“Oh, no! Poor you.”
I heard a burst of laughter in the background. “Where are you?” I asked.
“At a pub just outside of town.”
“With your mother?” I asked.
“She’s not here.”
I felt my anger rising. “Why not? I thought you were going to spend the day with her to make sure she didn’t drive out to the cottage.”
“Sorry, Carrie,” Dina said, not sounding sorry at all. “She begged off at the last minute. Said something came up that needed her immediate attention and we’d have our mother–daughter day very soon.”
I bit back my response. There was no point in making Dina my enemy.
“Though we did have a rather long chat over breakfast. Mom said that Dad used to rent a self-storage unit years ago and wondered if he’d kept it all these years. If there was stuff in it, she said we should clean it out and cancel the rental.”
“Wouldn’t she know?”
Dina laughed. “I think she was pumping me to see if I knew anything about it since I’d been working part-time in the store. She asked—ever so casually—if I’d ever come upon a rental agreement for the storage unit. Dad kept lots of papers in his store office.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That I’d never come across anything like that—which is true enough.”
“A storage unit would be a great hiding place, if he still rented it. What on earth did he need one for?”
“Years ago, he often bought old furniture at yard sales and auctions. He read up on antique furniture and insisted that some of the pieces people were selling for a song had to be worth something. Kind of like Antiques Roadshow.”
“But you don’t know if he still has this unit or where it’s located.”
“Uh-uh. Which got me wondering—with your library background, you’d probably know the fastest way to go about finding this unit.”
“Sorry, Dina. After what happened to me, my gem-searching days are over. You’re on your own.”
“Thanks a lot, Carrie. Some partner you turned out to be!”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I drove home, my irritation with Dina simmering like a tomato sauce over a low flame. Had she deliberately sent me off on a wild goose chase while she had other fish to fry? Despite my bad mood, I giggled at my visit to the Land of Mixed Metaphors and Trite Expressions. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that, after finding out her mother had other plans for the day, Dina could have called to say she’d go to the cottage with me. Of course Mariel might have canceled after Dina knew I’d be starting out, and Dina hadn’t seen any point in calling. At least she’d learned there was one more possible place where Benton might have socked away the gems. But as I’d told Dina, I was no longer her partner in crime.
I wondered if Mariel was the person who had followed me to the cabin and hit me over the head. It was plausible. But how did she get wind that I’d be going there? And if it wasn’t Mariel, how did my assailant, whoever he was, know to follow me there?
My thoughts led me back to Dina. She was the only person who knew when and where I was going. Was this her way of ensuring that she’d get the gems in the end—letting me do the leg work, then stealing them from me when I was out of commission? It was the perfect plan. Better than if we’d found the gems together and had to divvy them up.
Or had she sent her brother after me? Richard would know how to get to the cabin without having to tail me.
Now that my trust in Dina had hit rock bottom, I was glad I’d ended our so-called “partnership.” When I got to the library, I’d make a list of the self-storage places within a twenty-mile radius of Clover Ridge and figure out what to say to the receptionist when I called, so she’d give me the necessary information. I sighed. They probably didn’t hand out information to just anyone and certainly not over the phone. I wondered if I’d come to a dead end regarding this possible lead since I had no intention of traipsing from one storage place to another. I sighed again. There had to be another way of approaching this problem. I just hadn’t figured it out yet.
I arrived home, relieved to discover that Jim had gone out. But I’d just had time to take Smoky Joe in my arms and give him a few smooches, when the doorbell rang. I went to answer it.
“Dylan!” I set Smoky Joe down.
We stared at each other for a moment before I rushed into his open arms. He pressed me tight against his chest.
“I didn’t expect to see you,” I mumbled into his jacket.
“I had to make sure you were all right.”
Hand in hand, we walked into the living room and sat on the sofa.
“I’m okay.” I winced. “Or I will be after I have a cup of tea and a couple of aspirins.”
“Can I take a look?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Gingerly, he lifted my hair in sections to examine my scalp. When he was done, he patted my shoulder. “I don’t see a break in the skin, so there’s no need for any salve. But an ice pack will help the swelling. Be right back.”
He returned with a bag of frozen vegetables and a dish towel. I giggled but held the bag against my head.
“Would you like a doctor to check you over? I have a good friend who’s an internist. His office is a few blocks from the library.”
“Thank you, but I’m feeling better.”
“In that case, come into the kitchen and I’ll make you some tea.”
“I will, right after I stop in the bathroom.”
A few minutes later, I found Dylan setting down a plate of cat food for Smoky Joe.
“He was hungry,” he said, almost apologetically.
I bit back my grin. “Smoky Joe’s a growing cat. He’s always hungry.”
When the kettle whistled, Dylan poured water into a mug that held a teabag. A minute later, he placed it in front of me, along with the bottle of aspirin.
“Would you like to eat something?” he asked. “A piece of toast? An English muffin? I see you’re well stocked with a variety of choices.”
“No, thanks. Tea is fine. But I’d like some cold water for my aspirin.”
I downed two tablets with water, then tried to sip my tea. Still too hot. I glanced up and found Dylan staring at me.
“You look worried,” I said. “I’m okay, really. I’ll finish my tea, then leave for the library. I’m running late.”
“I look worried because you frightened me, Carrie. You can’t imagine what ran through my head when you told me you were at Benton’s cabin and someone attacked you. I nearly called the police in the area and would have if I’d thought they’d get there in time to do any good.”
I was touched by his concern but also found myself bristling under his unspoken criticism that I’d put myself in harm’s way.
“I was vigilant as I drove to the cabin. As far as I could tell, no one tailed me.”
“Who knew you were going there?”
I told Dylan about my “partnership” with Dina and why I’d ended up going there alone, as well as the sudden alliance between her mother and my father. “Though it turns out Dina didn’t spend the day with Mariel, after all.”
“So Dina knew you’d be there, and possibly so did her mother and your father.”
I stared at Dylan. “I’ve considered the possibility of Dina and Mariel, but you can’t imagine my own father would want to hurt me.”
He frowned. “I can imagine a whole slew of possibilities, which I won’t go into right now. Forget about those damn gems! I’ll do my best to retrieve them for their owner. It’s my job. Not yours.”
Dylan left and I rested awhile on the living room sofa. I washed my face and slipped the bottle of aspirin into my pocketbook. Then I picked up Smoky Joe and drove to the library. My head still throbbed, and I wondered if I was making a mistake by going into work today. Dylan thought I should have stayed home. I loved that he cared about me, because I sure cared a lot about him. But I wasn’t used to having a boyfriend criticizing my behavio
r, even if he thought it was for my own good.
It is for your own good, dummy! I giggled because Dylan was right—at least in this case. I was an idiot to have gone off alone to a place I’d never been to. I should have been suspicious when Dina suddenly couldn’t go with me.
And where was Jim? Dylan had spoken to him early that morning. Had my father gone with Mariel to check out the storage unit Benton may or may not have kept all these years? I was back to first base without any idea where Benton had hidden the gems or who had killed him and Tom Quincy.
Trish instructed me to sit at my desk, doing a bare minimum of work, while she oversaw whatever programs were in progress.
“Are you hungry?” she asked, all motherly concern.
“Actually, I am,” I said. “I think I forgot to eat lunch.”
“A bunch of us ordered in lunch, and I have half a sandwich left over in the fridge. Turkey with guacamole on rye.”
“Sounds yummy, but you were probably saving it to bring home.”
Trish waved her hand. “With all the food I’m making for Christmas, I’d end up tossing it. Be right back.”
While she was gone, Angela stopped by.
“I heard you hurt your head. How are you feeling?”
“Actually, someone hit me—hard.”
Angela’s mouth fell open. “Don’t tell me you were looking for those gems.”
“I was.”
“Carrie! It might have been the murderer.”
“I know, but for some reason he didn’t want to kill me.”
“I wonder why. Where did this happen?”
Before I could answer, my office door flung open.
“Here you go!” Trish placed the tinfoil-wrapped half sandwich on my desk. “Would you like something to drink?” she asked.
“Tea. Anything.”
“I’ll get some nice tea from the coffee shop, instead of the stuff in our lounge. You deserve it.”
She was off again. Angela laughed. “What service! Maybe I’ll come in injured and pale to see what Fran does for me. Where were you that the killer came after you in broad daylight?”
I started telling her about my pact with Dina and the ride out to Benton’s cabin, when someone knocked and entered the office.
“How are you feeling?” Sally asked. “Here’s some chocolate mousse I ordered and couldn’t finish.”
Trish returned with my tea and a scone. “Jennifer said they’re fresh. She baked them this morning.”
I smiled at my friends. “Thank you for all this food. I’ll try to eat most of it.”
I wondered what time Jennifer had arrived at work today. But my head was throbbing and my friends were chattering, and I couldn’t ask what they—except for Angela—would consider a very silly question.
They finally left me alone—Trish to staff the hospitality desk, Angela and Sally back to their posts. I managed to eat almost everything and to drink all of my tea. My gait was unsteady as I made my way to the ladies’ room. When I returned to my office, I realized I was exhausted. I laid my head on my desk and promptly fell asleep.
“So this is how our library dollars are being spent,” a male voice said. “On well-fed, sleeping librarians.”
I raised my head too quickly. “Ouch!” I said.
“Sorry to disturb you,” John Mathers said as he folded his rangy frame into Trish’s chair. “I heard you got walloped on the noggin.”
I frowned. “Dylan told you.”
“He sure did. And I’m here to tell you both officially and as a friend to stop looking for those damn gems.”
I burst out laughing. “Dylan’s words exactly. Do lawmen and investigators study the same script?”
John’s face took on a grim expression. “It’s not funny, Carrie. Two people have been murdered because of those gems. I don’t want you to be victim number three.” His face grew thunderously angry. “And if I had the authority to do it, I’d order your father to leave town. He’s brought us nothing but grief.”
Like the old-time sheriffs in Westerns, I thought but didn’t dare say aloud. “Sorry, John. There’s nothing funny about getting hit on the head.” I rubbed my scalp gingerly. “It still hurts.”
“Keep on icing it.”
“Right. I should.”
“Did you see anything of the person who struck you? Notice his shoes? Smell a cologne or aftershave lotion?”
“Nothing. I was crouched down, putting the key under the rock where I’d found it, when he hit me. It was totally unexpected.”
“Did you notice anyone following you on your drive to the cabin? See a parked vehicle when you were ready to leave?”
“No to both, though I remember hearing a car passing when I was inside the cabin. He must have doubled back and parked out of sight.”
John threw up his hands and gave a snort of frustration. “We have nothing to follow up on. Either this perp is extremely smart or extremely lucky.”
“Dina said her mother mentioned a storage unit Benton used to have. Mariel wasn’t sure if he still rented it.”
“For once we got there first. Danny Brower and I searched it the day after Benton was killed.”
“I’m surprised Mariel gave you permission. Or maybe she didn’t know about the gems then.”
John’s smile was humorless. “Could be, since she gave us sweeping permission to search the house, the store, and any and all possessions and locations.”
“Interesting how many people knew about the gems,” I mused. “Dina, her mother, her brother, Chris Crowley, Jennifer Darby, perhaps her husband, the deceased Mr. Quincy.”
“Quite a list there, not to mention your father,” John said, rising to his six feet plus inches. “Remember, Carrie. No more sleuthing. Your aunt and uncle would be devastated if anything were to happen to you.”
“No more sleuthing,” I promised. “To be honest, I haven’t the slightest idea where those gems might be.”
Trish entered the office, along with Smoky Joe carrying a streamer of crepe paper in his mouth. It trailed behind him like a banner.
“Where did he get that?” I asked Trish after she’d greeted John.
“From the children’s party.” She handed me a cup filled with candy.
“Thank you.”
John shook his head when I held out the cup. I popped a chocolate candy in my mouth. When was I going to stop eating?
“Merry Christmas to you both,” he said on his way out. “Carrie, I’ll see you Christmas Eve at your aunt and uncle’s. Try to stay out of trouble till then.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
I turned on my computer to check on any emails I might have received in the past hour. Trish left for the day, and Susan arrived, rosy-cheeked from the cold. She went to work at the hospitality desk while I attended to the paperwork that never stopped piling up. Though Sally had told me to go home early, I decided to stay. Still, I found myself glancing at the clock, like a bored high school senior waiting for the dismissal bell to ring, as it moved to five o’clock. Though I’d only been there a few hours, I was bushed.
Jim called to say he’d be making dinner. “Pasta, meatballs, and sausages. And a nice, crisp green salad. I’m afraid I went overboard. We’ll have enough leftovers to feed an army.”
Now was the perfect time to tell the little white lie I’d invented to explain why my head was throbbing. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day. I’m looking forward to a meal I don’t have to prepare. I banged my head on a cabinet door someone left open in the staff room, and it’s still feeling tender.”
“Oh, no, Caro!”
“I’ll be okay. The aspirin I took seem to be working.”
He was about to disconnect when I asked, “Were you out running errands this morning? I stopped by the cottage before going to work, and you weren’t there.”
“That’s true enough,” he answered, enigmatic as ever.
“Did that include spending time with Mariel Parr?” I asked.
“An hour o
r so.”
“Any luck regarding your joint project?”
“None whatsoever.”
I grinned, imagining them sorting through old pieces of furniture in Benton’s storage facility in search of the ever-elusive gems, and was glad to have skipped that chore. “I’ll be home around five thirty, depending on traffic.”
“Drive carefully, Caro.”
I stopped in the ladies’ room. Dorothy was there, combing her hair.
“Do you have special plans to celebrate Christmas?” I asked, to be polite.
She frowned. “The usual. My husband and I are going to my sister’s house. My brother’s noisy brood will be there. Last year his two youngest were horsing around and almost knocked over the tree. I told my dumb sister-in-law they needed to be taught proper manners. She just laughed and said kids were bursting with energy and needed to let it out.”
“Oh,” I said, not certain how to respond. “I’ll be going to my aunt and uncle’s Christmas Eve.”
“Will your father and your boyfriend be going there too?”
“Yes,” I answered, startled that she knew about Dylan and me and that my father was in town. But on second thought, it wasn’t all that surprising. My life wasn’t exactly tranquil, and people talked. Everyone knew what went on in Clover Ridge. Besides, Dorothy was known to make it her business to find out everything she could about people so she could hold it over their heads.
“Your cat’s been running around like crazy today,” Dorothy said. “I had to shoo him away from the reference area.”
“With all the parties going on, the mice have been venturing out in search of food.”
“I wish he’d kill them all and be done with it!” She spun on her heel and took off.
I used the facilities then scoured the library in search of Smoky Joe. I found him in the coffee shop, where Jennifer was setting down half a muffin on a paper plate before him.
“Please don’t do that!” I snatched up the plate and tossed it in the garbage pail. Smoky Joe meowed his complaint.
“Sorry, Carrie. He was sniffing around my work area. I thought he was hungry.”
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