Larceny at the Library

by Colleen Shogan

  “But then your paths crossed again.” The longer I could keep Janice talking, the higher my chances of survival. Dorian would eventually wander down the hallway when I didn’t show at our meeting point.

  “It took years of consulting and freelance work to reverse the damage he’d had on my career,” said Janice. “After I fought my way back to a worthwhile position at the Library of Congress, he showed up as the new Assistant Librarian. He had it in for me from the start.”

  “I’m guessing that Gustav threatened to remove you from your current post in congressional relations. You couldn’t have it, correct?” I edged my way to the right, trying to make sure I positioned myself directly opposite the door. Maybe I could make a run for it before Janice attacked me with the bat.

  “He did exactly that,” said Janice. “I’d worked hard to establish myself in this role. Gustav couldn’t let the past go. He refused to see me in a new light.”

  “So, you decided to kill him,” I said. “It was easier said than done. You had to wait for the right opportunity.”

  “I needed to come up with a legitimate motive to cast suspicion elsewhere. There were a lot of people who disliked him,” she said. “But nothing that could justify murder.”

  “Until you heard about the preview display of the Lincoln collection. A theft could mask your true intentions,” I said.

  Janice inched closer. “I have to admit, the one thing I didn’t account for was you. If I’d known Miriam Dunlap was going to unleash Capitol Hill’s favorite bloodhound on the case, it might have changed my calculus.”

  The word “bloodhound” made me think of Clarence. “By the way, where’s my dog?” I kept moving to the right, scanning the room for a makeshift weapon to hold Janice off.

  “He’s somewhere safe,” she said. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t hurt a dog. I’m not heartless. A pity that it doesn’t matter, though. Neither you or your husband will see him again.” She took a long step in my direction.

  “Not so fast, Janice,” I said. “You’ve got to catch me.”

  “Actually, I don’t have to catch you,” she said. “This bat will do the trick.”

  With that threatening pronouncement, she swung the bat in my direction. I sidestepped her lunging attempt and moved toward the opposite corner of the room. Much to my chagrin, she repositioned herself to block the room’s only exit.

  “Don’t try to make a break for it, Kit.” She reached inside her blazer pocket and pulled out a mammoth set of keys. “I locked us in. There’s no way you’re getting out.” She paused for a beat. “Unless it’s in a body bag, of course.” She took another big step toward me.

  Janice was now perilously close, and I’d wedged myself in a corner. Even though her previous swing of the Mookie Betts bat had missed, I didn’t know how long I could evade her attack. My eyes darted around the room. It was filled with breathtaking artwork and framed with intricate wooden paneling. With all its fancy bling, there wasn’t a damn weapon to save my precious hide. Whomever decorated the Members Room had certainly forgotten the all-important balance between aesthetics and functionality. If I survived, I’d have to bring up this observation with the Librarian of Congress.

  Janice swung the bat again and this time, it missed connecting by inches. That was way too close for comfort. Then I spotted it. Against the far wall, only about ten feet away, was the light blue Library of Congress flag, standing upright in its decorative iron holder. Someone had probably moved the United States flag to the viewing stage inside the Great Hall but had left the agency’s pennant inside the Members Room for the reception.

  “What about Congressman Chang?” I asked. “Was he in on it? Everyone knows you two are buddies. Or maybe more.” I took two steps sideways to the right.

  “That’s what got Gustav killed. He thought I was bribing Chang.” She inched closer.

  “The Assistant Librarian knew you were up to your old tricks.” I took a few more baby steps toward the flagpole.

  “He couldn’t believe that I could develop a close working relationship with a politician without a quid pro quo,” she said. “Gustav didn’t have any evidence, but he said he was going to move me out of my position into some worthless job where it wouldn’t matter if I showed up to work.”

  “And you couldn’t stomach that,” I said. “You had to take action.”

  “I had no choice. He was going to ruin my career.” She shook her head. “Yet again. Lightning doesn’t strike twice, Kit. At least on my watch.”

  “This might surprise you, but I actually agree,” I said.

  Janice chuckled. “You agree with my decision to kill Gustav?”

  “Not exactly.” Then I lunged and grabbed the flagpole out of its holder. It was heavy, but I could probably muster one strong counter-attack with it. “Strong women need to take action when threatened.”

  With all my might, I swung the pole as hard as I could in Janice’s direction. Much longer than a baseball bat, the pole hit Janice across the mid-section of her body. She stumbled and fell to the floor. I sprinted to the door and pulled at the knob. Janice hadn’t lied. It was locked. In desperation, I banged on the wooden door.

  “Dorian, I’m inside the Members Room! Help!” I screamed as loud as I could.

  My blow had caught Janice off guard but hadn’t seriously harmed her. In a matter of seconds, she managed to get back on her feet, baseball bat in hand.

  “Now I really am going to kill you,” she growled.

  She swung the bat harder this time, and it would have surely knocked me into next week. Luckily, I was one step ahead of her. Assuming a defensive posture, I used the flagpole to block the blow, which caused Janice to fall backwards.

  That’s when I heard a familiar sound. It wasn’t Dorian’s voice, as I’d hoped. In fact, it was better. A deep “woof” was followed by the familiar scamper of paws on a marble floor. Clarence had found me!

  As Janice tried to regain her balance, I banged on the door again.

  “I’m locked inside the Members Room!” I screamed. After all, Clarence had brought backup, right?

  Janice steadied herself again and moved closer to me. The flagpole wouldn’t be able to prevent the next swing of the bat.

  “Help!” I screamed. “She’s going to kill me!”

  Janice cocked the bat, just like mighty Casey stepping up to the plate. Then she unleashed a swing headed directly for my head. With no way to stop it, I dove out of the way to the ground. The bat hit the heavy wooden door, which was evidently made of sturdy wood that could withstand a nuclear bomb. She flew backwards again, this time landing squarely on her butt. At that exact moment, the handle jiggled and the door flew open.

  Clarence led the way. As soon as he spotted me, he sprinted over and licked my face. Doug was a few steps behind, followed by Dorian, Lisa, and Murphy.

  “Kit, are you hurt?” Doug bent down to look at me.

  “No, I’m okay,” I said breathlessly. “Lisa, make sure you don’t let that woman out of your sight.” I pointed to Janice. “She confessed to Gustav’s murder and then tried to kill me.”

  Janice scrambled to her feet and made a fast move towards the door. Caught off-balance, Lisa couldn’t stop her. Janice was just about to exit the Members Room and dash down the hallway when Murphy caught up with her, positioning himself directly in in her path. The large black canine squared to face her, standing tall with the hair on the back of his neck raised, his ears pinned back, and his teeth slightly bared.

  Janice stopped in her tracks. “Capitol Hill police dogs don’t attack people,” she muttered.

  She took one step forward. Murphy responded with a growl, his tail at attention.

  Lisa was now directly behind Janice. “If I was you, I wouldn’t take that chance. By the way, you’re under arrest for the murder of Gustav Gaffney and the attempted murder of Kit Marshall.”

&n
bsp; Janice stopped dead in her tracks. Caught between a highly trained canine’s menacing stare and Lisa’s apprehension, she decided retreat was the better option. Janice stepped backwards, which gave Lisa the opportunity to slap cuffs on her.

  The situation sufficiently diffused, a relaxed Murphy ran towards Clarence, sniffing his ears and then giving him a big kiss. Clarence raised his front paw and gave Murphy a half hug, his tongue lolling to the side in a happy grin.

  Lisa marched down the hallway with Janice in tow. Doug helped me up and put his arms around me. “I’m so glad everyone is safe and sound,” he said, his voice muffled by his tight embrace.

  I pulled back and stared into Doug’s eyes. “Me, too. Hey, don’t you have some rare Abraham Lincoln materials to display?”

  “President Lincoln would have something to say about this whole episode.” He put his arm around me as we walked out of the room, with Murphy and Clarence trailing behind us.

  “What might that be?” I asked.

  “You can fool some of the people all the time and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time,” he said.

  I smiled. “I’m glad Mr. Lincoln got the final word on the matter.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  W

  As it turned out, the story did not end with Abraham Lincoln or his insightful quote. After a restful weekend, the Librarian of Congress invited everyone involved in solving the mystery to her sixth floor Madison Building office for a late afternoon champagne toast.

  Dorian stood between me and Congresswoman Dixon. “This is the type of event we’d normally host inside the ceremonial,” he said in a hushed tone. “We thought it was too soon after the murder.”

  “I agree,” said Maeve. “Give it some time and perhaps think about a makeover for that space.” She added, “Of course, within historical standards appropriate for the building.”

  “Absolutely, ma’am,” said Dorian.

  For the past couple of days, Doug and I resolved not to speak much about what had transpired. The hours we spent not knowing Clarence’s whereabouts had affected us deeply, only adding to the stress of Doug’s status as a murder suspect for several days. The weekend had given us much needed time to process the apprehensiveness of the entire ordeal. While I still hadn’t dealt fully with the emotional turmoil, now I was ready for some answers. I certainly had a long list of questions.

  “When will the Librarian give the toast?” I asked Dorian.

  He looked at his watch. “Probably in about twenty minutes or so. Are you on a tight schedule? We want to make sure you can hear it. After all, it’s been a difficult week for you and Doug.”

  “Not at all,” I said. “But I do want to find out exactly what happened on Friday.” Sergeant O’Halloran had just arrived, with Lisa and Murphy in tow.

  “Take all the time you need,” said Dorian. “After all, Janice might have gotten away with everything if you weren’t involved.”

  I smiled in response to Dorian and made a beeline across the room. Doug saw where I was headed and followed with Clarence, who had received a special dispensation to attend the festivities inside the Library of Congress today. Non-working dogs weren’t permitted inside the Library, and Clarence seemed to know he was enjoying special status. He strutted behind Doug and sat down politely next to Murphy, who promptly issued a greeting lick.

  “Good afternoon, Sergeant O’Halloran.” I extended my hand.

  O’Halloran grinned. “Really, Ms. Marshall. At this point in our relationship, I would think we’ve progressed beyond a handshake.” He extended his arms and embraced me in a quick, tight hug. I squeezed him back.

  A Library employee who had been pressed into hosting service offered us a drink. “Prosecco? Sparkling grape juice?”

  “Grape juice for me,” said O’Halloran. “Technically, I’m on duty.”

  “Thank goodness I’m not.” I grabbed a plastic flute of the bubbly.

  “The Librarian bought Prosecco because she heard it was your favorite,” said the helpful staffer.

  “She was correct,” I said. “Meg and I have a philosophy, and it’s quite simple. Life is better with Prosecco.”

  O’Halloran shook his head. “It’s amazing you two manage to solve murders and pass legislation. Wonders may never cease.”

  “Sergeant, I need your help on this one,” I said. “I had a pretty good hunch that Janice was behind the murder and the theft. But she revealed herself to me when she tried to smash me with the Red Sox bat inside the Members Room.”

  “When someone’s chasing you around a locked room with a weapon, you tend to conclude that person is a homicidal maniac,” said O’Halloran, his eyebrows raised.

  “I get it, but I have a few lingering questions.” I linked arms with Doug. “Over the weekend, I thought about the investigation and there’s some loose ends. I’d like some answers, especially since Doug was a suspect.”

  “Ms. Marshall, even in cases resulting in a conviction, there are loose ends.” He sighed. “But I suppose you’ve both earned the right to ask your questions. Fire away.”

  “We heard the stolen Lincoln items were recovered,” I said. “Can you confirm that?”

  O’Halloran nodded. “Of course. Janice Jackson is as crazy as they come, but she didn’t kill Gaffney to steal the contents of Lincoln’s pockets.” He pursed his lips. “At least, we don’t think she did.”

  “You sound hesitant, Sergeant,” said Doug.

  “Janice had two reasons for the theft.” O’Halloran paused to put several pieces of cheese on his plate, along with tall stack of crackers. “First and foremost, she wanted to divert suspicion away from herself for the murder. She created her own red herring, so to speak.” Then he stuffed a piece of cheddar into his mouth, along with a wheat Triscuit.

  While O’Halloran chewed, I finished his thought. “Let me guess. The second motive involves Congressman Chang.”

  O’Halloran swallowed and wiped the remaining crumbs off his face. “Bingo.”

  “Was Chang in on it?” I leaned closer to O’Halloran and lowered my voice. “That would be a major scandal, Sergeant.”

  “We have no evidence to substantiate such a theory. It’s not clear what Janice was going to do with the stolen items. She mentioned during one of our interrogations that she thought about asking Chang if he’d want to take possession of them if he promised to support the Library of Congress in ways Janice saw fit,” said O’Halloran.

  “But Chang denies it,” said Doug.

  “He contends he had no knowledge of the theft and swears he would have run to the police or federal investigators if Janice had approached him with such an offer,” said O’Halloran.

  I studied O’Halloran’s face. I’d know the cop for several years now and could tell when he was feeding me a line. “But you’re not sure he’s telling the truth.”

  “I’ll tell you what I’m going to tell the Librarian. I wouldn’t leave Chang alone in a room with a bunch of fancy books from the Library’s collection,” he said. “Or anything else that isn’t nailed down.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind the next time I work on a congressional display,” said Doug.

  Clarence squirmed and whimpered softly. I grabbed two pieces of cheese and slipped them to Clarence and Murphy. O’Halloran raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

  “From what I gather, you fingered Janice before she tried to kill you,” said O’Halloran.

  Doug nodded. “I talked to Kit on the phone, and she told me her suspicions. Not a minute later, Lisa called to say that she’d located Clarence. I told her to head to the Jefferson Building to find Kit.”

  Lisa, who had been standing quietly with Murphy, spoke up. “It’s not entirely accurate to say that I located Clarence. It was really Murphy’s doing.”

  “Police dog at work,”
said O’Halloran. “I’m not surprised.” He patted Murphy gently on the head.

  “When I heard Clarence had gone missing, I wondered if the person who took him had brought him to Capitol Hill. Almost all the suspects work here,” explained Lisa. “I let Murphy sniff Clarence’s blue bandana. It was in the back of Sebastian’s car after their tussle over the barbecue. Then we took off for our regular rounds. Sure enough, Murphy went bananas outside of a congressional office in the Rayburn Building.”

  “How did the pooch end up there?” asked O’Halloran as he munched on a sizable chuck of gouda.

  “Janice needed to get back to Capitol Hill quickly after she stalked Kit and Doug and dognapped Clarence. There was nowhere to stash him inside the Library of Congress, so she took him to a congressional office where she knew the chief of staff well.” Lisa paused to take a breath. “Janice told her a fabricated story about dog sitting for a friend in a pinch. The chief said she’d be happy to watch Clarence for the day. He was eating a biscuit when Murphy and I showed up on the scene.”

  “That chief of staff must have flipped out when the Capitol Hill police showed up in her office, looking for a stolen dog,” I said.

  “She didn’t believe me until I showed the all-points bulletin and photograph that Sergeant O’Halloran issued about Clarence’s disappearance,” said Lisa.

  Clarence’s ears shifted backward. Even he knew an APB was a big deal. I wondered if any other dog had ever received that designation before on Capitol Hill.

  I gave O’Halloran a gentle punch on his right shoulder. “You never told me you liked dogs.”

  “Who doesn’t like dogs?” said the portly cop. “Besides, I knew if we found your puppy, we’d be hot on the tail of the killer.”