A Page Marked for Murder

by Lauren Elliott

  She tapped out a quick text to Paige and told her she’d be a little longer than planned and waited. The reply was a thumbs-up. Taking that as meaning all was still quiet at the bookstore, Addie headed down the elevator to Simon’s office. Her phone buzzed with another text from Paige.

  Serena was just here. She said she needed to talk to you. Wouldn’t say about what, but she seemed upset. I told her you’d be back soon if she wanted to wait, but she left.

  Addie’s thumbs flew across the keypad. Thanks, I’ll phone her.

  Addie sat on the bench beside the elevator on the lower level where Simon’s office was located and waited for Serena to pick up.

  “Hi, Paige said you were looking for me . . . I dropped a book off for Gloria at the hospital and was about to go find Simon, why . . . slow down, what happened? . . . Really? . . . That’s what he said?” Addie’s stomach twisted into a knot. “Okay.” She took a deep breath to ease the tightening in her throat that threatened to dislodge itself into her chest. “I’ll try to find out . . . yeah, thanks . . . will . . . bye.”

  Addie crammed her phone into her coat pocket, hurriedly made her way down the corridor to Simon’s office, and banged on the door.

  The door slowly opened a crack. “Is someone out here dying?” Simon’s brow rose tentatively as he peered out.

  “No”—she pushed past him and stepped inside—“but it’s urgent.”

  He placed his hands on both her shoulders. “There is nothing more urgent than someone dying. Take a deep breath, and tell me what’s wrong. Oh, and hello by the way.” He kissed her cheek.

  “Hello.” Her lips turned up at the corners in a sheepish half smile, and she dropped her gaze. “Sorry to barge in, but I just hung up the phone with Serena and . . .”

  “And what? Something she said has clearly upset you?”

  Addie met his gaze. “It did. She told me that two of the officers tearing the bakery apart were in the tea shop, and she overheard them talking about the blood residue that was found by the sink.” Addie swallowed. “Does that mean Martha did kill Brett and—” Her breath caught in her throat and a half sob escaped.

  “No, no, it’s okay.” Simon wrapped Addie in his arms and pulled her close. “You came at the perfect time. The results came back a few minutes ago, and they aren’t a match for Brett’s.” He nuzzled the top of her head.

  She pulled away and stared at him. “Does Marc know?”

  “Yeah, I talked to him a minute ago.”

  “So, they can stop with the inquisition and release her?”

  “That’s not exactly how it works, but they’re no longer considering the bakery as the only possible crime scene.”

  “Then they’ve expanded the search?”

  He nodded.

  “Where else are they looking?”

  Simon looked away.

  “Tell me. Her house? The beach? Surely you heard Bill tell Marc about seeing Brett on the beach late Saturday night, and that he was on the phone arguing with someone.”

  “You know I can’t discuss the details of an investigation with you.”

  “You sound exactly like Marc.”

  “What I said was in your best interest.”

  “Pfftt.”

  “Look, if I tell you where the searches are being conducted, you know as well as I that as soon as you’re out the door, you’ll be performing your own investigation. You have to stay away, at least for now.”

  “I wouldn’t do that.”

  “Really?”

  “Okay, maybe you’re right. I do want to go down to the beach and have a look around on my own.”

  “But you can’t. If Marc saw you down there, he’d . . . he’d . . .”

  “What? Sic his watchdog, Detective Brookes, on me?”

  He gave a surprised laugh, and pressed his face to her forehead, still snickering. “I do love you, you know,” he whispered. “Why, I have no idea, because you drive me crazy most of the time.”

  “Trust you to start teasing me during a touching moment.”

  “Would you want it any other way?” He gazed deep into her eyes.

  Her heart hammered against her chest wall, and all she could do was shake her head to break the spell his sea-blue eyes cast over her. “I’d better go. I have to tell Paige that the invasion of the bakery was a wild goose chase, and things should be cleared up soon.”

  “Not exactly.” He released her from his arms.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Just because the blood didn’t match Brett’s, doesn’t mean that the bakery still didn’t play an important part in the events leading up to the murder.”

  “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “The problem is we still haven’t been able to identify the murder weapon. The wound pattern shows it was caused by something with almost a serrated edge, but not completely. It did leave a jagged impression on the surrounding tissue though. The width and depth of the penetration point indicate a cylinder or cone shape, and by the chemical composite I found embedded in the wound, whatever it was contained a mixture of organic substances. The weapon or tool was well weathered. Needless to say, it has me stumped. There were a number of appliances found in the bakery kitchen that have, well, rather unusual edges or forms to them. As I’m sure you saw, the police are removing anything suspect from the bakery, so I can test it in the lab to see if they have any trace evidence or match the wound formation.”

  “But they wouldn’t be weathered, would they? It’s a bakery, and Martha keeps her kitchen spotless.”

  “That’s one of the mysteries, isn’t it?”

  “What have you found so far?”

  “I haven’t had a chance to run any tests yet on her kitchen appliances. Perhaps it’s one of the antique bread cutters in Martha’s collection or something similar. Anyway, that’s what I’ll be doing the rest of the day and most likely into the evening unless, of course, I find a match.”

  “And if your tests don’t match anything at the bakery, what then?”

  “Then the bakery is released as a possible crime scene and we continue to investigate other possible sites and look for a matching weapon.”

  “Hmm . . .”

  “Don’t get any ideas. You heard what I said about Marc catching you snooping around.”

  “I know, but—”

  He placed his finger over her lips. “No buts. Marc is a trained officer, let him and his people do their job.”

  “Okay”—she nodded—“but if you won’t tell me where else they’re conducting investigations at least tell me if you’ve determined the exact time of death yet. I heard you tell Marc at the scene that the autopsy would give you a better idea.”

  “As close as I can calculate, it appears, he was killed sometime between one and three a.m. Why?”

  “Given the police investigation and Marc seeming to believe the bakery is important to the murder, I’m just trying to figure out how Martha would have lured Brett into the bakery at that time of the night. It doesn’t make sense to me. Does it to you?”

  “Nothing about this case so far makes sense.”

  “You’re right.” Addie tried to digest what he had said, but his words left a bad taste in her mouth. In Marc’s eyes, Martha was still the prime suspect, but something was wrong with the theory that the murder weapon came from the bakery, especially given that it was weathered. It didn’t make sense logically, but then again, murder was never completely logical.

  “I guess I won’t be seeing you later.”

  “I guess not. It seems you really have your work cut out for you.” She held his gaze and hoped her disappointment didn’t show. Not only was she missing him desperately these past few days, she really needed his keen fresh eyes on her board of clues. There were so many, and she was struggling to keep them all straight in her head. It was though she had the puzzle pieces from two different boxes dumped on a table and mixed together. She couldn’t quite figure out if the scattered pieces went with the book mystery puzzle o
r the murder puzzle.

  * * *

  On the way back to her bookstore, Addie replayed the conversation she’d had earlier with Gloria and tried to figure out if someone else in the old group of friends could have been behind the theft of the book. She came up with a couple of possibilities and made a mental note to add their names to the list on her board later.

  Her mind wandered then to what Simon had revealed about the murder weapon. It was curious to her that nothing had come up as a match so far. If she could figure out the weapon used, it might lead them to the killer and/or book thief. Right now, she still wasn’t certain both crimes were related, but if she didn’t do some sleuthing on her own, that connection, if there was one, might be missed and Paige would lose her and Emma’s inheritance for sure. But Simon had also made it clear to her that he was worried she would go off and investigate potential weapons on her own, and invoke the wrath of Marc by interfering in the investigation in some way. It wouldn’t be the first time. She did an inner eye roll with that thought.

  However, she smiled to herself as she hopped over a snowbank by the library parking lot. He never said she shouldn’t use her wicked research skills on the computer, did he? She had the Earth mapping app, and she had an online catalogue of ancient weaponry from when she worked at the Boston Library and the British Museum. She put her head down and forged through the park. It was time to go twenty-first-century sleuthing.

  When she flung open the door to her shop, she stopped short at the sound of a child’s giggles and peeked around the doorframe. There was mother and daughter sitting cross-legged on the floor, a stack of Lego blocks between them. Pippi’s ears perked at the jingling of the bells, and with one look at Addie, she scampered toward her, yipping all the way. Addie picked up the wriggling fur ball and was rewarded with doggy kisses. Addie turned her head away and caught sight of Keith sitting at the counter.

  He raised his cup in a hello gesture and grinned. “I bet you never thought you’d walk into this when you came back.”

  She laughed and pushed Pippi’s head away from her face. “Not exactly what I had in mind, but it’s great.”

  Paige and Emma laughed as they tried to fit the blocks together without them falling apart. It was clear Emma still didn’t have the hang of working with the small ones yet. Paige said she was a whiz with the larger blocks, but these were rather detailed for four-year-old fingers.

  Paige glanced up at Addie and grinned. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all, carry on.” Addie set Pippi on the floor. “I see you have a coffee, Keith. Mind if I join you?”

  “Go ahead. I sure hope this isn’t a problem. I thought it might be good for Paige to see Emma for a few minutes this afternoon. Don’t worry, we’ll be out of here soon. Mellissa had a last-minute meeting she got called to. Apparently, there’s an interested buyer for her dress shop there on Main and—”

  “I didn’t know she was selling?”

  “Yeah, she’s talked about if for a while. I guess with . . . well, with all the changes, she decided that was one more she wanted to make. We set that place up nearly fifteen years ago, and it was something we both put a lot of work into. At least, I helped when I had days off from the fire department. I guess it has kind of lost its appeal for her lately.” He swigged back the last of his coffee and held his hand out to Emma. “Well, cupcake, we’d better go and let these two ladies get back to work.”

  “Noooo, Uncle Keef. Mommy and I aren’t finished building the secret garden.”

  “Come on.” He wiggled his fingers for her to take his hand. “I told you when we came that Mommy was working, and we could only stay a few minutes.”

  “But I don’t want to leave. I like it here.”

  Addie crouched down beside Emma. “Tell you what, you’re welcome to come back any time you want when Mommy isn’t busy, and maybe we’ll even have story time right over there in those comfy reading chairs. How does that sound?”

  “It sounds good. Can I bring my new ducky book with me?”

  “Of course you can.” Addie laughed and ruffled her hand through Emma’s golden hair.

  Emma whispered last-minute instructions to her mother on how to finish the garden wall. Then she wrapped her little arms around her mother’s neck and kissed her cheek. Addie glanced at Keith and swore she saw tears in his eyes as he clasped her tiny hand and walked her out the door.

  Paige wrapped her arms around Addie and gave her a bear hug. “Thank you,” she whispered. “We both needed that.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Addie slammed the top of her laptop closed.

  “Is it safe to come in?”

  Addie twisted around on her chair at the small desk in her back room. “Don’t sneak up on a person like that. You scared the bejeezus out of me.”

  Serena tossed back her long waves of bright red hair and laughed.

  “It’s not funny, my friend.” Addie mockingly pinned her with a glare. “I’m getting old, and you could have given me a heart attack.”

  “Yeah, you’re ancient now, aren’t you?” she said, hopping up onto the desk. “It must be time to look at an assisted-living facility for you.”

  Addie’s first impulse was to stick her tongue out at her friend, but she remembered that wasn’t fitting for a lady, especially one who had just declared herself old at almost thirty-four.

  “Actually”—Serena eyed her with a shifty glint—“placing you in a senior’s facility might just be the answer to my prayers.”

  “What?”

  “Then your house would be vacant, and Zach and I could move in, and perhaps my future mother-in-law would approve of me.”

  “I thought you got along great with Zach’s parents.”

  “His father, Oliver, and his mother, Melinda, Oliver’s first wife, are fantastic to me. It’s the current Mrs. Ludlow I have problems with.”

  “Oh dear. I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

  “I didn’t either until lately when she kiboshed every single wedding plan Zach and I had already arranged and booked. It seems nothing is going to be good enough to please that woman.”

  “What does your mom say about it? She’s helped you plan most of what you have so far, hasn’t she?”

  “Mom quotes: ‘It’ll all work out, Serena, don’t worry. If you and Zach are meant to be together, you will. Don’t stress about the small stuff.’” Serena looked at her. “Remember, she comes from the peace and love generation and only wants to see the best in everyone and everything.”

  Addie recalled the photos she had seen, and she smiled softly. “She might be right, though. Don’t let this woman get to you. Go around her, and make your plans with Zach’s mom. She’s the one you really have to get along with in the end. He is her baby after all.”

  “Easier said than done, I’m afraid. Veronica Ludlow runs everything now. Zach told me she has even weaseled her way into the family business and is attempting a coup to have Melinda ousted as the chief financial officer. For Pete’s sake, she helped Oliver start that company over thirty-five years ago, and she’s still a major shareholder.”

  “I really don’t know what to say except to parrot your mother’s words.”

  “I know. I know. It’ll all work out, and the wedding is still five and a half months away.” Serena thumped her heels against the side of the desk. “What are you working on back here while your manager is up front playing with Legos, killing time like me? It’s been a painfully slow day, hasn’t it?”

  “I was attempting to use my top-notch research skills in a little sleuthing venture, but as you heard when you walked in, it is not going as well as I’d hoped.”

  “What are you researching?”

  “Ancient tools and artifacts that might have a somewhat serrated or jagged edge but is more like a cylinder or cone shape. Simon has researched modern tools and come away empty. I thought this might be a lead, but I’ve got nothing.”

  “You lost me there. I haven’t a clue what you�
�re talking about.”

  “At this point, I don’t either. There’re just too many clues to all this that don’t add up.”

  Serena glanced up at the tarp-covered blackboard on the wall. “What have you got on there?”

  Addie followed her gaze. “Nothing on there yet, but I did start a list at home last night. As a matter of fact . . .” She removed the folded brown paper from the straw basket at her feet. “Here it is.”

  “Open it up, and let’s take a look.”

  “What about your shop? Don’t you have to get back?”

  “No, Elli’s in, and there definitely isn’t enough work for two today.”

  “Why not send her home, then?”

  “She’s worried about what’s going on in the bakery and wants to keep an eye on Paige in case it all goes south. Besides, she’s been great at getting information out of that young recruit officer”—she narrowed her eyes in thought—“Curtis, I think his name is. Anyway, he seems to be taken with her and has been in at least a dozen times to pick up tea for the guys, or so he says. Given how many times he’s used my washroom facilities, I’m thinking it’s an excuse to see Elli.”

  “Elli is sort of on a recon mission?”

  “Oh yeah, and she’s good at it. I gotta give her credit. She’s sharper than I ever thought she was.”

  “I got that impression on Saturday night when she and I were partnered up after Simon had to leave.”

  “She’s young, that’s for sure, but she’s got smarts up here.” She pointed to her head. “So, I got all the time in the world this afternoon. Show me what you got on there.”