Overdue

by Elizabeth Spann Craig

  “Long time no see.” He chuckled. “We seem to keep running into each other.”

  I smiled back at him. “Having a dinner out?”

  He said, “Just take-out. I do that about one night out of the week. Ordinarily, I cook for myself and then freeze part of what I make for later.”

  I said, “I’ve been meaning to do that, too. I can’t ever seem to remember when I’m at the store to get the full recipe amount. I think I’ve been on my own so long, I just automatically halve everything. But I’d save myself so much time if I froze half of what I made.”

  Elliot said, “It’s good to do. But then I do get really sick of my own cooking and that’s why I like to grab take-out. It’s kind of my reward for cooking and eating healthy the rest of the week.”

  I laughed. “Are you saying Quittin’ Time doesn’t have healthy menu options?”

  He grinned. “About the closest they come to healthy is the Italian salad. And it’s loaded with cured meats.”

  “Very true.” As I got to know Elliot a little better, he seemed a lot more approachable than he sometimes had in the library. He was always friendly in the library, but seemed very academic and remote. Now I could see more what Carmen had found attractive about him. But the thought of Carmen made me think about the two murders again. Which made me think about the fact Tanya had just told me her husband and Elliot had argued before the mayor’s sudden death.

  A shadow must have fallen across my features because Elliot frowned. “Hey, what’s wrong? Is something on your mind?”

  I hesitated. There wasn’t really a good way to bring this up politely, so I just blurted it out. “You know how small towns are with people talking. I overheard something today.” I figured that sounded better than the fact I was listening directly to gossip. “Someone was saying they’d seen you arguing with the mayor.”

  Elliot’s eyes shuttered. “I see.”

  “I’m sorry. I thought you should know.”

  He said, “No, I’m glad you told me. I wouldn’t want the first time I heard about it to be from the police. And the way gossip travels in this town, I’m sure the police will be hearing about it soon.” He sighed and glanced around him quickly to make sure our conversation was still private. “Yes, I did have an argument with Howard. I hate to think about it now because he’s gone. That’s one of the lessons in all of this—make sure you make up with people before too much time goes by. You just never know.”

  I waited, hoping he’d fill me in on the argument.

  Elliot said, “Actually, I’ve been wanting to get it off my chest. It makes me feel guilty that we argued. I mentioned to you earlier Carmen wasn’t exactly an angel. She had lots of different relationships and most of the time, I wasn’t under the illusion I was the only person she was involved with.”

  I nodded in an encouraging way.

  He sighed. “Like I said, I could understand the attraction somebody like Blake had for her. But then I saw Carmen and Howard together.”

  I winced. “Where were you?”

  He said, “I was in Asheville recently for a weekend away. That’s when I spotted the two of them together.”

  I asked, “Together, as in having a conversation?”

  “Together as in having a relationship,” said Elliot with a distasteful expression. He sighed. “The thing was, I’d known for a while I didn’t have any claims on Carmen. She’d made it more than clear she wasn’t interested in an exclusive relationship with me. Or, actually, with anybody. But seeing her with the mayor was something different.”

  I said, “Maybe you should give the police chief a call. I’m sure it’s the kind of information he’d probably find useful.”

  Elliot shook his head quickly. “I’m not sure it means anything. It’s just a connection. Carmen had plenty of connections.” He gave a harsh laugh.

  I said, “So you went over to confront Howard about it.”

  “For the second time.” He gave another short laugh. “The first time was before Carmen died. To me, it was all Howard’s fault. After all, he was a lot older than she was. He had a lot of life experience. He was married. He should have been the responsible party. Maybe part of me also just wanted to mess up Howard’s relationship with his wife like I felt he’d messed up mine with Carmen. I thought maybe his wife should know what had happened.”

  “Did you talk to Tanya?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “I didn’t have to. I’m sure Tanya overheard. She showed up right as I was letting Howard have it. I didn’t mean for her to learn about it like that.” He looked down, grimly. “Then Carmen and I argued about it when I saw her at the restaurant. That’s mainly what we were discussing—her relationship with Howard. I just couldn’t accept she could do something so underhanded. Not only was she hiding the affair from Blake and me, she was encroaching on a marriage. Plus, Blake regarded Howard as a father figure—it was incredibly inappropriate for Carmen to pursue the mayor.”

  I said, “And then you confronted Howard about it again? Before he died?”

  Elliot bobbed his head. “I wasn’t thinking straight. At first, I wasn’t going to say anything. But after Carmen died, part of me wondered if Howard could have had something to do with her death. Maybe Carmen threatened to speak with his wife about it if he didn’t divorce Tanya and marry her.”

  My eyes opened wider. “Is that what you think happened?”

  “I just don’t know. It’s a possibility, though, isn’t it? Anyway, the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced Howard could have done it. But here he is . . . murdered, himself.”

  Elliot suddenly looked tired. “Look, I should go grab my take-out. I’m pretty exhausted and ready to call this day done.”

  “Of course,” I said quickly. “Good seeing you, Elliot.”

  He lifted a hand in farewell and strode into the restaurant.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The next morning, I walked into the library first. Fitz greeted me right as I walked in, which was exactly what I needed. I’d have taken Fitz home with me last night if I hadn’t had that date. I sighed as I thought of it and vowed once again to tell everyone I was allergic to blind dates.

  Fitz seemed to understand I was tense and immediately curled up in my lap when I sat down at the circulation desk to do some work. I rubbed him absently as I booted up the computer and felt some of the tension melting away as I did. Maybe I needed to write him an ‘Ask Fitz’ letter. He certainly was good at helping solve my problems.

  I checked in on the response to his latest column and saw it had been shared a lot and on different social media platforms. I guessed that had something more to do with the adorable picture of Fitz accompanying the piece and less with my fairly pedestrian advice and the list of helpful references I’d highlighted.

  A few minutes later, Luna and Wilson had arrived and shortly afterward, the rest of the staff. I suddenly realized today was the biweekly staff meeting. As the secretary for the meeting, I was in charge of the minutes. I quickly rifled through my purse and, relieved, found my digital voice recorder. It made creating the minutes so much easier.

  The meeting ended shortly before the library opened to the public and covered a lot of different topics, including holiday staff schedules, access to digital textbooks, and a new feature Wilson wanted to try: Patron of the Month.

  I switched off the voice recorder and was about to file out of the community room with the other staff members when Wilson stopped me.

  “Carmen’s funeral service is today,” he said briskly.

  “This afternoon, isn’t it?” I asked. “We’re all working, though, of course.”

  Wilson said, “It’s at noon, actually, so during lunch. I think it’s important for the library to be represented there. We always need to employ prudence when dealing with library board members. They’re our advocates. Besides, Carmen was an instrumental part of our programs and passed away on the premises. I think a couple of representatives would be best. You and I can go.”<
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  “Sounds good,” I said. I looked down at what I’d worn to work. “Do I look all right for a funeral?”

  Wilson peered at me through his glasses as if actually seeing me for the first time. “That’s a rather jaunty top, isn’t it?”

  I’d thought the same thing. My black slacks were fine, but when I was getting dressed this morning, I’d eschewed my usual neutral top for something a little livelier, since I’d felt the need to cheer myself up a little. “Will it do, or do you think I should run home and change?”

  Wilson glanced at the clock. “Why don’t you run back home and put on something a little more somber-looking? It’s fairly quiet here now, since we’ve just opened.” He gave me a nod and walked briskly away to his office.

  I motioned to Luna and told her what Wilson had said. “Can you cover the circulation desk if things suddenly get busy? I should be right back.”

  “Sure,” she said. Then she said, “I’m sorry to ask you to do one more thing, but do you think you could stop by my mom’s house and pick her up? I didn’t get a chance to talk to her this morning before I biked off to work, and I forgot she wanted to hang out here today.”

  “No problem,” I said. “Could you call her and let her know I’ll be there in just a few minutes?”

  Luna nodded and then made a face. “I think she has a project for you later, too. She wants you to help her create a profile on this online dating site.”

  I raised my eyebrows and chuckled. “I’m not sure I’m the one who should help anyone try and procure dates. I’ll have to tell you about my disaster last night.”

  Luna said, “I knew anyone related to Zelda wasn’t going to work out. But, getting my mom’s profile shouldn’t be bad. She wants you to take a picture of her and help her write her bio and stuff. I offered to help, but she acted horrified when I suggested it. Apparently, she thinks I’ll come up with something really wacky. As if!” Luna tossed her newly-pink hair. She must have dyed it last night.

  I smiled. “I’ll try to come up with something good.”

  Thirty minutes later, I was back at the library with Luna’s mom in tow and wearing a suitably solemn blouse. I was relieved to see the library was still quiet because Mona was ready to set up the profile.

  “Do I look all right?” she asked, patting her snowy white hair.

  “You look perfect,” I said honestly. And she did. She was wearing a bright blue top that set off her hair perfectly. Mona had artfully applied makeup that accentuated her eyes. “What do you want to use as a background for your profile picture?”

  She glanced around and said, “I’ll just stand in front of one of the bookcases. After all, if somebody isn’t interested in books, it’s not going to work.” She peered across the library and asked, “Is Linus here?” She snorted. “Never mind. I know he’s always here.”

  I hadn’t wanted to ask, but the fact that she was setting up a dating profile made me think things hadn’t gone especially well with Linus. “He’s here, yes.” I hesitated. “How did everything go on that front, by the way?”

  Mona rolled her eyes. “He was perfectly polite. He carefully answered every small talk question I sent his way. But he clearly didn’t want the conversation to actually go anywhere because his answers were super short.”

  She seemed to be looking for some reassurance from me and I quickly gave it. “I wouldn’t take it personally. That’s the way he always is. I still have really short conversations with him and some days Linus doesn’t seem to want to talk at all. He’ll just give me a smile or a quick wave and that’s the end of it. He’s just very quiet and private.”

  Mona said, “Well, I don’t want to wait for him to loosen up. And it makes me feel weird to be the only one trying to make conversation. That’s why I thought the online dating might work out. Have you tried it?”

  I shook my head. “I’m still hoping for serendipity. But it’s hard to come by in a small town.”

  Mona snorted. “Tell me about it! Try serendipity when you’re my age.” Her brow wrinkled for a moment. “You do think there are men my age using online dating apps, don’t you?”

  “Let’s try it and find out,” I said with a smile and we spent the next fifteen minutes getting her all set up.

  The rest of the morning flew by and the library went from fairly quiet to extremely busy. Luna had a couple of storytimes and the kids and their moms all found loads of books to check out. I had a patron interested in finding out more about how to research genealogy. Aside from that, the copier went on the blink again.

  Before I knew it, Wilson was at the circulation desk and telling me it was time to head out for Carmen’s funeral. I smoothed my hair down with one hand and grabbed my purse from underneath the desk in the hopes of fishing out my lipstick and reapplying it.

  The drive to the cemetery was a short one. But by the time Wilson and I arrived there, there was already a crowd of people. Wilson muttered, “I should have realized we needed to leave earlier. Carmen was too high-profile not to have a large number of people attending her funeral service.”

  I glanced at my watch. “We’re still early. And we can speak with Carmen’s brother after the service to make sure he realizes we made it here.” I ignored the way my heart made a silly flutter at the thought of Grayson. Grayson, who probably was still under the delusion I was dating Kevin. I grimaced.

  The service was simple but meaningful. There was a soloist who gave a lovely rendition of “Amazing Grace” and Grayson gave a wonderful eulogy for his sister. I had the feeling that Grayson had been able to see a different side to his sister; a side not many people had the chance to see. But then, Carmen was also being mourned by Blake and Elliot, both of whom were in attendance.

  Blake, actually, was in terrible shape. His face was pale and sweaty. From time to time his shoulders shook with silent sobs. I hoped the service would give him some sense of closure and the chance to heal.

  Elliot was clearly a less emotional person—at least in the most obvious of ways. But I could see the tension in his back and shoulders as he sat ramrod straight in the folding chair. He blinked rapidly once as if to force back any tears that might be imminent.

  Thirty minutes later, the service was over. Wilson started heading over to the receiving line where Grayson stood. I walked a few steps with him before he shook his head. “I think it looks better if we’re not together. I’ll go ahead and wait in the line and then you can speak with him nearer the end.”

  I nodded, sighing inwardly. Wilson could be very particular about appearances. I sat on a concrete bench to wait for my turn to stand in the receiving line.

  While I was sitting, Blake came toward me, apparently heading for the parking lot. He staggered, stepping wrong on a slight incline. I stood up and took his arm. “Here, Blake, have a seat for a minute.”

  He turned and gave me a grateful look, still half-blinded by tears. “Thanks, Ann.”

  We sat there for a few minutes quietly while he regained control. He gave a final, shuddering sob and said in a more-normal voice, “Thanks again, Ann. Geez, what a week. Sorry. I don’t usually fall apart like this.”

  I said, “You don’t have anything to apologize for. I totally understand.”

  He gave me a smile. “I figured you would. You’re a librarian, after all. You’re good at listening to people.”

  “Just give yourself time, Blake. After a tragedy like this, it takes time to heal.” I thought about my aunt and my mother and all the losses I’d had. To this day, I still feel saddened thinking of them and they were years ago.

  Blake rubbed his eyes and said gruffly, “Yeah. That’s what I think it’s going to take—time.”

  He looked over at Tanya, waiting quietly in the receiving line to speak to Grayson. I saw Wilson still wasn’t halfway up the line yet, so I had a little bit of time.

  Blake gestured to Tanya. “Then there are people like Tanya. She just lost her husband and she’s cool as a cucumber. And I’ve been a wreck. Maybe it�
��s just the fact there were two deaths so close together or something.” He glanced over at me. “And I’m worried about the cops thinking I’m involved in this stuff. I figure you know since you work at the library but in case you don’t, Burton questioned me down at the station for a while. Somebody’s trying to set me up.”

  I said in a low voice, “I do know about it and it didn’t ring true for me at all. There’s something else you should know, though. I’ve known you for a long time, Blake, and want to make sure you know someone saw you over at the mayor’s house.”

  He blanched. “What? You mean yesterday morning?”

  “That’s right. They mentioned it to me when I was talking to them. And if this person mentioned it to me, they probably said something to Burton, too.”

  Blake dropped his head into his hands and moaned. “This just gets worse and worse.”

  “What happened?” I asked him gently. “Do you have a reasonable explanation for what you were doing there? Maybe you can tell the police and get in front of the story instead of having to be defensive about why you were there.”

  Blake raised his head and gazed seriously at me. “It’s not the best of explanations.”

  “But it’s the truth, right?”

  He gave a short laugh. “It’s the truth, but it isn’t something that’s going to make me look less guilty. Plus, if word gets out, it could really affect my business. I have to be trustworthy. People hire me to be in their homes, sometimes when they’re not even there. If people think I might be dangerous, they’ll just hire somebody else to do contract work in their house.”

  I said, “Like I said, maybe it’s not as bad as it seems. Why were you there?”

  He sighed. “I’d spoken to Elliot.” He gave another unhappy laugh. “Maybe spoken isn’t the right word. Maybe it’s more like yelled at.”

  “When was this?”