Murder by the Bookend

by Laura Gail Black

  The ride to the vet was straight out of a Fast and Furious movie. Mason wove in and out of slower traffic, skimming through yellow lights, his emergency flashers on. We were there in minutes, and the vet met us at the door.

  After the vet took Eddy back to draw blood and check vitals, I collapsed into a plastic chair in the exam room, swallowing to keep the tears from flowing. Mason paced in the tiny room, his jaw clenched. I knew he loved the dog too. Time dragged by. Although I knew it was only about half an hour, it seemed like two days before the vet reappeared.

  I leapt to my feet, desperate to hear good news. Please, let the news be good. Please.

  “I’m Doctor John Bledsoe.” He extended his hand to shake mine. “I think you got him to us in time, but we need to keep him at least overnight, if not longer. I want to watch him for a bit.”

  My throat closed as tears of relief fell. Eddy was going to be okay.

  Mason cleared his own throat. “What happened?”

  “Eddy helped us with that one.” The vet leaned a hip against the exam table. “He threw up all over the exam table back there, giving us a good look at what he’d ingested. The telltale smell gave it away, but we were able to find a few chunks to float in salt water to confirm. Someone fed your dog naphthalene mothballs crumbled up and mixed in with a hamburger.”

  My knees wobbled, and I sank to a chair. Someone had tried to kill my dog.

  Chapter Twelve

  Mason and I stayed at the vet’s until closing time, when we had no choice but to leave Eddy in their capable hands with assurances they would check on him in their emergency wing throughout the night. By the time we left, he was in stable condition, and I was exhausted from the stress but too wired to even close my eyes.

  Instead, I vacillated between agitated pacing around my apartment and collapsing in a ball on the couch.

  A loud knock sounded through my front door, and I rushed to open it. Keith stood on the stoop, and I threw myself into his arms before he could cross the threshold.

  His arms wrapped around me, one hand stroking my back, his lips against my hair as I shook uncontrollably in his embrace. “Honey, it’ll be okay. The vet said you got Eddy to them on time.”

  “But what if I hadn’t?” The tears I’d held back poured out, and a sob tore from my chest.

  Keith scooped me up in his arms, closed the front door with the kick of a heel, and strode to the couch. He sat, snuggling me on his lap, and resumed stroking my back, adding rocking to his repertoire. “Just let it out.”

  His soft words were my final undoing, and I let the hurt, anger, guilt, and fear all come up in one good old-fashioned girl cry. Keith rocked me, holding me tightly, whispering words I couldn’t understand over my blubbering, but the soothing warmth in his voice washed over me like a balm.

  Eventually I cried myself into exhaustion and must have dozed off, because I woke up, still curled up in Keith’s lap on the couch. Keith’s head hung at an odd angle, and he was snoring softly. The soft light of predawn filled the room. How long had we slept in such an awkward position?

  I slowly sat up, trying not to disturb him, and realized my hair was sticking up in a funky way; I had drooled on Keith’s shirt, and my eyes, swollen from crying so much, had dried matter in the corners. Tossing in the fact that my mouth tasted horrible, which meant I had horrible morning breath, was icing on the cake that was my new first-morning-wakeup-with-my-boyfriend look. There was no way I could let him see me like this.

  I slowly inched myself around so I could swing my legs to the floor, but I couldn’t figure out how to stand without jostling him. The option to simply stay there forever, so he wouldn’t wake up and see me like this flitted across my mind. Of course, he would wake up at some point. On top of that, I really had to use the bathroom. There was nothing to do but go for it.

  I awkwardly shifted my weight up and off him, but about the time I was free, an arm snaked around from behind and pulled me back onto his lap.

  “I had to suffer a serious crick in my neck, a wet shirt, and numb legs to finally get to spend the night with you. The least you could do is snuggle with me afterward.”

  He pulled me back, and I melted into his warmth again. Until reality hit. Let him crack open those eyes and get a gander at his girlfriend with her tangled hair, puffy eyes with gunk in the corners, and breath that could stop a charging bull elephant—yeah, that screamed “cuddle.” Not.

  Again I tried to extricate myself from his embrace, only to have him tighten his arms.

  “I have to pee,” I mumbled, trying not to open my mouth too much and let my stinky morning breath out.

  “Hmm.” He shifted a bit. “I’ll let you go for a good morning kiss.”

  Oh, hot pickles on a pastry, there was no way. But my bladder insisted I at least try. In a flash, I turned my head, holding my breath, and planted a quick kiss on his lips, then slipped out of his arms, all but running toward the bathroom. His laughter echoed across the room as I shut the door.

  After taking care of my morning needs, I looked at myself in the mirror and cringed. It was worse than I’d thought. I grabbed a brush and worked it through the tangles until my hair sort of behaved, giving up on the section that insisted on lying wrong. Next, I grabbed a washcloth and held it to my eyes, soothing the swelling and wiping away the corner gunk. Finally I grabbed my toothbrush and spent a good two or three minutes brushing my teeth, following it with a hefty rinse of mouthwash for good measure.

  It was the best I was going to do, short of showering and changing clothes. Oh well, I at least looked a bit better than when I’d entered the bathroom. My hand turned the handle as I took a deep breath. The door swung open, and I stepped out into the main room, where the smell of perking coffee hit me.

  “Feel better?” Keith poured a mug and held it out to me over the bar.

  I sat on one of the stools, taking the mug and sipping it gratefully. “Yes, much. Thanks.”

  “You looked cuter with messy hair.” He winked at me over his mug.

  Heat filled my cheeks, and I nodded. “Good to know.” How was I supposed to respond to that? The man looked as sexy when he woke up after an uncomfortable night on the couch as he always did. I, on the other hand, didn’t even look like the same person who had met him at the door last night.

  Keith leaned across the bar toward me. “Seriously. You’re beautiful. Always. No matter what.” He reached out and ran the backs of his fingers down my cheek.

  I was pretty sure I blushed again, and I hid behind my mug as I took another swig of the blackish liquid.

  “I called Doctor Bledsoe while you were in the bathroom. Eddy’s doing fine.” He held up the coffeepot in a silent question.

  A breath of relief whooshed out of my chest. “Thank goodness.” I held out my mug. “What else did he say? How did Eddy do overnight?”

  “He said Eddy’s vitals continued to improve throughout the night, but he still wants to keep him for a couple of days, just to make sure.” Keith returned the pot to the counter and walked around to sit next to me, sliding his fingers through mine. “Eddy’s going to be fine, honey.”

  “I know.” I squeezed his fingers. “Thanks for being here last night. I’m sorry I fell apart on you.”

  Keith swiveled his stool to face mine, turning mine toward him as well. He lifted my chin with a finger, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Stop. Don’t ever apologize for needing to cry.”

  I smiled. “I’m not normally like that. I promise.”

  “Then I’m doubly honored you felt you could trust me enough to let go.” He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on my lips. “And my dry-cleaning bill shouldn’t be too high.”

  At the sparkle in his gaze and the slight upturn in the corner of his mouth, my tension finally let go, and laughter bubbled up. “Yes, well, I did soak your shirt, didn’t I?”

  “Let’s just say a hurricane had nothing on you last night.” He leaned back, chuckling as he reached for his coffee mug, downing the last of
the liquid before standing. “I need to head to work. I’ll check on you later, okay?”

  I stood and followed him out the door. “I’ll let you know how Eddy’s doing.”

  “Please do.” He slipped his jacket on against the chill of the morning. Turning, he pulled me into his arms again, kissing me softly before letting go. “Jenna, please be careful. Someone intentionally fed poison to your dog. I don’t want them to try something with you too.”

  I watched him stride along the walkway toward the stairs at the end of the building. As he disappeared from view, I turned to go back into my apartment and almost ran into Rita.

  A grin split her face and she all but bounced on her toes. “Did I just see you-know-who leaving at the crack of dawn?”

  “Yes, but—”

  “And do I smell fresh coffee?” She nodded her head sideways toward my open door.

  I rolled my eyes. “Would you like to come in for a cup?”

  “Why, I think I would.” She all but raced to the bar in the kitchen and plopped herself on a stool.

  I walked behind the bar and grabbed a clean mug, filling it with coffee and sliding it across to her before topping off my own mug.

  “Spill it, sister.” She wrapped her hands around her mug and grinned at me again.

  Moving around the bar to sit next to her, I realized she didn’t know about Eddy. “It’s not what you think.”

  “Uh-huh.” She chuckled. “Sure.” Apparently she caught sight of my puffy, red eyes. Her spine stiffened, and she plopped her mug onto the bar. “You’ve been crying! What did that man do to you? Do I need to kill him?”

  “No, Rita, really. I’m fine.” I reached out and put a hand on her forearm. “Keith is fine. It’s Eddy. Someone poisoned him last night. But he’s fine too. He’s at the vet.”

  “What?” The color drained from her face. “Oh no. No, no, no. What happened? Are you okay?”

  I nodded. “I am. Someone fed him crushed up mothballs wrapped in hamburger.”

  “And you’re sure he’s going to be okay?” Her hand clutched at mine, squeezing it tightly in support.

  “According to Doctor Bledsoe, he is. He says he wants to keep Eddy a few days to watch him, though.” I sighed deeply. “Keith was here because I cried myself to sleep on his lap, sitting on the couch. He didn’t want to move and wake me, so he slept there too.”

  “Oh, wow.” Rita put a palm to her chest. “That is so sweet. Guess I don’t need to kill him after all.”

  “Please don’t.” I laughed but quickly sobered. “Now, whoever tried to kill Eddy? Go for it.”

  “Any idea why someone would want to hurt him?” Rita took a sip of her coffee and frowned before getting up to put her mug in the microwave to heat it up.

  I shrugged. “The only thing I can think of is that Eddy was there when Linus was killed. Maybe the killer thinks Eddy can identify them.”

  “Why would they think that?” Rita cocked her head to one side, a hip leaned on the counter while her coffee heated.

  “I honestly don’t know.” I took another sip of my coffee, amazed anew at Rita’s need for her coffee to be scalding hot. Mine was a perfect temperature. I froze with the mug halfway to my lips for a second swig. “What if …” I plunked my mug on the counter. “Yesterday when I was at the store, Eddy growled at someone.”

  Rita perked up. “Who? And did they have time alone with Eddy?”

  “It was actually three someones.” I held up my fingers and ticked them off. “Bradford Prescott, who wanted to leave political pamphlets on my counter for customers. He was alone with Eddy when Mason needed my help with a customer. Alice King. She was alone with Eddy when I went to the poetry section to get the book Linus had repaired. She decided she wanted to buy it.”

  “Wait, the book you said she refused to even touch because Linus had touched it?” Rita rejoined me on the stools and turned to face me.

  “Yep, that book. She came in all weepy, talking about how it was the last thing ‘her Linus’ had touched.” I ran the scene through my head again.

  “Weird.” Rita shook her head. “That woman is bonkers.”

  “I thought it was strange too.” I hesitated, not wanting to point a finger if she wasn’t guilty. But someone had poisoned my dog during that time. “Rita, what if she didn’t really want the book? What if she really just wanted me to be away from Eddy long enough for her to give him the meat?” Just the thought made my stomach clench. How could I have been so careless?

  Rita’s brows rose as she considered. “It could be. But how do we prove it? It’s not like we can go to her house and start digging through her trash or her handbags. Was there anyone else?”

  “Eddy did growl at Selina’s coat outside. She was being her usual sweet self.” I rolled my eyes.

  Rita barked out a laugh. “I’ll just bet she was.”

  “It was bad enough Douglas came by to apologize for her behavior. But she never came in the store.” I finished off my coffee and set the mug on the bar top. “Maybe she tossed Eddy something while I was looking at Douglas and asking about the library.”

  “Maybe.” Rita looked at her watch. “I’d better get a move on if I’m going to make it to work on time today. Let me know how Eddy’s doing, okay?”

  I promised her I would, and she scooted out the door. Looking at the time, I realized I was going to be late, too, if I didn’t get moving. I grabbed a quick shower, dressed, inhaled a bit of cereal, and headed downstairs to the store.

  As I entered, Mason met me at the bottom of the stairs, duster in hand. “How’s Eddy?”

  “He’s going to be fine, but Doctor Bledsoe is keeping him for a few days just to make sure.” I gave Mason a quick hug. “Thanks for helping me yesterday. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t been here.”

  “It was nothing.” Mason shrugged. “I love Eddy too. Can’t let anything happen to him on my watch.” He walked to the counter and slid two folders out from under the counter. “I stuck these down here, since I didn’t know when you’d be in today. Did you ever get to tell Keith about the inventory sheets?”

  “Oh, wow, I completely forgot to tell him before he left this morning.” I inwardly cringed, knowing what was coming.

  Mason’s brows rose. “Before he left … this morning?” Mason grinned.

  I rolled my eyes. I’d never live it down now that I’d let the cat out of the bag. Mom’s voice sounded in my ear, demanding I defend my reputation by explaining we’d spent the night with me sobbing and Keith getting a crick in his neck. My stubborn streak took over. Let Mason think what he wanted. It was no one’s business why Keith had spent the night. So there.

  My fingers slid my phone out of my back pocket, and I dialed Keith’s number. He answered on the first ring. “Is Eddy okay?”

  “He’s fine,” I assured him. “I forgot to tell you about something earlier. Yesterday morning, I discovered the police officer who pulled Eddy’s vet records for me also pulled another folder. Can you come get it? I want to show you something we discovered that may mean something.”

  “Sure, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  After we hung up, I took Eddy’s folder and filed it in the back room’s filing cabinet and made copies of the inventory sheets for our store purposes. While I was there, I also broke down several empty cardboard boxes the newest set of books had arrived in and walked them out to the dumpster. As I stepped back in from the alleyway behind the store, Mason poked his head into the back room.

  “We have company.” He gestured with his head over his shoulder. “And he seems in a grumpier than usual mood today.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  I looked past my employee and saw not only Keith but also Frank Sutter standing by the front counter. Great. Just when the day looked to be less stressful than the one before. My gaze caught Keith’s, and I raised my eyebrows. He shrugged in response and mouthed the word Sorry.

  Striding across the store toward the frowning detective stand
ing beside my boyfriend, I mentally prepped for the encounter by preemptively counting to ten. As I neared, I extended my hand. “Detective Sutter, how nice to see you.”

  Grunt. “Okay.” He didn’t shake my hand. Instead, he reached into the breast pocket of his gray suit and pulled out a pen and a little notebook.

  Wow, rude much? I counted to ten again. “I called Keith this morning to let him know I had found something that may be pertinent to the case.”

  “Uh-huh.” He flipped the notebook open, pen poised. “Do tell.”

  I had brought the folder from the back room and held it out to the inspector. “This was accidentally given to me when I went to Linus’s house last Friday.”

  Sutter scribbled a note. “Accidentally?”

  “Yes.” I drew the word out slowly.

  Grunt. “This is Wednesday. It took you six days to give us this folder?”

  I gritted my teeth and smiled. “Detective, I’m in the middle of a monthlong grand reopening sale. I’ve been busy enough I hadn’t even looked at the folders your officer gave me until yesterday.”

  Sutter sighed. “My sister’s boy. His dad is pushing him to become a cop like his Uncle Frank. But I guess his mother is about to get her wish. The kid wants to be an artist, and she’d much rather see that than see him get shot at. With another write-up for carelessness in his jacket, and him only on the job two months, they’ll wash him out.” He shook his head. “Why didn’t you give us this folder yesterday?”

  “I’m sure Keith told you someone poisoned my dog, and I didn’t even consider the folders again until Mason reminded me.” I crossed my arms, quickly losing the last vestiges of patience with the man.

  “Yeah, sorry about your dog.” Sutter sounded somewhat sympathetic. “Hope he gets better.”

  Stymied, as this was the first kind thing Sutter had ever said to me, I stammered out a response. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

  Sutter opened the folder and looked at a couple of pages. “What is this?”

  “Inventory pages.” I took the folder and laid them out on the counter in chronological order. “Mason and I noticed Linus had only recently begun to print an inventory every two weeks. He also highlighted that more and more antique books were missing from each new run.”