by Hillary Avis
“What can we do? Traps?”
Olive rose to her feet. “We’ll set some tonight. And we close up now. We can’t serve mouse bread.”
Bethany glanced over at the racks where the baguettes were slowly rising. “Does that mean...?”
Olive nodded, her face grim. “The dough we mixed last night should be fine, but everything we mixed this morning has to go. I’ll put a sign on the door that says the oven is out of order, and you can help me haul the spoiled dry goods out to the dumpster. Once we sell out of éclairs, we’re done for the day.”
Bethany nodded and began clearing out the rising racks. Her eyes stung as she struggled to hold back her tears. She needed these hours.
“Aw, hon.” Olive patted her back. “I’m sorry. The stationmaster is doing his best, but this building is so old that the little guys just find new ways in. It’s pointless to reopen until we can mouse-proof everything.”
“I know. I just have to find another way to make ends meet.” Bethany dried her cheeks with her apron.
Olive cleared out the pastry case and dumped an armful of popovers into the garbage can. “How’s the catering going? Will it pay the bills?”
“I’m getting gigs here and there. Little stuff, mostly. Birthday parties, office picnics. I’d love to land something bigger.” She glanced at the clock and gasped. “Speaking of, do you mind if I run over to the library for a minute? Today’s the deadline to submit a bid for a last-minute wedding job. I totally forgot about it! I can come back to help with the flour later.”
“Go, go!” Olive waved her hand, motioning Bethany out the door.
Bethany tore off her apron and dashed to the back alley where she’d locked up her yellow bike, Daisy. No sign of the orange cat, but empty dishes were on the ground next to Café Sabine’s back door. Kimmy had made good on her promise to feed Orange Guy outside. Bethany mounted the bike and pushed off, pedaling furiously through downtown toward the public library.
As she rode, thigh muscles burning, she mentally composed the catering menu for her wedding bid. The bride had a limited budget, but wanted an elegant menu for her cocktail party reception. The challenge was presenting inexpensive ingredients in an expensive way. She racked her brain for ideas that would fit the bill.
Maybe figs and goat cheese wrapped in phyllo, mini meatballs, and shot glasses of soup—lobster bisque? Lobster would class up any wedding, and putting it in soup would keep the costs down. Plus, all the items would hold well if the reception was delayed. Perfect.
Bethany smiled to herself as she locked up her bike in front of the library. She had a good feeling about this gig.
Chapter 2
Newbridge Public Library
A KID ON A SKATEBOARD buzzed behind Bethany, jolting her out of her reverie. It was the purple-haired girl from the bakery. She popped the tail of her skateboard and slid along the curb, dismounting with a kickflip. She landed the trick and raised her arms in victory as her friends cheered from the alley.
“Darn kids. Trashing up the sidewalks,” a woman carrying a stack of books grumbled.
Bethany grinned. “There are worse things kids could be doing during summer vacation than hanging out at the library.”
The woman snorted as she dumped the armload of books into the book-return slot, and Bethany ducked into the building before her good mood was dampened. She headed for the computers near the reference section, but stopped in her tracks when she saw that the long oak tables were empty.
Where were the computers? She glanced around, taking in most of the small library in one sweep. The other sections all looked exactly the same as they usually did—only the technology tables had changed.
She checked the notice board to see if a sign had been posted about where they’d moved the computers, but nothing was there except the usual event flyers for story time and guest speakers. Sandy Nakamura, one of the librarians, sat at the reference desk nearby. Her nose was red and her eyes were swollen, and she dabbed at her nose with a tissue.
Was she upset about something, or did she just have allergies?
“Did they move the computers?”
Sandy burst into tears. Bethany rushed over to where she sat. “What’s wrong?”
“Somebody”—Sandy dabbed her nose and hiccupped—“took them all. Last night. They used a crowbar to open the back door.”
“Oh no!” Must have been the burglar Charley had mentioned this morning—the M.O. fit perfectly. “Are there any leads?”
Sandy shook her head and blew her nose into the tissue. “The police said we shouldn’t be too hopeful about recovering the computers. They’re probably already being sold for parts. I don’t even have my circulation computer—I have to do everything by hand.”
“I’m sure the cops will do everything they can to get them back.” Bethany tried to keep her voice calm and comforting, but inside she was panicking. There was no way she could run a catering business without a computer and internet access—and no way she could afford a laptop or a smart phone at this point, let alone a data plan! “But if they can’t, any idea when they might be replaced?”
Sandy’s chin wobbled as she fiddled with the buttons on her cardigan. “Oldbridge Library is going to loan us a couple of laptops to use at the circulation desk. But for public use, we’ll put in a request to the county library board, and they’ll review it at their next meeting. So a month, maybe two? And who knows if the county will have money in the budget to replace them this year. I feel terrible for patrons who depend on them.”
Bethany nodded. Like me. Suddenly she didn’t have such a great feeling about this wedding gig. Goodbye, lobster bisque.
“But most of all, I feel bad for the kids!” Sandy continued.
“Why is that? You mean because they can’t play games on the computers?”
“No—the burglar also took the prize box for the summer reading program! I didn’t notice until the police had already left because I was so focused on the computers. All the books they read this summer...now they won’t get their rewards.” Sandy looked ready to burst into tears again.
And I can’t pay my rent. Bethany sighed. She felt bad for the kids, she really did, but she couldn’t help feeling a little bit worse for herself. “I’m really sorry, Sandy. That’s terrible.”
“Thanks.” Sandy blew her nose again and then tapped a piece of paper on the counter. “If you write down your email address, I’ll be sure to send you a note when we get our technology table up and running again.”
Bethany jotted down her address, even though she didn’t have high hopes that she’d be able to check it any time soon. Hm...maybe it was time to call on a friend. Charley had a work laptop down at the police station and might let her send an email. The wedding gig could pay for a laptop and internet access at home—plus, a visit to the police station might help solve the library theft. Charley didn’t know that the thief had taken something other than electronics, and maybe the reading program prizes would be easier to track than computer parts.
When Bethany got outside, the girl with purple streaks in her hair was perched on top of the bike rack. “Try jiggling it,” she said to a freckle-faced kid who was crouched down beside Bethany’s bike.
“Hey! That’s mine!”
The freckled boy jolted to his feet and turned bright red, but the girl just laughed. “Good timing.”
“Are you stealing my bike?”
“Nah, just having some fun. Messing with the lock to see if we could pick it.”
Bethany snorted. “Sounds like stealing to me.”
“Sounds like stealing to me,” the girl mimicked. “But guess what, it’s not. Anyway, we wouldn’t rip off bikes at the library. Then we wouldn’t be able to skate here anymore.”
“You all skate here a lot, then?” Bethany craned her neck to see down the alley to the back door of the library.
“Erry day, erry night.” The boy crossed his arms and lifted his chin, daring Bethany to say otherwise.
“How about last night?”
The two kids looked at each other and then back at Bethany. The girl answered for both of them. “Not last night.”
“Why not?”
“Didn’t feel like it.”
Bethany narrowed her eyes. “Neither of you felt like it? What about one of your friends?”
“None of us felt like it,” the girl repeated stubbornly. She dropped her deck on the ground and, with a backward glance to ensure that Bethany wasn’t following her, skated away toward the alley. Her friend scrambled to follow, tripping over his own feet in the rush.
Bethany stared after them, suspicions boiling in her mind. Either those kids did it, or they saw who did.
Chapter 3
Newbridge Police Station
“Pleeease? Please, please, please?” Bethany clasped her hands and batted her eyelashes at Charley. “I just need to send one email.”
Charley closed the door to her office. “No personal stuff on my work laptop. Sorry.”
“What if I told you I knew something about the library burglary...something you don’t know? Would you let me then?”
“If you knew something about a crime, you’d be legally obligated to report it. So no, that wouldn’t change my mind.” Charley sat back in her chair and put her hands behind her head.
Bethany eyed her slyly. “I didn’t want to bring out the big guns, but...”
“What?”
“I guess I have to tell Kimmy that you wouldn’t do me one teeny tiny favor. She’s not gonna be happy.”
“You wouldn’t!”
“And we’re probably not going to make rent if I don’t get this wedding job.” Bethany shrugged. “On you.”
Charley groaned and slumped in her chair.
“One email,” Bethany wheedled. “It’ll take two minutes.”
Charley rolled her eyes and flicked open her laptop. “Fine. And you have to tell me whatever you’ve been keeping from me about the library theft.”
Bethany grabbed the computer, gnawing her lip as she scanned the bride’s brief and composed the bid. With the lobster bisque on the menu, it’d just squeak in under budget. She hit “send” and crossed her fingers. “See? That wasn’t so painful, was it?”
Charley grumbled. “Just don’t make it a habit, or you’re going to get me in trouble. Now what about the library?”
“The librarian, Ms. Nakamura? She said the thief took more than just electronics.”
Charley raised an eyebrow. “What else?”
“The prize box for the summer reading program.”
“Why didn’t she say anything about it when I was taking her statement?”
“She didn’t notice until after the cops left. But, get this, when I left the library, a couple of kids who skateboard around there were trying to pick my bike lock.”
“So you think because prizes for kids were taken from the library and these kids were trying to take your bike from the library, they might have committed the burglary?” Charley wrinkled her nose skeptically.
“Maybe. I asked them if they were skating there last night, and they said no, but they were acting strange. I think they know more than they let on. If they didn’t steal the computers, they saw who did.”
“Hm. You know who these kids are?” Charley jotted some notes on a clipboard. “I’d like you to make a statement.”
Bethany shook her head. “Sorry. I can describe them, and I’ve seen them at the bakery, but I don’t know their names. They look young, maybe twelve or thirteen? Not hardened criminals or anything. The boy has freckles and the girl has purple highlights in her hair. There are a couple more kids in their group, but they are the ones who were messing with my bike lock.”
“Doesn’t really narrow it down.” Charley grimaced. “I really wish that library had cameras. Or any business in Newbridge, for that matter! If we knew what the thief looked like, this case would be so much easier to crack.”
“If only it were so easy. We know exactly what the thieves at the bakery look like, but we still can’t catch them.” Bethany grinned wryly.
Charley’s eyebrows shot up. “The Honor Roll had a break-in, too?!”
“Just mice.” Bethany giggled as Charley glared at her. “And on that note, I have to get back to work. Olive needs me to help carry all the mouse-chewed stuff out to the dumpster. Thanks for letting me use your computer.”
“De nada,” Charley said absentmindedly, her eyes unfocused as she drummed her fingers on the desk. Bethany could tell that she’d already clicked over to crime-solving mode. There’d be no distracting her now. Bethany whispered goodbye and tiptoed out, closing the office door behind her.
Chapter 4
Honor Roll Bakery
BETHANY KNOCKED AT the door of the Honor Roll and put her hand to the glass to shade against the glare. Olive bustled toward her and unlocked the handle so Bethany could enter.
“I got everything ready for you to haul. That whole pile needs to go out.” Olive pointed to where five plastic totes were stacked near a dolly. “I already took the bags of pastries to the dumpsters. The muffins were even still warm. I just about cried.”
“Did you figure out where the mice might be coming in?” Bethany asked as she hefted a tote full of cake flour onto the wheeled cart.
“Plugged up a couple holes I found in the baseboard with steel wool. We’ll see if that keeps them out.” Olive’s forehead creased with worry. “Did you submit your catering bid in time?”
“Barely. The library had a burglary last night and all the computers were stolen! The thief even took the kids’ prize box for the summer reading program. Pretty low. I walked over the police station and used Charley’s laptop, but she wasn’t too happy about it.”
“Oh, what a shame about the library! I donated cookie coupons as prizes. I wonder if Sandy wants replacements—although if the mice keep it up, I might not have any cookies left to hand out.” Olive glanced at the empty glass case worriedly.
“Were they pink ones?” Bethany opened the cash register drawer and felt under the drawer for the coupons she’d collected from the skateboarders.
Olive examined them and nodded. “These are the ones. I guess she’s already handed them out.”
“There’s another possibility. Maybe the kids stole them! The ones who turned these in this morning—they didn’t seem like big readers.”
“You can’t tell by looking,” Olive chided. “Just because they aren’t clean-cut doesn’t mean they don’t read under the covers with a flashlight. I had plenty of little ne’er-do-wells in my classroom over the years who were big Hardy Boys fans.”
“So you’re saying that they were readers and had an interest in crime?” Bethany chuckled and leaned her full weight against the loaded dolly to get it moving. “Not a very convincing argument.”
“Well, what are a bunch of sixth or seventh graders going to do with a truckload of computers? They couldn’t very well carry them home on their skateboards, and even if they somehow managed it, their parents would notice, believe me.” Olive rushed to hold open the door.
Bethany bumped the dolly over the threshold and wheeled the cart toward the dumpster in the train station parking lot. “You’re probably right. The cops seem pretty sure that the library burglar is the same person who hit all the other businesses in town, and I have a hard time believing kids could pull off all those break-ins.”
“They probably just earned the coupons by reading books.” Olive yanked off the lid of the top tote, exposing the trash bags full of ruined ingredients inside. “Or pulled the coupons out of the trash. On three.”
Bethany nodded, and together they dumped the first bin of contaminated flour into the dumpster. She didn’t like to assume the worst of people, but she had a sneaking suspicion that the kids weren’t so innocent. “Or maybe they watched the burglar break in and steal the computers, and then they took the opportunity to grab the prize chest.”
“I don’t want to believe they’re thieves.” Ol
ive paused for a moment as they heaved another bin of trash bags into the dumpster. “But I guess we won’t know unless we ask Sandy if she already distributed the coupons. This calls for a trip to the library.”
Bethany stacked the empty totes on the dolly and wheeled it back to the bakery. “And maybe we’ll even see the kids skating there and get their names. They could be the break in the case.”
Chapter 5
Newbridge Public Library
WHEN OLIVE PULLED HER green station wagon into the library lot, Bethany spotted the skateboarders right away. They’d put a crate in the middle of the alley and leaned a couple of boards against it to make a ramp so they could jump it. “That’s them.”
They got out of the car and walked toward the small group of kids, who watched their approach suspiciously. Bethany raised her hand and waved to show her friendly intentions, but the purple-haired girl jabbed one of the other kids with her elbow, and they all hopped on their boards and sped off before Olive and Bethany could ask them any questions.
Bethany shot Olive a look. “See? Hard to believe they’re just eager readers.”
“I’m reserving judgment,” Olive said resolutely. Bethany shrugged and held the library door open for her. She led Olive to the back corner and motioned to the long expanses of the empty technology tables.
“See?”
Olive nodded slowly, taking in the missing computers. Sandy looked up from her spot at the reference desk and smiled sadly. “Hi, Olive.”
Olive bustled over and leaned on the counter. “So sorry to hear about the break-in, hon. Bethany said they got the prize box, too. I was wondering—do you need me to print off more coupons for the kids, or did you already hand them out?”
Sandy’s sad smile transformed into a genuine grin that lit up her whole face. “If you could print more, that would be amazing! I feel terrible for the little readers—I was supposed to hand out the reading prizes at the back-to-school ice cream social tomorrow. They’ve been working so hard all summer and tackling really ambitious books. I just hate to think they wouldn’t get any recognition.”