computers, copiers, catalogs, just about anything I could think of while we made our way back to the tech closet. “Alright,” I said, showing him in. “You want just yesterday’s, right? The whole day, or just around the time of the fundraiser.”
“Better do the whole day,” Jackson said.
I cringed internally and then pushed the librarian aside for a moment. I was doing the right thing. “Okay. Let me pull up the camera views for you.” I double clicked on the security system icon and pulled up the multi-window view. There was a shot of the front door, the side door, the front foyer with the camera trained on the new fiction, then there was the children's, second, and third floor cameras. “Which do you want?”
“This is it?” he asked.
I swiveled in my seat. “It’s not enough? It’s not as if we thought we’d ever be investigating a murder in the library. At best, we’re looking to see if someone stole something which is why we have both entrances covered and all the exits to the other floors. It’s not a bank, Jackson.”
He shook his head. “Fine. Let’s get at least cameras two and three for the whole day.” Those were the foyer and the main entrance. “The side entrance wasn’t open last night, was it?”
“No, just the front.”
“Yes, just two and three then.”
“Great. Let me get
a flash drive and I’ll save them for you.” I went out to the front desk and grabbed a flash drive from my stash. You never knew when a patron needed one. Pretty soon we would have to start selling them. When I got back to the small room, he was sitting in my seat and playing the footage. “Hey,” I said. “I’m giving you a copy.”
He waved me away and looked closer. “I need this zoomed in,” he said.
“Double click the magnifying glass. You can also click it once and then click and drag a box around the area you want if you’re looking at something specific.”
“Right here,” he said, pointing to the screen. “I need this area right here zoomed in.”
I went to his right, clicked the magnifying glass and then drew a box around the person he wanted to zoom in on. The closer, clear picture stunned me. “What was she doing here?” I asked.
“That’s Sandy Sanders, right?” he said, half-turning toward me. “George’s daughter. She wasn’t on the guest list.”
“No,” I said. “She wasn’t. We didn’t invite her. Didn’t feel the need to since Mr. Sanders was coming.”
A cold chill iced my back. I spun, blinking into the server area where a ton of green and white lights blinked back at me.
Weird, I thought, shaking off the feeling.
“Interesting,” Jackson said, his attention still on the monitor. “Can you get a picture of this?”
“Yes.”
After a second chill went up my spine, I turned around again. Still nothing.
“Please,” Jackson said.
“Yeah, of course,” I said, shaking off the eerie feeling once more. “Here. You right click, then Take Snapshot. It’s automatically saved to the Desktop now. I’ll transfer it over to the flash drive when I get the footage pulled over.”
I nudged him out of the chair, and he got up. “Is it time stamped?” he asked.
“Yep. It’s cool software. I test drove a few different ones before I decided on this. And if you think there isn’t much now, you’d be mad to hear what they had in here before I got the position.”