Twelve Angry Librarians

by Miranda James

  “Sure,” Kanesha said. “Think I’ll help myself to a little more coffee after all while you do that.”

  I followed Diesel to the utility room and added more dry food to his not-empty bowl. I gave him fresh water and opened a can of wet food. “Starvation averted,” I said. He was too busy eating to pay any attention to my smart comment. I went back to join Kanesha at the table.

  “Where was I?” I thought for a moment. “Oh, yes, how did Gavin end up with the bottle instead of Crais? The problem with Gavin was that he was never that subtle. He was always so sure he could outsmart anyone that he continually underestimated a person’s intelligence. I think Crais is a sharp guy, and he became suspicious over Gavin’s sudden burst of generosity at the party. I think he probably examined that water bottle closely when he got back to his room, instead of just sticking it in his bag and leaving it there. He found evidence of tampering and then decided to effect a switch somehow with Gavin. Let Gavin have the bottle and see what happened. I don’t know whether he suspected Gavin was trying to kill him, or maybe only make him sick.

  “The luncheon on Friday was the best time for Crais to switch the bottles. He was introducing Gavin for the keynote speech, and he would be sitting at the table with him. All he had to do was act clumsy, knock over a few things, and then wait for Gavin to leave the table. He figured Gavin would have at least one bottle of water with him. After Gavin left the table, Crais got clumsy again and knocked that bottle off the table. He switched bottles when he bent down to pick up the one on the floor.”

  “How do you know about this? I thought you told me you sat at the back of the room by the doors. You couldn’t see it, surely.”

  “I did sit at the back, and I couldn’t see Gavin’s table clearly from there.” I reminded her about the two retired librarians, Ada Lou and Virginia, whose last names I didn’t know. “I overheard them last night discussing Crais and his clumsiness. They were sitting at a nearby table and saw it all.” I paused. “Well, I don’t think they saw him actually switch bottles, but they saw him knock a bottle off the table. I’m sure if you talk to them, they’ll tell you all about it. It might take a while, but they’ll talk.”

  I glimpsed a brief smile before Kanesha raised her mug to her lips. She had already talked to Virginia and Ada Lou. They were eccentric enough to make even Kanesha smile.

  “After the switch, all Crais had to do was wait. Gavin would open that bottle and drink, never suspecting that it was the bottle he’d poisoned and given to Crais. He went up to the podium without it, started talking, then realized he’d left the bottle at the table. He gestured at Lisa to hand it to him. He opened it, drank, and then of course realized he was going to die. Lisa was watching him, and she told me she thought he looked shocked in the split second or two before the cyanide hit him and he collapsed behind the podium.”

  “Where did he get the cyanide?” Kanesha asked.

  I shrugged. “That I don’t know. He might have gotten it through Bob Coben. Coben had access to chemicals at the lab. I told you he’s working on a master’s degree in chemistry. Gavin could have blackmailed Bob to get it for him, or he could have ordered it himself online from overseas. Stewart told me it was obtainable that way.”

  “Have you figured out how the cyanide was put into the bottles?”

  “I think so. Make a hole in the bottom of the bottle where it’s far less likely to be seen, insert the cyanide, and then stop up the hole with some kind of superglue.”

  “I see. You’ve got it all worked out pretty neatly.” Kanesha leaned back in her chair and regarded me like a professor who’d been questioning her student.

  “Well, how did I do?” I almost added teacher but that wouldn’t have gone over well. Kanesha didn’t appreciate flippancy. “Did I get it right?”

  Kanesha didn’t respond right away. The silence between us lengthened, then suddenly she laughed.

  You did make a fool of yourself after all. It was too far-fetched to be believable.

  I sighed and waited for her to tell me how big an idiot I was for wasting her time.

  “I don’t know how you do it,” Kanesha said. “How you manage to figure these things out without all the other information that goes into solving a case.”

  “Do you mean I’m right?” I was astonished. I’d prepared myself to be laughed at, and she did laugh, but not for the reason I expected.

  Kanesha nodded. “Based on information I have, I’m pretty sure you are. We’ve traced the cyanide to Fong’s house in Alabama. We don’t know yet how or where he got it, but investigators there found where he’d hidden it.” She shook her head. “He was incredibly careless to go off and leave the evidence right there in his house.”

  “Sounds like typical Gavin to me,” I said. “Always thinking he was too smart to get caught.”

  “I guess you’re right about that,” Kanesha said. “We’ll find out where he got the cyanide eventually, but it will take time. Now, about those little old ladies, Miss Ada Lou and Miss Virginia. They were hard to track down, but they finally showed up in the room we were using at the hotel about six o’clock last night. Seems they realized that what they had seen at the luncheon might have some bearing on the case, and I had an officer watching them from then on. I guess they were talking about it again when you saw them later.”

  “Harlan Crais came into the suite where we were having a small gathering,” I said. “I guess that set them off again.”

  “They didn’t see the actual bottle switch, but I have confirmation of that from another source.”

  “Harlan Crais himself?” I asked.

  “When you texted me last night, I’d been trying to track him down for almost an hour. He wasn’t answering his cell phone or responding to messages left on his room voice mail. Thanks to you, though, I was able to question him further last night.”

  “So he admitted to switching the bottles?”

  “Not right away,” Kanesha said. “He was nervous. Pretty sure he thought he was about to be arrested for murder because he didn’t think I’d believe his story. I finally convinced him to tell me.”

  “Was he the one who had blackballed Gavin and kept him from getting interviews?”

  “Yes, and he explained why,” Kanesha said. “It never occurred to him that Fong would try to kill him, he said, but he got suspicious at that party when Fong suddenly turned generous. He didn’t actually examine the bottle until the next morning, and that’s when he found the evidence of tampering. You figured that out, too—how Fong got the poison into the bottles.”

  “Did you charge Crais with anything?”

  “Not yet,” Kanesha said. “That’s going to be up to the district attorney and the grand jury. Frankly, I believe him. He might have suspected there was poison in the bottle, and in that case he should have gone to the police. He didn’t, however, and switched the bottles, and that led to Fong’s death. Based on everything I’ve learned about Fong’s personality, I have little doubt that he was the murderer. Just his bad luck he ended up killing himself.”

  “I’m really sorry poor Maxine Muller died,” I said. “After she saw Gavin die right in front of all of us from drinking poisoned water, why on earth did she open that bottle?”

  “My guess is that she believed someone else murdered Gavin and didn’t suspect the truth. She wouldn’t have suspected that her water was poisoned until it was too late.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t say that I’m all that sorry about Gavin. He was a terrible person, but I am sorry that he killed the one person who actually cared for him.”

  Kanesha rose wearily from her chair. “I’m going home now and getting in bed. The last time I saw a bed was a cot in my office, for about two hours yesterday morning.” She yawned.

  “You’ve earned your rest.” I escorted her to the door, assisted by Diesel, and watched until she drove off in her car. I shut the doo
r, and Diesel and I headed upstairs. I decided bed was where I wanted to be, at least for a couple more hours. Now that the investigation was done—at least my self-appointed part of it, that is—I had some decisions to make, and I figured postponing them in favor of a little rest wouldn’t hurt.

  THIRTY-FIVE

  After I woke up from my morning nap at around eight forty-five, I remembered that the conference hadn’t officially ended. There were a couple more sessions this morning, and then a final luncheon. As much as I would have liked to, I couldn’t skip it all. Stewart had no plans for the morning and could look after Diesel for me, so I hurriedly showered, dressed, grabbed a bite to eat, and then headed to the hotel.

  I was only about twenty minutes late for the first session, a presentation on evaluating electronic resources using a particular tool available through one of the vendors exhibiting at the conference. I wasn’t particularly interested in the subject, but it sounded more interesting than the other presentation scheduled for the same time—a session on career development. My career was in no need of development at this point, I decided.

  I don’t think I actually absorbed much from that presentation, or the one I attended in the following session. My thoughts were occupied with the decision about my job, the forthcoming discussion with Helen Louise about her decision to cut back on her working hours, and the still-pending decision by my son-in-law and daughter about a potential move to Virginia.

  I chatted casually with the people at my table during the luncheon, but afterward I couldn’t clearly recall who the people were or what we talked about. I vaguely remembered the keynote speaker talking about new models for the digital academic library of the future, but what those models were I couldn’t tell you. After the keynote ended, Lisa Krause took the podium to thank everyone for their attendance, expressed hope that they had found the meeting worthwhile and enjoyable, despite the unfortunate events. She then shared a message from Kanesha Berry, stating that the investigation was nearing a conclusion and an announcement would be made soon. Everyone could now relax and enjoy what was left of their stay in Athena.

  I had a brief, final visit with Marisue and Randi in the latter’s room. Randi was still in pain but in a better frame of mind today. They pressed me for details about the investigation after I told them about the message Lisa shared at the end of the keynote address. I promised them that as soon as the results of the investigation were made public, I would tell them all that I knew about it. Until then, I said, I had to keep what I knew to myself. They were disappointed, but thankfully, they didn’t press too hard. I hugged them both before I left, and we promised to keep in touch more often from now on.

  I spent the afternoon relaxing with a good book while a large cat snoozed by my side. I napped for a little while. The tension of the last few days had drained mostly away, and I was able to sleep soundly. I looked forward to Sunday dinner and seeing Helen Louise away from the bistro. Stewart had taken over preparing dinner on Sunday, and I didn’t argue.

  Helen Louise arrived half an hour earlier than usual so that we would have time to talk in private before Sean and Alexandra arrived. Laura and Frank were dining tonight with Frank’s department chair. I didn’t want to place too much hope on that dinner and what inducements the chair could offer to keep Frank in Athena. But I could hope at least a little, and I did.

  After greeting Stewart and Haskell in the kitchen, Helen Louise and I left Diesel playing with Dante there and retreated to the den where we could discuss our decisions with each other.

  We got comfortable on the sofa, my arm around her shoulders, and her nestled against me, her hair brushing my cheek.

  “So,” I said after a short silence, “you’re going to cut back your work hours.” I loved the feel of her silky hair against my cheek.

  “I am,” she said. “As much as I love the business, I need to take more time away from it. I have other ways to spend my time, important ways that mean even more to me.” She squeezed my hand.

  “I feel the same way,” I said. “That’s why I’ve decided to turn down the job offer at the college. I don’t want to tie myself down to a full-time schedule that would probably end up being more than forty hours a week.”

  “I’m glad,” Helen Louise said. “That was one reason I made up my mind to cut back myself. I knew you were wavering, and I figured if I made a commitment like this, it would help you in your decision.” She hesitated for a moment. “And also help us figure out where we go from here.”

  I smiled. We understood each other well. We hadn’t talked specifically about marriage yet as the ultimate destination for our relationship, but it looked like now might be a good time to start.

  Helen Louise pulled gently away from me so that we could see each other’s faces. “Just so you know, I’m not expecting you to drop down on one knee right this minute. I think we need to spend more time together, and now we’ll have the opportunity. This will help us decide if the Big M is what we both want. What do you think?”

  “I think you’re right,” I said. “We do need to spend more time alone together. We’ve known each other most of our lives, but this phase of our friendship, if we can call it that, is different. We need time to explore it.”

  “I’m glad we’re agreed.” Helen Louise leaned in for a kiss.

  We spent several agreeable minutes not talking, and we remained in the den until we could hear the sounds of new voices. Sean and Alexandra had arrived, and we went to greet them.

  After hugs had been exchanged and Alexandra’s baby bump—a phrase I didn’t really care for—had been commented upon, we hung out in the kitchen. Alternately assisting Stewart and getting in his way, we had an enjoyable time chatting.

  Sean had only heard about the investigation into the deaths at the Farrington House this morning. I was surprised he hadn’t called me the minute he heard about them to fuss at me for getting involved. Impending fatherhood was giving him other things to fuss over, I reckoned. He hovered around Alexandra as if she would shatter apart without his constant attention. She bore it with better grace than I would have. The baby wasn’t due until later in the fall, but to watch Sean one would have thought the delivery could happen any minute.

  Because he was more preoccupied with his pregnant wife than with his trouble-seeking father, I escaped more easily than usual from the lawyer-ly lecture he often gave me. He did pull me aside at one point, however, and ask in an undertone, “Has Laura talked to you yet?”

  “You mean about Frank’s job offer in Virginia?”

  He nodded.

  “Yes, she’s told me. You haven’t heard anything about a firm decision yet, have you?”

  “No, not yet. Frank promised her he’d listen to what his department chair has to say at dinner tonight before they decide.”

  “That’s what she told me,” I said. “Still hope.”

  “Yes,” Sean said. “I’d hate to see them move that far away. I know Alex was looking forward to having Laura nearby, going through the same things as she will be, before and after the baby comes.” He paused. “I’d miss them, too. Frank’s a good guy.”

  “He is, and I know he considers you a good friend,” I said.

  Stewart announced that dinner was ready, and we took our places at the table Haskell had set for us. I said grace, and then the meal began. Conversation flowed about subjects other than my latest adventures in sleuthing, I was happy to observe. As we approached the time for dessert, I claimed everyone’s attention.

  “I have a couple of things to tell you, now that we’re all gathered together. Laura and Frank couldn’t be here with us. They’re having dinner with one of Frank’s colleagues.” I left it at that because I didn’t know how much Laura had said to Stewart or Helen Louise. I didn’t want to risk violating her confidence by letting anything slip.

  “I was called to a meeting on Friday morning by the president of Athena College
and the search committee who have been trying to find a permanent library director. They offered me the job at that meeting.”

  “That’s great, Dad,” Sean said.

  “Well done, Charlie,” Stewart said, and Haskell nodded.

  “You must be so excited,” Alex said.

  “I was quite flattered by the offer,” I said. “I told them, however, that I needed time to think about it and promised them I would give them my answer first thing on Monday morning.”

  “And what answer are you going to give them?” Sean asked.

  “I will not be accepting the job.” I held up a hand to forestall comments and questions. I could tell Sean badly wanted to say something, but I didn’t give him an opportunity. “I was ambivalent. There were things about the job I liked, but other things I didn’t. One of the main issues is the time commitment. For various reasons—like the imminent arrival of grandchildren, for example—I don’t want to work full-time.” I smiled down at Helen Louise, who was sitting on my right. I held out my hand, and she grasped it.

  “Another important reason is that Helen Louise told me she is going to cut back her hours at the bistro. She wants more time for us to spend together, and that offer was irresistible.” I gave Sean a hard look. “And, no, that doesn’t mean we’re about to run off to get married. We simply want to spend more time together before we decide what we want for the future. Understood?”

  “Understood, Dad.” Sean raised his glass. “Here’s to you and Helen Louise.” The others picked up their glasses and toasted us as well. I bent to give Helen Louise a quick kiss. Somebody whistled, and I suspected Stewart. He winked at me when I glanced his way.

  I resumed my seat. “Now, how about dessert?”

  Later on, after dessert and coffee, with the table cleared, we remained in the kitchen, talking. I told them more about the strange deaths, and Sean, as always, had numerous questions. In the back of my mind the whole time, however, I wondered when I would hear from Laura and, more importantly, what I would hear.