Murder in the First Edition

by Lauren Elliott

  Addie picked at the crust on her sandwich. “And then he went right up and had a shower without taking a minute to visit with anyone first?”

  “Yeah, I heard the shower running when we left.”

  “And Catherine said nothing about it?”

  “No, she seemed more relieved than ticked. Which I thought kind of weird, but I’m not her. I would have torn a strip off Zach right in front of everyone, I’ll tell you.”

  Addie worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “Yeah, I think I would have, too. At least ask a lot of questions.”

  “I got to run. Love you and remember what I said, Miss Coquette.” Addie groaned. Serena kissed the top of Addie’s head. The bells signaled her departure.

  What kind of person jumps in the shower immediately after being delayed on what should have been a quick trip to the store? She leaned on her elbow, twisting a strand of loose hair behind her ear. Someone who wants to wash away the scent of another woman’s perfume, that’s who. Her eyes widened. Maybe she and Simon had overthought the situation yesterday, and her first instinct about Crystal and Jonathan had been right, and it was just as she feared. They had met up for a fling, and it didn’t have anything to do with Marvin, Teresa, or the missing book.

  Chapter 19

  “Can you believe we still have over a week and a half to get through this Christmas shopping frenzy?” Addie leaned her back against the door after seeing their last customer out.

  Paige looked up from arranging the bottom shelf of the Children’s book section. “On the upside, I am enjoying the full-time hours right now. It really helps this time of year.”

  Addie glanced at the colorful book Paige held in her hand. It was a cloth-bound, primary-level, board book edition of A Christmas Carol by Jennifer Adams. “I wonder if Patrick would take that in place of the missing book for the auction.”

  Paige looked down at the book in her hand. “Well, it does have a price sticker on it for eight ninety-nine, so maybe.” She arched a sly brow.

  Addie imagined adding a few zeros behind the paltry number and handing it over to that insufferable man. “I’d need to wrap it first.” A chuckle formed low in her belly as she pictured his face melting from surprised appreciation to stunned silence when he tore the wrapping paper off it. The chuckle grew until she felt she would burst. Her eyes watered, and she could barely make out Paige’s slightly cocked face, studying her. “Good heavens,” she snorted. “I’ve gone absolutely mad after today.” Addie clasped her aching side.

  “Are you okay?” Paige grabbed her cell phone. “Should I call somebody? Maybe Serena? Or Simon?”

  “I can just picture his face now.” Another fit of laughter seized her, and this time Paige joined in. Soon both were sitting on the floor, sprawled next to a pile of unstacked children’s books, tears streaking down their faces, and the occasional hiccup making them laugh even harder.

  “Looks like I missed a good joke.” Simon stood with his hands on his hips, his head tilted to the side.

  Addie gasped to catch her breath but snorted instead.

  “You snorted. Again!” Paige whipped out a tissue from her pocket and waved it in the air. “I surrender. I’ll die unless I quit laughing.”

  Simon looked from Addie to Paige and then broke out laughing in chorus with them. Addie stared. “Why are you laughing?” she choked out.

  He shook his head. “I have no idea. Laughter’s contagious, I guess.” A deep chuckle rumbled in his chest. And they were off again, tears streaming down their cheeks.

  Addie held her aching side, trying to compose herself and put her manager’s hat back on. Only barely winning the struggle, she locked the door after Paige stumbled, still giggling, into the street. She pasted a serious look across her face. Simon wiped tears from his eyes. A smirk invaded her lips. Clearing her throat, she managed to speak relatively seriously. “Clearly, there’s nothing like a bit of silliness to relieve the stresses of the day.”

  “I wish I hadn’t missed the joke and knew what it was I was laughing at.”

  She waved her hand. “It was one of those things you had to be here for. Not as funny if I tell you. You’d think us nuts.”

  “It wouldn’t be the first time.” He playfully winked.

  She flipped her ponytailed head, and closed the cash register without looking at him. Suppressing her giggle wasn’t easy, but she managed it. “Did you get any sleep today? And how’s Patrick?” She slipped the receipt book into the drawer under the counter. “Did you figure out why he went from good condition to needing emergency treatment?”

  “Yeah.” Simon slid onto a stool and stretched out his neck. “I managed a few hours, and he’s going to be okay now.”

  “What happened? Did the staff goof and double-dose him?”

  “No, but someone did.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “All narcotics taken out of the locked med cupboard have to be witnessed and recorded. When I checked the available stock against all the dosages signed out, it added up. So I started asking questions and came across something interesting.” He paused and waited for Addie to take a seat on the stool beside him. “Debra, his nurse, told me that she was in Patrick’s room checking his vitals when Crystal came in. Deb knows her from around the hospital. Anyway, she started to leave so they’d have some privacy, but Crystal started right in telling him they need to cancel the auction and then, bam, they were in a heated argument. Patrick’s blood pressure shot sky high, and Deb had to stay in the room to keep an eye on it for a few minutes.”

  “I’m glad to hear that at least Crystal understands that he can’t carry on with the live auction portion of the gala as planned.”

  “Yeah, but Debra said their argument didn’t sound like it was just about canceling the live auction. According to her, she said Crystal was insisting they just forget about the whole thing and move on.”

  “Maybe she’s worried about taking on too much of the workload herself with Patrick somewhat out of the picture.”

  “Maybe, but then Debra mentioned something else.”

  “What?”

  “She said Crystal stormed out, and he settled a bit so she left to check on her other patients, and when she went back to Patrick’s room to recheck his BP, she saw a man who she described as a ‘drop-dead gorgeous silver fox’ getting into the elevator. She never thought anything of it at the time, and the only reason why she remembers him was, in her words, he looked delicious.”

  “Only one person matching that description comes to my mind.”

  “Exactly. She went on to say that Patrick was fine then. His blood pressure had stabilized, so she gave him his pain medication and left.”

  “So, Jonathan paid him a visit. Or at least was on his floor.”

  Simon nodded. “When I questioned her further, trying to determine how Patrick received more than a double dose of morphine, it got interesting.” Addie leaned closer. “She told me a minute or so later there was a code called, a heart attack, on the patient in the room across the hall from Patrick’s. She and the rest of the code team went flying into the patient’s room with the crash cart and out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw someone going into Patrick’s room.”

  “Could she describe the person?”

  “No, she said it was all a blur in the hustle. When they were finished, she went in to check on Patrick and found him unresponsive and his vital signs bottoming out. She called Dr. Harris, who was still across the hall. He checked Patrick and administered the Narcan and then called me to report the incident.”

  “So, that means Jonathan and Crystal both paid Patrick a visit. We also know Marvin was at the hospital then, too.”

  “Yes, but Crystal left, and then she saw Jonathan leaving the unit before Patrick went into distress.”

  “That means it must have been Marvin she saw going into his room during the code alarm.”

  “Could have been, unless Jonathan or Crystal came back, knowing the commotion that would b
e happening on the unit because codes are called over the hospital intercom.” Simon’s finger tapped the countertop.

  “Maybe, but we saw them both leave before Marvin came out later, and remember Patrick and Marvin had an argument before Patrick was attacked that night.”

  “Yes, and we speculated that Marvin attacked him because he was furious. After all, he’d heard the book he came here to launder money through was missing. But Patrick couldn’t identify his attacker.”

  “Maybe he lied and knows exactly who beat him up and stuffed him in the closet.”

  Simon ran his hand over his five-o’clock chin stubble. “But why didn’t Marvin just kill him then? Why come into the hospital to knock him off?”

  “Maybe Marvin is involved in Teresa’s death and the missing book, and he’s afraid Patrick knows that and the attack was a warning to him not to talk, but his bosses are afraid that Patrick might slip up and say something about Marvin and ordered him to make sure that couldn’t happen.”

  Simon scrubbed his hands over his face. “We still have nothing but what-ifs.”

  “How do we prove any of this?”

  “We don’t. The police do. All we can do is take our theories to Marc and let him decide if they’re worth looking into or not. That’s his job; mine, as far as this case is concerned, is what I find in the lab. Yours is, well, I guess to do what you do best: research and keep your eyes open and report what you find out.”

  “Boring.”

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. “I know something that’s not boring.” Her heart did a little flip when his warm breath brushed her cheek. “It’s the reason I came here tonight in the first place.” He pulled her closer, close enough for his heart to beat against hers. Was he actually going to kiss her? She tilted her chin up. Her lips slightly parted in anticipation. “To take you to the festival.”

  “The festival?”

  “Yes, the tree lighting. The twelve days before Christmas annual town event.”

  “That’s tonight?”

  He laughed. “You’ve lived here longer than I have. Why is it I can remember such a momentous occasion and you can’t? Come on. Get your coat, bundle up, and let’s go a-caroling.” He swept her out the door, helped her navigate over the snow-plowed drifts, and dragged her into the park.

  The Victorian gazebo sparkled in Christmas splendor. Twinkling Christmas lights dripped from the roof, and garland swathed each post with festive greenery. The same Dickens carolers from her shop this morning were center stage as the gathering crowd joined them in chorus. She had thought the displays for the Founder’s Day celebrations were spectacular, but this . . . this was Christmas magic come to life. The wonder of it skittered through her, taking her back to her childhood, the lights shimmering off the snow-covered boughs, causing tears of joy to glisten in her eyes. That was until her gaze came to rest on Jonathan and Crystal standing side by side in the crowd.

  Addie nudged Simon’s shoulder and gestured with her head at the couple. Crystal, her come-hither eyes focused on Jonathan. Her lips curved in a smile, her shoulder just close enough to his that when he moved they would touch. Now, that was a flirt if Addie ever saw one. She wracked her brain to remember when she had ever behaved that way with Marc or Simon.

  She looked up and studied the profile of the man standing beside her and noted his chiseled chin, squared jaw, and those long, thick black lashes, but most of all she saw his wit, the way he could make her laugh, and the way he made her feel. So, what was holding her back, or was Serena right? Was she just a tease, a flirt, one of those women who craved attention from all men, not just one? She channeled her inner Scarlett O’Hara. I’ll think about it tomorrow. Right now, she had to figure out what was going on and find her book.

  Chapter 20

  Addie squinted and studied the small group on the other side of the gazebo, her fingers trailing over the glassy surface of her phone inside her warm coat pocket. Catherine stood to Jonathan’s right, laughing with Joyce and Jack, seemingly oblivious to the performance playing out on her left. Addie fixed her gaze on Crystal, whose head was so far tilted in flirtation that Addie feared it would detach and roll on the ground. Now, that would put the final bow on the celebration. A little too Christmas future for her liking. Addie took tally over how many times Crystal licked her pouting lips. At twenty, Addie gave up counting and snapped a picture. This would say it all and was perhaps enough to convince Catherine of Jonathan’s womanizing. She glanced down at the photo. Her chest constricted. Peach color from Crystal’s lips glimmered back at her. Although it was a great advertisement for the lipstick’s wear and tear.

  She tugged on Simon’s jacket sleeve. “Did you ever get the DNA results back from the lab?”

  “No, probably not till next week. Why?”

  “Just curious.” She glanced again at Crystal, whose tongue trailed across her upper peach lip. “Do you really want to stay for the main tree-lighting ceremony?”

  “Don’t you?” He glanced at her. “I thought you liked this sort of thing?”

  “I do and thank you for bringing me, but . . .”

  “But what?”

  She shoved her icy hands back into the warmth of her coat pockets. “There’s just something else that I want to check out.”

  His arm wrapped around her shoulder. “This wouldn’t involve some private investigating, would it, Miss Jessica Fletcher?” He squeezed her, his laughter purring in his chest and vibrating her side.

  “Just a quick trip, and who knows? Maybe we’ll be back in time to see the main tree lighting.”

  “Okay,” he groaned, “where are we off to now?”

  “It’s not far.” A smile dangled at the corners of her lips as she raked her gaze over his face.

  “What?” His hand brushed over his mouth. “Do I have something on my face?”

  “No,” she sighed, “just thinking how lucky I am to have such a tolerant . . . friend.”

  He cupped her face in his hands and brushed his lips against hers, just a light caress, a whisper-light kiss, and smiled. His arm tightened around her shoulder, and he led her back across the street to Carolyn’s truck, which he, apparently, had now claimed as his own. Her mind replayed what had just occurred, her heart and head struggling to come to terms. What exactly had occurred? This wasn’t the first time his lips teased hers, but why didn’t he want to kiss her, like really kiss her?

  She knew what he’d said before, but he didn’t even seem tempted. Was that weird, or was he truly just a good man and waiting for her permission and invitation? Serena was right. She had to make him want to kiss her. It was time to make an informed decision and choose one of them. Why was this all bubbling to the surface now? Was it the time of year? Was she just lonely and missing what she and David had shared? Or was it because Serena couldn’t leave well enough alone. She had been perfectly happy to let things just carry on in their merry little way, but now her friend’s words were festering inside her.

  Simon pulled into his parking stall at the rear of the hospital, fished his keys out of his jean pocket, and opened the staff door. Addie turned to her left and started up the stairwell.

  “Wouldn’t the elevator be faster?” Simon called when she hit the fifth step.

  “No, I don’t want anyone who might be lurking around to see us.”

  “By anyone, do you mean Marc?”

  She ignored his last statement. They approached the third-floor exit door. “Do we need a key?”

  “After hours yes, because it’s only the executive offices on this wing.” He inserted a key in the lock. “But my staff key won’t open any of the private offices, if that’s what you have in mind.”

  “Too bad. I sure would like to have another look around Patrick’s to see if the book is hidden anywhere.”

  “I thought you did that right before you found Teresa’s body.”

  “Yeah, but I didn’t know she was dead at the time and didn’t do a thorough search.” She plopped down
onto Crystal’s chair at the reception desk. “Does it open desk drawers by chance?”

  “Nope, sorry.”

  “I got it, then.” She pulled a bobby pin from under her ponytail, straightened it, and jimmied with the top drawer. It clicked open.

  “Where did you learn how to do that?”

  “A misspent youth.” She dug around in the drawer.

  “That’s a story I want to hear one day.”

  “There it is.” She pulled a tissue from the box on the desk and wrapped it around the tube of lipstick she’d seen Crystal applying the day after Teresa’s fall. She folded it and handed it to him. “You said you needed an actual sample of the lipstick on the cup.”

  “And you think this is it?”

  “I’m not sure”—she closed the drawer—“but it’s worth checking out.”

  “Let’s go to my office, and I’ll get it ready to send to the DNA lab tomorrow.”

  * * *

  Back at the gazebo, Addie slid in beside Serena, giving her a quick hip-check, laughed, and joined in the final countdown to the tree lighting. “. . . three . . . two . . . one . . . Merry Christmas.” Cheers rang in the crisp night air amongst shrieks of laughter and applause.

  Serena threw her arms around Addie’s neck, tears of joy glistening in her eyes. “Zach wants us to live together.”

  “What?” Addie held her out to arm’s length. “Are you ready for that?”

  “I’ve never been so ready for anything in my entire life.” Tears trickled down her glowing cheeks. “Are you happy for me?”

  “Of course, I am. If that’s what you want?”

  “Well”—she leaned closer to Addie—“what I really want is a ring, but I guess this is the first step.”

  “You want to marry him?”

  “Yes,” she squealed, hugging her arms tight around herself, her feet dancing beneath her. “I do. I do.”

  Zach appeared over Serena’s shoulder. “I take it she’s told you the news.” The corners of his amber-brown eyes crinkled when he smiled and looked down at Serena. “I thought we were keeping this a secret until after the holidays?”