by Kelly Ethan
The other woman trilled a fake laugh. “Oh, my goodness, aren’t I silly? I’m Rose Mayweather and I own the Inn. I knew your great-aunt Sera.” The woman’s smile flickered. “I can’t claim to be her best friend, but we had a cordial detente. Until she stole my man. But you don’t want to hear about that.” Rose patted Xandie on the arm and grimaced when she spotted Xandie’s jeans. “I’m sure Mayor Cummings won’t mind what you’re wearing. He’s such a lovely man.”
Wow, Sera must have hated this woman. If it’s the one thing she remembered about great-aunt Sera, it was her lack of domestication. A housewife she was not. Xandie noticed her surroundings as Rose led the way to the dining room. Laughter and yelling drifted from behind a closed door and she’d bet her last dollar that was the bar.
The dining room comprised a mass of heavy chairs and tables with white linen cloths and pretty vases all sat in the center of the room with a dance floor off to the side. Bay windows and seating at the front of the room completed the picture. Burgundy carpet graced the floor and light-colored wood-paneled walls gave an old-world feel to the room. The whole atmosphere was that of a genteel men’s club with dim lighting, even with the windows. Xandie snickered, the bakery was more her pace.
“Right here, sweetie.” Rose grabbed a chair and pushed Xandie into it. “The mayor is in the bar pressing the flesh, so to speak. He’s up for re-election soon.”
Xandie laughed, covering it by coughing into her hand before smiling at Rose. “Thank you, Mrs. Mayweather.”
“Rose, honey. Now can I get you a drink?”,6 honey?”
“A glass of water.”
Rose winked. “Hitting the hard stuff there. Water coming up.”
Xandie tapped the table. She suspected the Mayor would hit her with this anniversary ceremony. God knows it’s the last thing she needed. She had to learn the whole library gig and deal with a supposed talking cat. But agreeing to the ceremony might collect goodwill points from Point Muse residents. And that might be a smart idea since she didn’t understand the conflict between Sera and the town. Rose hadn’t like Sera. Who knew what other enemies her great-aunt might have had? Not to mention, someone here might have known her mom or her family. Something else to put on her to-do list. Stalk missing mother’s mysterious family.
“This lovely young lady at my table has to be Alexandra Meyers.” The mayor stopped next to the table with a quirky smile and extended a well-manicured hand.
She nodded and shook his hand. His nails were neater than hers. She had a habit of gnawing on hers when she was nervous. “Correct, Mr. Mayor, but please, Xandie, not Alexandra.”
He seated himself down and turned the wattage of his smile up on Xandie. “In that case, it’s Nigel, lovely lady. It’s fantastic to meet you. Sera used to rave about her favorite great-niece.”
Xandie snorted. “The only great-niece, but it’s still nice to know. I didn’t get to visit much when I was a child.”
He nodded and patted her hand in fake comfort. “Yes, your mother disappearing must have been a devastating. But you’re here now and Point Muse will be better for it.”
She nodded and flashed a polite smile while reading the menu. The mayor appeared to be in his late forties or early fifties with light blonde hair crafted to hide his receding hairline. He wasn’t bad looking, but everything seemed forced like he was on the campaign trail twenty-four seven. All she needed to know was what he wanted her to do, then she could head home to her library.
Rose popped up and rubbed the mayor’s shoulders. “Nice to see little Xandie here in Point Muse and in Sera’s house. No offense to your great-aunt, Xandie, but she was sometimes a tad abrasive.”
Yep. No love lost between those two.
“Now, now. Claws back in, Rosie.” Nigel Cummings smiled and shrugged. “Rosie and Sera clashed a little, but it’s all worked out now.”
Yeah, her aunt died. Xandie scanned the menu for the quickest and fastest meal possible.
“Now, what can I get you?”
“Something light. Your Greek salad sounds great.”
Rose dropped a hand and her smile slipped a little as she wrote the order down.
Nigel shook his head. “Liquid lunch for me. Irene is doing a big cook up tonight; she won’t be impressed if I pass.”
Rose nodded and left with the order.
The Mayor leaned forward with a serious expression in place on his face. “Sera’s death saddened everyone. But she kept herself apart from the town. Credit to her though, she gave one hundred and ten percent when asked.” He paused and waited for Xandie to speak.
Oh yeah, he wanted something. “Sound’s great, Nigel.” Xandie shuddered a little inside as she used his first name.
“Before she passed away, Sera offered her garden for the ceremony of Point Muse’s anniversary founding.” He paused and smiled at Rose as she settled Xandie’s food in front of her.
“The planning’s completed. But we need your approval for the use of the land tomorrow night.”
And there it was. At least she’d already had a heads up about tomorrow. Not much Xandie could do but smile and agree. “Sound’s fine. I’m more than happy for the ceremony to go ahead. But I need to know what to do.”
“Great news and you don’t need to do anything. Irene has it all planned. She’ll organize the troops. My sister has the soul of a general. You just have to open the house and the grounds.”
Xandie forked a mouthful of green leaves into her mouth and nodded. Hopefully that was all he needed from her.
Mayor Cummings lowered his voice. “Even with Sera agreeing, we weren’t sure the ceremony would go ahead because of the development.”
She masterfully swallowed her bitter salad. “Development?”
“An outside company bought the land next to Sera’s property. They plan to develop a large spa resort and country club. Your great-aunt’s land with a private beach and mooring would be an added attraction to their proposed clientele.”
Hell no. No way Sera would have agreed to that and Xandie wouldn’t either. Talk about spoiling peace and serenity.
The mayor agreed with Xandie’s unspoken words. “No, Sera wasn’t interested when they approached her. The company even had executives fly down to ask her and Sera wouldn’t budge or even open the door.”
“When? Sera never spoke about a development in her sporadic emails.”
“The week before she died.” He leaned in. “I half expected locals to form a secret lynching party to oust Sera. But then she died, and you inherited. The secret ploy was useless in the long run. Smart, but useless.”
Wow, lynching party. How much did people hate Sera here? “Secret ploy?”
“Well, it’s common knowledge land owned on the bluff in theory reverts to town holdings if the owner dies without a beneficiary. A long-standing by-law. But your lawyer Neville Essam informed the Council Sera had made a new will naming you the heir.”
Had someone wanted the land bad enough to knock Sera off? “Is the by-law common knowledge? Point Muse is a small town. Wouldn’t Sera’s new will make the gossip rounds?”
The mayor shook his head. “Everyone knows about the by-law, but Sera only made her will the same day she died. The gossip didn’t have time to get around.”
Someone might have thought knocking Sera off was a good way to get her land or was the library the reason Sera had to go?
“The library here in Point Muse is important to the lifeblood of our town. So of course, Sera as the librarian had to be here in Point Muse, same as you now.” The mayor winked and downed his beer in one long gulp. “As long as you stick to the guidelines laid out in the will and the council by-laws you have nothing to worry about. I’m sure your lawyer, Neville, filled you in.” He stood and with a practiced smile took Xandie’s hand in a too-tight grip. “Things to do. Nice meeting you, Xandie. I’m sure you’ll be easier to work with once you understand the lay of the land.”
Xandie smiled weakly and surreptitiously wiped her hand on
her leg. Politicians make sweaty hand-shakers.
He threw money on the table. “I’m sure you won’t mind fixing your own tab. Mustn’t make a case for council bribery.” And he left without a backward glance.
Xandie shoved her plate aside and flicked her own money on the table. “Talk about a cheapskate,” she muttered to herself. But with her words came a shiver of worry along her spine. Someone may have murdered Sera for her land or the library, but who knew which? She had to ferret out the truth. Xandie owned the library and the land now and she might be a target herself.
Maybe Lila would help with finding information. Plus, the friendly bakery owner might know about Xandie’s mother. She pushed away from the table, searching for the bathroom. Spotting a discrete door off the side of the dining room, she weaved her way through the tables toward it.
Something else Mayor Cummings had mentioned stuck in a head. He was certain her lawyer had told her about any will or council requirements for her inheritance. She nibbled her lip as she pushed the door open, not bothering to read the writing plastered on the front. All her lawyer had mentioned was that she had to live in the house for three months and couldn’t sell during that period. Now she was worried there were more things he hadn’t told her.
She barely noticed her surroundings until a shrill squeak cut her meandering short.
“Staff, office staff. Can’t you read?” Rose Mayweather stuffed her shirt back into her skirt waistband. She patted her hair back into place and cleared her throat. “Thank you for paying your tab, Aaron. The Mayweather Inn looks forward to more of your business.”
A redhead brute of a man with battering rams for shoulders stepped out from behind Rose’s cluttered desk. “Give it a rest, Rosie. She’s not as stupid as she looks.”
Did he call her stupid? She wasn’t the one making out behind an unlocked door. “I was looking for the bathroom before I leave. I saw nothing.” Xandie backed away from the couple with her hands raised in apology. She’d definitely caused an interruptus, judging by Rose’s air of frustration and the guy’s grumpy comment.
Rose looked surprised. “Oh, you’re finished with the mayor already? By the way he stalked Sera, I thought he’d keep you at the table for longer. He always liked to take his time.” Aaron shot Rosie the evil eye. Flustered, she ignored him and kept talking. “Lunch, I mean. He likes to take a while to eat.”
Huh? “He spent time with Sera?”
Rose snorted. “No, he chased her. People around here always wanted something from her and that damn house. She’d get visitors calling at all hours and never say a word about it to anyone the next day. But I guess that’s the work of a librarian to The Great Library, isn’t it?” Rose drew herself up. “Even that fancy Professor couldn’t get enough of her. I must admit, I thought he might be different, but I saw him and Sera squabbling with each other outside the hairdresser. She made it clear he would never step one foot inside her house while she lived. He kept pushing her until she stormed off. The next week she was dead, and I suppose it didn’t matter anymore.”
The mayor and Professor Amoru? They had both chased after Sera, but was it her great-aunt or the library?
“That crap doesn’t matter. What does, is that she keeps her trap shut about what she didn’t see.” Aaron loomed over Xandie, causing her to back away. “You hear me? If it gets around, I’ll know who the big mouth is.”
Xandie zipped her fingers across her mouth and scooted out the door, hearing Rose grumbling in the background as she left.
“Oh Aaron, honey. Calm down. Who’d believe her, anyway?”
What’s the bet Aaron honey had a not-so-sweet wife? The last thing Xandie wanted to do was gossip about anyone. She just needed to get back to her green glowing library and peace from the devious doings of Point Muse.
Whoever said small towns were calm had never lived in Point Muse.
Four
Theo’s snickering woke Xandie from her demented dream of chocolate-dipped handcuffs and Police Chief Braun. With a groan, she rolled over and buried her head in the blankets. She needed to erase the image from her stressed-out mind. She opened an eye. “You couldn’t wake me earlier? Before I dreamed of chocolate and that man?”
Theo sniffed and pawed at the window, meowing.
“Seriously? You need to go out now?” She huffed hair out of her face and searched for her phone. “Two in the morning? Are you kidding me? Can’t you use kitty litter?”
Theo growled and curled his upper lip back.
“Fine.” Xandie stumbled out of bed and pulled on a thick sweater over her short pajamas. It wasn’t winter yet thank god. But it still got chilly when you only wore skimpy little pajamas. She peeped outside and froze when she saw a flickering light in the garden. “Guess you didn’t need a pee trip. You might make a guard dog yet.” She patted the cat on his head, avoiding his outstretched claws and snuck downstairs holding her phone. God knows if it would work though. A fact she’d learned about Point Muse is that coverage was spotty. Some days you held your breath and hoped for the best.
Braun had given her his number, but she never thought she’d have to use it and it was his private number too, score for her. She dialed, but the call went straight to message bank. “Xandie Meyers here. Spotted lights in my backyard. I think someone’s here.” She disconnected without a goodbye and snuck through the kitchen door to outside. At least the call had gone through. She turned on her phone’s torch app, hand shading it so only a small circle of illumination showed at her feet. It wouldn’t do to let her intruder know she was onto him—or her.
If it had been Sera, she could have walked outside blindfolded. Xandie hadn’t lived here long enough to memorize the backyard. She followed the bobbing lights to the side of the property, furthest away from the road.
She dropped to her knees and crawled until she found a large bushy tree to hide behind. Then she peered out. She was wrong. There wasn’t one light, but six. In fact, the lights danced over a large stone statue in the center of the circle. A shudder tracked through her as the illicit goings-on were high-lighted in glaring detail. She fought a gag as a plump naked octogenarian bobbled past her.
With a shake of her head, she whispered, “I’m blind.”
“First, breaking and entering and now peeping tom. You get around, Xandie Meyers.”
The voice was a soft, gravelly growl beside her ear.
“Lucky, I guess.” She closed her eyes in disgust. Who else could have caught her in this weird situation if not for Braun? Well, you did ring him. Who else would you expect? “Yay for small town policing. You caught the owner standing in her yard. Good for you. Could you remove the weird naked ladies?”
“Define weird naked ladies.” Zachery Braun smirked. “The police department always aims to please.”
“Argh.” Xandie waved her hand at the group of naked ladies still dancing. “Deal with it, please.”
Swallowing his humor, he cleared his throat. “Attention, nude dancers. You are on private property, please show yourself.”
Xandie winced at his words. He was about to identify more than their names. The ladies lined up with hands on hips, facing the police chief and Xandie. At least he respected the naked dancers and kept his eyes at face level. Maybe self-preservation, though. The women were old enough to be his grandmothers. “Smart moves, policeman. You’re sparing yourself years of therapy.”
“Zachary is always a gentleman first and policeman second.” A short and plump senior citizen bobbled and jiggled as she tittered.
“Besides,” a purple-haired lady with a broomstick tattoo on her arm interrupted, “plenty of us have seen hairy Braun bottoms, including his mother’s. God rest her follicle-challenged soul.”
Had his mother died too? She felt a kinship with the annoyingly good-looking law enforcement officer. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize your mother had passed away.”
Braun looked horrified, then sighed. “She hasn’t. Mom stopped getting her waxing done at the hairdres
ser in town.”
Broomstick tattoo leaned in close. “She is a hirsute woman. If you know what I mean.” The woman waggled her eyebrows at Xandie who’d frozen, her back arched as if a stray breast had attacked her back. Shaking her head in confusion, she stepped forward with a save-me glance at the police chief.
“Ladies, I hope you got permission from Ms. Meyers about using her yard for your practice tonight.”
Xandie shook head. “Nope, no permission. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here tormenting my psyche.”
A woman cleared her throat while the other five stared at her. “Well, I rang once, but no one answered. I assumed it’d be okay. Sera never had a problem with us sky clad in her backyard.”
Xandie muttered, “My great-aunt needed glasses, otherwise she’d have died from the shock of too much old skin.”
The law officer took a deep breath as if to control the snicker which kept escaping. He waggled a finger at the octogenarian. “You get permission. You know the town rules for your rituals, ladies. Don’t make me arrest you.”
In a coordinated move, they giggled and fluttered their eyelashes. Xandie shuddered. What was scarier? The murder? Or six nude octogenarian’s flirting?
“Ladies.” Zach clapped his hands. “No more practicing, I’d hate for you all to burn out for tomorrow night.”
Ogling his jean-covered bottom, they filed past to pick up their robes. All except one of the hairdressing crones with pink hair and purple highlights. She stomped up to Xandie and glared. “Sera wasn’t a witch, but she had respect for our beliefs. She let us go through the library for our spells. She even joined in sometimes, but you aren’t living up to her promise. You’re neglecting your role as librarian. I’m betting requests have built up. It would disappoint her to see your lack of progress.” She grabbed the last robe and stalked away, still naked, toward her car.
Xandie’s eyes must have opened wide during the whole debacle since a damn bug flew into her right eye. Rubbing at the offended pupil, she glared at her nemesis. “You allowed them to get away with trespass and verbally attacking me?”