Rain looked down at her rumpled attire and then back to Julia. “Are you here to work already? Or just to drop off a delicacy from town?” Rain asked when she noticed Julia rolling up the sleeves of her denim shirt and reaching for one of the new books they had dropped off the previous night.
Julia’s eyes darted to the large clock on the wall, “Didn’t you notice? It’s nine o’clock already. Marge called me and said she’ll be here in about an hour. By the way, it’s freezing in here. I know you mentioned turning on the AC, but it’s like an icebox.” Julia said, unrolling her sleeves and buttoning them taut to her wrists. “I’m glad I dressed for it. And here I had planned on wearing a light blouse,” she chuckled.
Rain’s jaw dropped. She hadn’t slept that long in ages. “Is it really nine o’clock already? You must be kidding me?”
“Yep, sure is,” Julia smiled. “Sounds like you needed a through night of shut eye. Good for you.”
Rain tucked the sleeping bag under her arm. “I’m gonna run back to the cabin and quickly change clothes, okay? I’ll turn off the AC and you can leave the door open if you want to warm it up in here before Marge arrives. Otherwise you’re right, it’ll be too cool for her, I think.”
“Good idea. I’ll start cataloging the new books while you’re gone, if you’re okay with that.” Julia stood waiting for approval before touching any other books on the stack.
“Perfect, sure. Whatever you need to do, and thanks,” Rain said over her shoulder as she headed out the door and into a rush of warmer air. After a quick change of clothes, a comb through knotted hair, and brushing her teeth, Rain hurried back to the library to help Julia catalog the new books before Marge’s arrival. She hoped the three of them would have a chance to talk hours of operation and work out some minor details of when and who would staff the library when she was unable. As she stepped through the door, she heard grunting noises and noticed Julia looking flushed and flustered, standing beside the bookshelf.
“Something wrong?” Rain asked, rushing to Julia’s side. “Do you need a hand?”
Julia pointed to the log wall located behind the bookshelf that had been exposed when her friend had removed a book from the shelf. Rain noticed that it looked as if a few flies had traveled inside and had a funeral as they lay limp behind the books in a pile.
“Oh, gross!” Rain said. “I wonder how they got in here. Maybe the chinking is loose outside, and the flies burrowed in. I’ll have to go and check that out.” Rain was about to turn toward the door, to go outside and verify, when Julia grabbed her firmly by the arm.
“That’s not the issue.”
Rain shook her head in misunderstanding.
“Come closer.” Julia summoned her with her hand. “Look at this.” Julia pulled at a chunk of the log that had come loose and wasn’t fully sealed within the chinking. “When I started picking at the fly that was stuck in that white caulking stuff, I noticed the log shift, as if it was loose. I found something hidden in the wall behind the bookshelf.”
“Huh? You did? What is it?”
“I don’t know, but it looks like I might’ve just uncovered a family time capsule hidden within the wall of the library.”
Chapter Eighteen
Rain couldn’t believe her eyes. She had to blink several times before fully accepting reality. A rectangular shaped item wrapped in brown paper was tucked into the cutaway log that Julia had dislodged behind the shelf of books. She reached for the object and held the wrinkled brown paper between shaky hands.
“A time capsule?” Rain shook her head in disillusionment. “My parents never mentioned anything hidden inside any of the logs. This is nuts! If my family had partaken in this kind of family tradition, surely I would’ve heard about it by now! Wouldn’t I?”
“If it wasn’t for the bug funeral, I would’ve never found it!” Julia exclaimed. “It’d still be hidden I think.”
“Yeah, crazy, eh? Dead bugs lead to a family treasure? That’s the last thing I would’ve expected.” Rain chuckled. “Maybe it’s gobs of money! Wouldn’t that be fun!” she said in a teasing tone.
“Open it! Open it!” Julia could barely contain her excitement as her friend began to lift in rapid movement up and down on her toes and clap her hands as if she was awaiting a rock band to begin their worldwide concert on opening night. Julia’s eyes were growing as big as sunflowers by the second.
Rain removed the aged, yellowing string, and the dry paper crinkled at her touch. She gently tore away the paper and revealed a fresh copy of Always You by Luis Russo. The hardcover had preserved well over the years, and Rain ran her fingers lovingly across the gilded words.
“It looks brand new, doesn’t it?” she said, her eyes filling. “I guess my grandfather just wanted to be sure he always had a pristine copy on hand,” Rain suggested. “Evidently, this book meant the world to him, more than the others, because it’s the only one here. Unless he has other books buried within multiple logs in this room.” She shook her head in dismay and then her eyes traveled across the room to the shelf that held the rest of his written work. “I wonder why he kept this one. It’s so weird.”
“Was it his first novel? Maybe that’s why?”
“No, it’s not. I only began reading this one first because it was the one found near Thornton. Like you suggested, I wanted to see if there was any connection, you know? I guess I was looking for a reason why my mother would’ve lent that particular book to our murder victim.” Rain’s face burned. She didn’t want to tell Julia that the thought had crossed her mind that Willow and Thornton might have been working through their own unrequited love, similar to the story. She swallowed back a gag.
“Wow. That’s gorgeous, look at the workmanship.” Julia said tapping a finger to the book in Rain’s hand. “If I were you, I’d have to sniff it too.” She laughed. “Nothing like sniffing an old book. Don’t tell my husband, but it’s better than his cologne.” She batted her eyelashes and tilted her head back … ooh la la …” she teased as she clasped her hands to her heart.
Rain joined her friend in laughter. “Boy, we really are book nerds, aren’t we? I was thinking the exact same thing,” she said as she opened the book to take a whiff and an aged envelope fluttered to the ground from its pages.
“Son of a monkey! Look at the inside of that book!” Julia clapped her hands over her mouth.
“Son of a monkey? Seriously? Who says that?” Rain teased.
“Hey, trust me. As I said before, when you’re a teacher, you quickly learn to improvise your swear words in front of your students.” Julia grinned and then pointed. “Look!”
Rain opened the book wider and held it in both hands as if she were a priest holding the Holy Bible and noticed the inside of the book had been completely gutted. It wasn’t a book; the novel was just a ruse. The book had merely been a place to hide something of importance; the hardcover just held an empty shell of cut out pages. An inch of text was all that remained around the cut-out edge—that was it. Her eyes darted to the floor where the yellowed envelope had fallen. She reached for it, her heart thumping erratically in her ears.
“What do you think it is?” Julia asked.
“A million-dollar check? A lifetime of free McDonalds?” Rain said finally, with nervous laughter. “I don’t have the slightest idea. I’m not sure it’s something I should open. Should I leave it for my mother? Obviously, her father put this here for a reason. Maybe I’m not the person that should be opening this.” She frowned.
“Are you crazy? You have to open it! Talk about a mystery, this is getting better by the minute.” Julia rubbed her hands together in anticipation. “We’re going to have to co-write our own novel! No one would ever believe this!” She grinned, looking over Rain’s shoulder, waiting. “A treasure inside the log! Shut the front door!”
“Oh, all right. What harm could it do? Right?” Rain said as she carefully peeled open the unsealed envelope. She unfolded the sheet of paper, and a gasp flew from her mouth.
“Shiitake mushrooms!” Julia said, her eyes widening. “It’s a birth certificate! Thornton wasn’t a Hughes! He was a Russo!”
Rain’s eyes flew to Julia and then back to the formal sheet of paper for confirmation.
“Thornton wasn’t my mother’s lover.” Rain held her hand to her heart. “Thornton was my uncle.” She whispered as she leaned against the bookshelf and slowly slumped to the floor.
“Wait. Who’s listed as the mother?” Julia asked, reaching for the birth certificate.
The two were interrupted by a knock on the open door, “Hellooo! Ladies, are you in here? Good morning!”
Rain’s eyes flew to Julia. “Quick! Hide this stuff!” Rain scrambled to her feet and dusted the dead flies from the shelf to land upon the wooden floorboards. She snatched the birth certificate from Julia’s hand, tucked it safely back inside the envelope, and shoved the book back inside the wall. She then rushed to hide any evidence of the open wall behind the bookshelf by shelving random books to haphazardly block it. “The piece of log! Hide it!”
Julia reached for the missing piece of log that had held the secret book hidden inside the wall. She held it in her hands like a quarterback not seeing the wide receiver. “Where do you want me to go with this?”
Rain pointed to the corner of the bookshelf along the floor. “Just stick it here for now. We’ll hide it with a pile of books. Hurry!” she added under her breath.
“Wait. Why are you dead set on hiding this from Marge?” Julia whispered, setting down the log and then removing books off the nearby shelf to hide it. Rain handed her another book to use to complete the cover job.
“I’m not ready!” Rain whispered. “I need time … I need to process all of this!” she waved her hands nervously. “It’s my family …”
“Okay, I respect that.” Julia held up a hand in defense. “Don’t worry, I won’t say a word.” Julia zipped her mouth with her fingers and then held two fingers crossed in the air. “Scouts honor, we’ll keep this between you and me.” Julia then turned away from her, blocking Marge from view. She rushed toward the older woman and directed Marge back toward the pile of new books still waiting by the door.
Rain heard Julia say, “Marge, this looks like such a great collection for the library. I absolutely love what you chose! Show me which one of these novels is your favorite? Have you had a chance to read any of these yet? Or were you saving them all for the grand reopening?” Julia’s eyed darted over her shoulder to check with Rain before continuing to hold Marge’s attention.
Rain held her beating chest and willed her heart to stop hammering. The room began to sway, and Rain grasped the bookshelf to steady herself. She’d jumped back to her feet too quickly, after slumping to the floor, for the blood to rise to her head where it belonged. She took a few slow breaths and pasted a smile on her face before joining the others.
“Good morning, Marjorie!” Rain said in an elevated tone. Even to her own ears, the words came out croaked, like she was attempting to hide something. She shared a knowing look with Julia before reaching to clasp the older woman’s hands. “Oh, your hands are freezing. I just turned off the AC, and we’re keeping the door open for the time being. It should warm up here soon, I hope. Sorry about that.” She grimaced.
Marge smiled and squeezed Rain’s hands tighter before fully releasing. “I don’t care how cold it is in here. I can’t tell you how excited I was to wake up this morning knowing we were coming back to the library. I’m so happy you’re opening it up again to the public this year. It’s such a special place.” Her eyes twinkled like stars in the night as she gazed lovingly around the room.
“That it is!” Julia agreed and then shared another knowing glance with Rain. “Special indeed!”
“Julia has been working on cataloging the new books you brought over, and I was hoping to discuss coverage, library hours, and that sort of thing, before we reopen next week. I want each of us to still enjoy the summer up here, without being so tied down that we don’t get a chance to enjoy the sunshine,” Rain said.
Marge tapped each of them on the arm. “Anytime you gals want to whoop it up on the lake, you just call me. I can be here faster than flies on roadkill if need be.” She nodded firmly.
Marg’s comparison to flies made Rain and Julia share a puzzled glance.
“What’s up with you two? I feel like I’m missing something.” Marge squinted and eyed Rain and Julia intently. “Did you hear more on the investigation that you’re not sharing?” She slipped her hands to her hips and leaned toward them. “Listen, ladies. I’m part of this investigative team. Just because I’m older than you by a few decades doesn’t mean I don’t have my wits about me!” she waved her finger between them.
“Well … we went over to clean …” Julia said, before Rain interrupted holding up a hand to stop her.
“What can you tell me about Always You by Luis Russo? I started reading my grandfather’s book last night, and it’s just so incredibly different than the man I knew. Do you think maybe you could share some of the backstory with me?” Rain asked.
Marge’s eyes journeyed intently from Julia to Rain before she blew out a breath and said, “Rain, sweetheart. I have something to tell you.”
Chapter Nineteen
Rain and Marge decided to talk lakeside, out on the wraparound deck, leaving Julia to continue working on cataloging books inside the library. As the heat rose, a stickiness hung in the air. Rain knew from previous visits to the Northwoods, it meant something could be brewing. Like the air could grow so heavy, it would have no other choice than to weep and dump a storm.
Marge had expressed to Rain, when they spoke in the library, that she wished to speak with her privately, and that whatever the two discussed, would be up to Rain’s discretion to share with her immediate family only. Marge had explained that she’d kept a long-hidden secret that she’d promised to herself she’d spill to Willow and Stuart before summer’s end. But with both of them far from Lofty Pines, she voiced, it was best if she spilled the beans to Rain.
Rain encouraged Marge to take a seat beneath the umbrella-covered table, but due to the sun moving across the eastern sky, the canopy did little to cover them. She adjusted the umbrella so that the sun was no longer smack dab in Marge’s eyes, causing her to squint. “Is that better?”
Marge nodded solemnly. “It’s fine, dear, thank you.” she spoke so quietly, that Rain barely heard the words uttered from the older woman’s mouth. She hadn’t known Marge long, but this somber demeanor was something she’d yet to observe.
Rain hadn’t witnessed the woman being anything but animated, so the new subdued Marge gave her concerned pause. “Would you like something to drink? I have lemonade—” Rain pointed toward the cabin and licked her lips at the thought. With the rising heat, a tall glass sounded very refreshing.
“No, thank you. Not just yet.” Marge patted her hand on the chair beside her. “Sit, dear, please have a seat, will you? We can share a drink and snack afterward, if that’s okay with you?”
Rain took the seat, noting Marge’s sense of urgency, as if the older woman couldn’t hold in what she needed to share for another millisecond.
Marge nodded in approval and smiled when Rain had finally succumbed to her bidding.
Rain folded her hands upon the table. “Okay, talk to me. I feel like whatever this is, it’s weighing heavy on your heart right now. I get the sneaky suspicion that this might have something to do with my grandfather’s book. I saw it in your face back there in the library when I asked about Always You.” Rain watched the older woman intently to see if she was right. “Is that it? Do you have something to tell me about my grandfather, Luis? You mentioned growing up with him, is there something I need to know? Something I missed from my childhood?”
Marge’s spine stiffened at the s
ound of Rain’s grandfather’s name, and she shifted in the patio chair. “I’ve carried this secret so long now, sometimes I don’t even think it’s real anymore. It seems as if it happened during another lifetime … another chapter in another book, other than my own.” Marge gazed wistfully toward the lake, and Rain’s eyes followed, taking in the soft lapping of the water against the shore, and the green-blue hue that mimicked the older woman’s watery eyes.
“My grandfather’s book isn’t fiction, is it? I suspect it’s more of an autobiography. No?” Rain asked, redirecting her.
Marge’s gaze abandoned the lake and her eyes then dropped to the table.
“It was you he was writing about, wasn’t it? The girl that he once loved. I know it wasn’t my grandmother. And I can tell it isn’t fully a work of fiction.” Rain clasped her hands to her heart. “It’s too good—the pain is too real. So wretchedly real.” Rain’s voice softened. “I feel it within my own heart.”
Marge’s eyes rose to meet Rain’s and filled, until a tear drop spilled between them on the table. “No, dear, it wasn’t me that he loved.” She paused for a moment, wiping her tear. “But close.” She hung her head again, and her breath began to labor, and her shoulders trembled as if resigned.
Rain was confused by the answer and reached her hand to touch the older woman’s arm. “What do you mean, close?”
“Luis loved my sister once.” Her lower lip trembled as the confession fell from her mouth.
Murder at the Lakeside Library Page 16