Death In The Library: A Culinary Cozy Mystery (A Murder In Milburn Book 3)

by Nancy McGovern

The door opened, and Sean walked in. His girlfriend Karen was by his side, with a bouquet tucked under her arm. She presented it to Nora, and spent some time asking about her health, before kissing Sean and leaving.

  “So,” Sean said. He gave Harvey a look. “Harvey, if you’d step outside for a few minutes?”

  Harvey nodded, squeezed Nora’s hand, and left.

  “Nora. You feeling all right? Will you be able to answer a few questions?”

  Nora nodded.

  She spent the next ten minutes describing the events of the night before as closely as possible. Sean nodded along, taking notes as she spoke. When she was done, she asked, “Any more you need from me?”

  “Not right now,” Sean said. “I just want to say, don’t do things like this again.”

  “Not you too,” Nora groaned.

  “Well, at least take a weapon or a kung-fu champion with you,” Sean said.

  “I need to know if Grant and Robert are all right,” Nora said, ignoring his last statement. “Can you finally tell me?”

  “I didn’t want the shock to contaminate your memories of last night,” Sean said. “I’m afraid I have bad news, Nora.”

  Nora felt a pit widen in her stomach. “What is it?”

  “Robert has disappeared,” Sean said. “Well, we haven’t found him yet, but we will soon enough.”

  “And Grant?”

  “Grant suffered a blow to the back of the head,” Sean said. “Someone dropped a heavy book on him from one storey up. He’s in a coma now.”

  Nora nodded. “Any chance he’ll…”

  “The doctors give him a 50-50 shot at survival,” Sean said. “So, again, last night’s meeting was all Robert’s idea?”

  “Yes.”

  “He’s the one who bought you and Grant there?”

  “Yes.”

  “Pretty open and shut then, wouldn’t you say?” Sean asked. “If we’re lucky, we’ll get a confession out of him. Otherwise, I feel like we have gathered enough evidence against him.”

  “I still can’t believe he did it.”

  “No?” Sean raised an eyebrow. “Why? Instinct?”

  “Not instinct… I just feel like… he’s a smart man. He would have done a better job of it if he wanted to murder three people.”

  “Desperation can make people do increasingly stupid things,” Sean said. “When you back someone into a corner, they aren’t thinking rationally. They’re looking to escape any way they can.”

  “So that’s what you think it was all about? A desperate measure to escape?”

  “Looks that way to me,” Sean said. “When we catch him, we’ll find out.”

  “Will you catch him?”

  “Oh yes.” Sean laughed. “We definitely will. There’s no way he can escape the manhunt.”

  “He was in Guyana until recently,” Nora said. “What if he crosses the border somehow?”

  “How’s he going to get all the way to the border?” Sean laughed. “No, he’s done for, Nora.”

  The door opened again, and a very upset looking Tina walked in, with Sam right behind her.

  “Nora!” She hugged Nora tightly, and let go when Nora let out a little whimper of pain.

  “Sorry,” Tina said. “I was worried to death. Honestly Nora, you had no business putting yourself into--”

  “If you use the word danger, I’ll throw something,” Nora said. “I’ve heard that enough times today.”

  “For good reason,” Tina scolded. “Now have you had anything to eat?”

  “Harvey tried to make me eat the hospital’s food but I refused,” Nora said.

  “Good, I bought you some spinach and swiss cheese quiche,” Tina said. “That’ll make you feel better.”

  Nora brightened.

  “I got more good news, too,” Tina said. “I guess we could use it, in these troubled times.”

  “What’s that?”

  “We just got done with Selena’s funeral,” Sam said, “And Tina and I were talking about what she would have liked.”

  “Well?”

  “Selena would have liked us to go on,” Sam said. “She would have liked us to celebrate instead of mourning. To move forward.”

  “Sam told me today that you and I should open the diner next month like we planned,” Tina said with a big smile. “What do you think of that?”

  Nora’s smile froze.

  What did she think of that? She should feel delighted.

  Instead, she just felt numb.

  Tina seemed to read her mind. “It’s all right,” she said. “I know you’re scared. I am too. But trust me, it’s the right thing to do.”

  “It’s the one happy thing in this mess,” Sam said. “It’s the one thing that’s keeping me going through the days.”

  “Sam’s so excited he’s been helping out with some of the decor,” Tina said. “We’ve even planned a karaoke party for the opening.”

  “It’s what we need,” Sam said.

  Nora nodded. “I agree,” she said.

  “Another benefit is that you’ll be working too hard on the diner to snoop around.” Tina grinned.

  “That occurred to me.” Nora smiled.

  “There’s not much snooping to be done anymore anyway,” Sean said. He shut his notebook heavily. “I’m guessing that this whole thing will be done in two days.”

  “So it’s definitely Robert?” Sam asked.

  Sean smiled. “You know I can’t comment on an ongoing investigation,” he said. But he nodded his head yes.

  “Get him, Sean,” Sam said. “Get him soon and end this nightmare for us.”

  Nora stayed silent, but she wondered if no one but her had doubts about it all. The front door of the library was wide open when she had crept down the stairs, she remembered that clearly. Why? Who had come in? More importantly, if these attacks were linked to Selena’s death, how did the murderer know they were there?

  She remembered arguing with Harvey about going to the library. She remembered waving to the mayor and his wife. There were only three people who knew she was at the library. Unless Robert and Grant had told someone. Which seemed unlikely.

  “How did I get saved?” Nora asked suddenly. “No one explained that clearly to me.”

  “Harvey says that he was worried when you decided to go to the library,” Sean said. “He followed you, and parked outside. When he heard you scream, he rushed in to help. He saved you from your assailant.”

  But the door was already open when I was attacked. Nora thought, confused.

  *****

  Chapter 14

  Dr. Neil insisted on keeping Nora a day longer to check for concussions, and Nora had to spend all that day in bed, quite impatient. She was allowed to visit Grant for half an hour in the morning. His room was filled with flowers and beeping machines, while Grant himself lay on the bed, looking frail with gauze covering most of his forehead. Nora held his hand, watched for signs of recovery, but he was still comatose when she left.

  When she was discharged, her arm was still placed in a splint. Harvey drove her home, and later that day, drove her to Selena’s memorial.

  Grant and May had done a wonderful job on short notice. The memorial was near the town fountain, with a slideshow of Selena’s photos appearing on a makeshift screen. The fountain itself had a large framed photo of Selena, with flowers and candles from all around it.

  “It’s quite beautiful,” Tina said to May. “I know Selena would have appreciated it.”

  “Grant would too,” May said, her voice soft. “Poor man.”

  “He’ll recover,” Tina said. “He’s sure to.”

  “It’s not guaranteed,” May said. She shook her head. “Maybe I’m just pessimistic. This is a horrible turn of events.”

  “Is anyone… guarding him?” Tina asked. “I mean, the sheriff or a deputy? He’s just had an attempt made on his life, after all.”

  “Well, I’m quite sure no one will attempt anything at the hospital,” May said dismissively.
>
  As Nora appeared, May clasped her hands. “You poor thing,” she said. “That cruel man must be caught as fast as possible! I’ve asked Sean to use every resource he needs. He has my support and Brent’s.”

  “This is a beautiful remembrance of Selena,” Nora said politely.

  “Grant was planning to select a passage from one of her books,” May said sadly. “I know he won’t be able to now. I’m really busy, but I suppose I’ll do it. Her headstone at the cemetery hasn’t been engraved yet, and Sam thought it’s a wonderful idea to use her own words.”

  “Oh, I don’t mind doing it if you’re very busy, May,” Nora protested. “I’d love to help.”

  “That’s all right,” May said. “You’ve just come out of the hospital, I couldn’t possibly ask you to.”

  “It’s all right,” Tina said. “You’ll be doing me and Sam a favor, Nora. Honestly, May, I think I’d prefer Nora to do it. You’ve done plenty just setting this memorial up for us. As for me and Sam, we honestly don’t have the energy right now. We’ve decided to put her house on sale as fast as possible.”

  “So her will… there were no problems there?” Nora asked.

  “Sam is her nearest kin. She had no will, so it’s pretty clear that it’s all his now,” Tina said. “It’s a headache, really. Estate management’s no joke. Plus the memories… I don’t think Sam’s fit enough to be looking through all her things. Nora, it’d be a big relief to me if you did.”

  Nora nodded. “Of course I will,” she said. “Tomorrow, then?”

  “Whenever you’re better, of course,” Tina said.

  “All right,” May said grudgingly, handing over the keys to Nora. “Here. Tina gave these to me and Grant, but I suppose you’ll want them now.”

  Near the fountain, the high school band began a wonderful rendition of Motts’ Gently to the Night. As one, the crowd gathered around fell silent. Slowly, one voice among the many began singing, and for a few seconds, it was alone. Then, one by one, other voices began joining in, until, at the chorus, the entire crowd was chanting,

  And even when you’re gone,

  This door is open still,

  The night will stay till dawn,

  And love you dear, I will

  Lighters and cellphones were raised into the air, and for minutes, the crowd sang. Then, slowly, breaking off into smaller groups, the crowd began to disperse.

  Sam and Tina, along with Harvey and Nora were the last couples to leave. Nora noticed Sam discreetly palming a pill somewhere in the early stages of the memorial. By the end, he looked as if he were sleepwalking. Tina was supporting him, looking fairly frail herself.

  “Do you need a ride home?” Harvey asked.

  “We’ll be fine,” Tina said. “All I want is for Sam to get some rest. I feel like between the funeral, the memorial, and Robert being revealed for who he is, Sam has got some sense of closure. Now all we need to do is begin going about our normal lives.”

  “Grief takes time to process,” Nora said. “Especially when it’s the shocking death of a sibling.”

  “I’ll give Sam all the time he needs,” Tina said, brushing a tear from her eye. “I’d much rather he express all his grief than lock it away, hidden.”

  They parted ways, Harvey and Nora waving as Tina’s Chevy roared off into the night. It was just the two of them now, standing in a sea of flowers and candles, hands linked.

  Harvey looked back at the blown up photo of Selena. It was in black and white, not showing her neon hair. In the photo, she looked dignified, speaking from a lectern at some university.

  “May’s idea of Selena’s personality,” Harvey said. He laughed. “I think Selena herself would have loved a color photo of hers, maybe in a punk rock T-shirt with a rebellious look on her face.” From his own coat pocket, he now took out a single white rose, and lay it near the photo.

  “Goodbye, Selena, and good luck in the next world.”

  “You met her,” Nora said. “She interviewed you a little while back, didn’t she? We were talking about it at dinner with the mayor.”

  Harvey sighed. “Yes.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Why didn’t you just forget it? Oh, who am I kidding. I knew you wouldn’t forget it. Even if you did have a blow shaking your brains about a bit.”

  Undeterred, Nora asked again, “Why didn’t you tell me, Harvey?”

  “Because I don’t tell you every single detail about my life, alright, Nora?” Harvey snapped. “Just the way you don’t share much about when you’re in a mood to investigate.”

  “If you asked me something, I’d share it with you,” Nora said.

  “Yeah, well, it’s hard to ask when I don’t know what to ask,” Harvey retorted. “Anyway, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you she interviewed me, but you can ask me what you like now.”

  “What was it about?” Nora said.

  “Not so fast,” Harvey said. “If I’m going to be interrogated, I demand the right to interrogate you back. All right? Let’s trade a question for a question.”

  Nora nodded. “Sounds fair.”

  “Lovely.” Harvey cracked his knuckles. “Ok. Round 1. Ladies first.”

  “What did she interview you about?”

  “I own a real estate firm, what do you think she interviewed me about? I told you already. She was interested in some of my property,” Harvey said. “I thought she might be interested in investing, and told her the details. I also gave her options that I thought were cheaper and would fit her budget, though she was very fixed on this particular property.”

  “Which one?”

  “The one I met you in that day,” Harvey said. “The place with the yellow gate.”

  “Why were you there?”

  “Hold it,” Harvey said. “Now that’s two questions you’ve asked me. I’m asking one back.”

  Nora puffed her face impatiently, but when he looked stubborn, she said, “All right. Ask.”

  “Why are you investigating Selena’s death?”

  Nora shrugged. “At first, it was because I cared for Tina, because I was there to witness her fight with Robert, and because I was curious. Now, it’s become a little more personal. The assailant tried to murder me. I got lucky that you rushed in, and even luckier that he didn’t also try to attack you.”

  “The only reason he didn’t attack me was because I was smart and ran right out of there with you,” Harvey said. “I didn’t even call the police till I was already at the hospital. I wasn’t going to stick around and fight with a lunatic in the dark, even if I did feel like murdering him myself.”

  “I didn’t thank you for that, did I?” Nora said. “For saving my life.”

  “Forget it,” Harvey said. “I’m just glad you didn’t think of me as a suspect because I was there.”

  There was a pause, and Harvey inhaled sharply as he saw the look on Nora’s face.

  “You did,” he said, and his voice grew very soft. “It crossed your mind that I might be lying.”

  “Harvey--”

  “Did you seriously think, even for a second, that I murdered her, or that I attacked you and Grant and somehow made Robert disappear?” Harvey asked. “Did you think that even though you know Sean’s currently organizing a massive hunt for Robert and that he’s most likely the killer?”

  “It’s not just intuition that tells me he’s the killer,” Nora said. “Robert is an incredibly smart, well travelled man. He’s also written several crime novels. Would a man like that commit murders that were, well, sloppy?”

  “Sloppy?” Harvey laughed. “So, you think Robert couldn’t do it, but that I’m sloppy enough to commit these crimes?”

  “Harvey, I never thought you committed Selena’s murder,” Nora said. “Not for a second.”

  “Now, why do I feel like you’re lying?” he scoffed.

  “I didn’t,” Nora said. “I don’t believe you’re a murderer. I just thought, and still think, that you’re hiding something about Selena from
me.”

  “So what, you believe I didn’t kill Selena but there’s a chance I decided to follow you, bump off Robert and Grant, and pretend to rescue you?” Harvey looked disgusted.

  “No!” Nora caught his jacket and pulled him towards her. “Harvey, I meant it when I said I love you. I do. But I feel like I don’t really know everything about you. There’s dark pockets in your soul that I have to feel my way around.”

  “Here’s a hint, Nora. If there’s anything you want to know about me, ask, and then do me the favor of believing what I say.”

  “All right,” Nora said. “What’s so special about that property with the yellow gate?”

  Harvey’s lips pressed together, and his face changed, became a little more closed. When a few seconds passed without his answer, Nora said, “See what I mean?”

  “No. I’ll answer you,” Harvey said. “The property with the yellow gate belonged to the town of Milburn. I bought a portion of it, and the reason I was at the property the other day is because I’d arranged a meeting with investors from nearby towns who might be interested in chipping in to buy the rest. I believe that the property is prime land to create a resort on. I was picturing something really fancy that would attract corporate getaways and the uber rich. Maybe a spa.”

  “Why would Selena be interested in a place like that?”

  Harvey hesitated, then said, “She believed that the property might indirectly be hers. I told her there was no way it could be.”

  “She believed that?”

  “JJ Wallis, you remember him?”

  “Yes.” Of course she did, he was the deputy who’d been murdered a year ago. Nora had helped catch his killer.

  “He had an aunt, Maude.”

  “Her name sounds familiar.” Nora scrunched her nose. “I feel like there’s a story I heard about her last year.”

  “Well, Maude’s husband owned that property, and Selena’ biological father was his brother. Selena thought the land might thus be hers as she was the only surviving descendent. I told her the property had been foreclosed and reverted back to government ownership, so there was no question of it being hers,” Harvey said. “All right?”

  “I don’t know,” Nora said. “Is it all right?”