Hitting the Books

by Jenn McKinlay

  “Was there something I can do to help you in regard to this?” she asked.

  “Maybe.” Emma didn’t say any more.

  Lindsey waited. Emma didn’t elaborate. Lindsey could hear the ticking of her big, round battery-operated office clock in the silence.

  “Can you give me a hint?” Lindsey asked. “Or at least tell me if we’re dealing with animal, mineral, or vegetable?”

  “Twenty questions? Robbie loves to play that game.” Emma’s lips tipped up on one side. Lindsey shrugged. She didn’t think it was prudent to mention that’s where she got the idea.

  “All right, I’ll tell you why I’m here, but this is in the strictest confidence,” Emma said. “And I mean that. You can’t tell Sully or Robbie or any of the crafternooners, no one. Do you understand?”

  “Absolutely, I won’t say a word to anyone.” Lindsey sat up straighter. She had no doubt that Emma was as serious as a heart attack.

  “The state police are helping in the investigation,” Emma said. “Both the body and the car have been turned over to their crime scene investigators and medical examiner.”

  Lindsey nodded. Briar Creek was too small of a town to support a crime lab, so things were frequently turned over to the state.

  “This includes everything that was in the car,” Emma said.

  Lindsey felt her tension ratchet up. This was what Emma wanted to share; she was certain of it. She waited while Emma pulled a small notebook out of her pocket. She flipped through the pages and then ripped one out and handed it to Lindsey.

  Lindsey glanced at the list. Being a librarian, she caught on right away that it was a list of music CDs.

  “I don’t have the discs, because the crime scene unit took them,” Emma said. “But every one of those titles came from your library.”

  Lindsey recognized a few and nodded as the pieces fell into place. “These were found in the car.”

  “Yes,” Emma said. “And I need to know if they were checked out to Kayla Manning. If they were, then they signify nothing except that she used the library.”

  “Which would be odd,” Lindsey said. “As far as I know, Kayla has never been in the library, never mind checked anything out.”

  Emma’s brown eyes glowed like a predator spotting prey. “Excellent. Then I’ll need to know who checked those CDs out.”

  Lindsey felt her stomach twist. “It’s not that simple.”

  “What do you mean?” Emma asked. “All you have to do is look up the title and tell me who checked it out. Surely, in this day of technology, you can do that.”

  “Well, yes, if I had the library barcode from the CDs, but you’ve only given me the title. These are all popular artists, and we own multiple copies, so I’ll have to track them all down and then cross-check them to see who borrowed them.”

  “I’m not seeing the problem. I’ll call the crime scene investigator and have them send me the barcodes.”

  “Even with that, I won’t be able to help you.”

  “Why not? What’s the issue?”

  “You’re going to need a subpoena,” Lindsey said. “From a judge or a court of competent jurisdiction.”

  Emma threw her hands up in the air. “What? How can you stonewall me like this?”

  “I’m not. I’m merely following the library code of ethics put forth by the ALA and adopted by the Briar Creek Public Library.”

  “Screw procedure—I have a dead body in a stolen car and a citizen holed up in her house who has barely escaped with her life—twice. Do you want her death on your hands?” Emma popped up on her feet and leaned across the desk as if she could intimidate Lindsey.

  “Don’t!” Lindsey said. She rose, too, and met the chief of police halfway. “Don’t simplify privacy laws like that. You know why we protect our patrons’ right to privacy.”

  “That’s not the point,” Emma argued.

  “Yes, it is,” Lindsey snapped. “You were there last year when Tammy Moore was sneaking into the library, checking out books on how to leave an abusive partner. Her husband tried to bully me into turning over her circulation records, and what would have happened if I did? It would have gone really badly for her, and you know it. Tammy got away from him because we were able to give her the privacy and resources she needed, so don’t you diminish it.”

  “I am not Steve Moore,” Emma said.

  “No, you’re not,” Lindsey agreed. “But the privacy laws remain. Get a subpoena.”

  Emma stomped toward the office door.

  “And, Emma,” Lindsey said before the door shut. “By the time you have the appropriate paperwork, I should have a name for you.”

  Emma met her gaze, gave her a curt nod, and slammed the door behind her. So, still mad.

  Lindsey glanced at the list of titles. It was an eclectic list, and she couldn’t help wondering what a man who was about to commit a hit-and-run had been doing with everything from show tunes to Metallica in a stolen car. Weird. She set to work.

  Lindsey had just brought up the holdings records for the first CD, which had seven copies in the system, when there was a polite knock on her door. She glanced up, surprised to see Sully leaning against her doorjamb. He had a small smile that tipped the corner of his lips, and she got the feeling he’d been watching her for a moment before he knocked.

  “Are you ready, darlin’?” he asked.

  It was then that she noticed he wasn’t in his usual captain’s attire of jeans and a flannel shirt but was spiffed up in khaki pants and a waffle-knit pale blue Henley. She blinked at him.

  “You forgot, didn’t you?” he asked. “We have a dinner date with Beth and Aidan tonight.”

  “No, or not completely,” she said. It was a fib. She had absolutely spaced that they had dinner plans.

  Sully gave her a dubious look, and she sagged in her seat. “Oh, all right, I admit it. I’m working on a project, and I was so engrossed I forgot.”

  “That’s all right,” he said. “If we leave in five minutes, we won’t even be late.”

  Lindsey bit her bottom lip. She didn’t want to go. She wanted to stay here and work on tracking down who had checked the CDs out. So far, she had a complete list for only one of the CDs, and Kayla Manning’s name was not on it. Not a big surprise, since when Lindsey had checked the patron records, she’d noted that Kayla Manning didn’t have a library card.

  “Oh no,” Sully said. “You are not thinking of canceling.”

  “Well.” She drew out the word while she studied his face. He did not look like he was going to be swayed. She decided she needed to tell him what was up. “Emma stopped by and asked me to look something up for her. I don’t think I should put off the chief of police, do you?”

  “Does it involve Theresa or the car that was found with the dead man in it?”

  “Heard about that, did you?”

  “Yup,” he said. He pushed off the doorjamb and walked into her office, closing the door behind him. He sat in the seat across from her desk and bent forward with his elbows resting on his knees. “So, which is it?”

  “The dead man,” she said. “This is between us, but they found some library materials in his car, and Emma wanted me to see if I could figure out who checked them out.”

  “Aren’t there privacy laws protecting patrons’ records?” he asked.

  Lindsey nodded. “She’s going to need a subpoena.”

  “Think she’ll be able to get it tonight?”

  “No,” Lindsey said. “She has to prove her cause to a judge. It might take a while.”

  “So, dinner is a go.” He rocked back up to his feet. “Come on—they’re probably waiting for us.”

  “I don’t want to. Beth is driving me crazy with her post-wedding talk,” Lindsey said. Then she clapped a hand over her mouth. “Did I say that out loud?”

  Sully dropped back i
nto his chair with a laugh. “Yes, you did.”

  “Bad form,” Lindsey said. “I mean, I was her maid of honor. I should be more supportive of her post-wedding glow.”

  “She has been talking about it pretty much nonstop for weeks,” Sully said. “Even I know that the filling in her cake was wrong, but it tasted good so she was okay with it, oh, and that the organist played the march down the aisle so perfectly that she was standing in front of Aidan on the last note just as she had always imagined.”

  He clasped his hands over his chest and made an earnest face that was such a spot-on impersonation of Beth that Lindsey laughed out loud.

  “So, it’s not just me?” Lindsey asked. “I mean, I’ve tried to be patient, but good grief. I’m beginning to feel like it’s Groundhog Day and I am reliving the wedding again and again and again. I honestly don’t think I can go through with dinner tonight.”

  Sully considered her for a moment. He squinted one eye and then said, “Why do I get the feeling there’s more to it than that?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Be straight with me,” he said. “I’ve sensed that things are off between us, so I have to ask, are you regretting moving in together?”

  10

  “What?” she asked. Then she shook her head. “No!”

  “Are you sure? Cohabiting is a big adjustment.”

  “No, I’m happy, really,” she said. “I just—”

  Lindsey’s voice trailed off. She wasn’t sure how to tell him that every time they were with Beth and Aidan and the wedding thing came up, she felt like it was hanging over them. Were they headed toward marriage, did she want to be, and more specifically, did he want to be?

  “Just what?”

  “You know what? You’re right,” she said. She turned and began to close down her computer, saving her Excel file before she logged out. “We promised to meet them, and we should go. Talking about the wedding isn’t that bad. I’m sure we’ll have a great time.”

  “Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me everything?” he asked.

  “Me?” She put her hands over her heart in a pose of innocence.

  “Yes, you,” he said. “I’m onto you, Lindsey Norris. You’re keeping something from me, and I’m going to figure out what it is.”

  “Is that so?” she asked.

  “Count on it,” he said. “In the meantime, come here.”

  He stepped around the desk and opened his arms. Lindsey moved toward him without hesitation. On a day that had been stressful and crazy, this felt right. She leaned against him and absorbed his strength and his warmth. When she stepped back to study his handsome face, he kissed her, and everything was right with her world.

  “Hey, you two.” Beth appeared in the doorway. “No canoodling now. We’re late for dinner, and look what I brought—my wedding album. I just got it from the photographer.” She held up a navy blue leather album and did a jig. “This is going to be so great!”

  Sully put his arm around Lindsey and leaned in close and asked, “Should I call ahead and tell Ian to have our drinks waiting for us?”

  “He might want to make them doubles,” Lindsey replied out of the corner of her mouth. Then she forced a big smile and followed her friend out of the library to the restaurant across the street.

  * * *

  • • •

  There were some perks to not having to talk during dinner. Lindsey was able to enjoy every bite of her broiled fillet of sole while Beth did a sort of story time with her wedding album. Each page was presented with the recounting of the events by both Beth and Aidan, while Sully and Lindsey smiled and nodded. A few times, Lindsey caught Sully’s speculative gaze on her, and she gave him a quick wink to let him know she was all right.

  They were just finishing dessert when Sully’s sister, Mary, who owned the Blue Anchor with her husband, Ian, strode across the restaurant to their table. She held the baby out to Sully and said, “Uncle Sully, I need you. I’ve got an emergency in the kitchen. Can you hold Josie for a bit?”

  “Absolutely,” he said.

  Sully dropped his fork and reached for the baby. Lindsey watched as his big man hands gently cradled the wee one, bringing her right to his shoulder for a snuggle. It hit her, not for the first time, that he was really good with babies. He should be a father. How could she stay with him, knowing that she wasn’t really mom material but he’d be amazing dad material? How could she deny a child that?

  “Thanks, bro,” Mary said. She adjusted a spit rag on his shoulder and ran her hand lovingly over Josie’s head. “I’ll be right back.”

  Then she turned around and dashed toward the kitchen doors, looking like she was about to open a can of whoop ass.

  “I feel sorry for whoever is on the other side of that door,” Aidan said.

  Sully grinned. “Me, too—Mary is not one to tolerate nonsense.” He lifted the baby up so they were nose to nose. “Did you hear that? When you get into trouble with your mama, you come find me. Uncle Sully has your back, Josie-girl.”

  Lindsey smiled and then glanced across the table. Beth looked like hearts were going to start pouring out of her eyes. Without taking her eyes off Josie, Beth reached out for Aidan’s hand and slid her fingers into his. Aidan cast his wife an indulgent look, and it hit Lindsey that they would likely be next. In fact, they were probably trying already. She reached for her wine and took a healthy swig.

  Marriage. Babies. She had been engaged before. Why did it all seem as if it was coming at her so fast? She put her glass down. She had to get out of here. She needed to be somewhere quiet and contained, where she knew who she was and what she was doing. A place like the library, where everything was under her control and the emotional risk was minimal.

  Lindsey pulled her phone out of her bag and glanced at the screen, willing anyone anywhere to need something from her at this moment. There was a message from Emma Plewicki. She had the barcodes. Excellent.

  “Duty calls,” she said. She pushed back her chair and rose to her feet. “I am so sorry, but I have to go.”

  “What? Why?” Beth asked.

  “I have a request for information from Emma that can’t wait,” she said.

  Sully rocked forward to rise to his feet, as did Aidan, but Lindsey waved her hand to indicate they should stay seated.

  She leaned around the baby and kissed Sully on the cheek, taking in Josie’s fresh baby scent as she did. Okay, so she could see the appeal there. She leaned back and studied the tiny girl making time with her man. She put her hand on Josie’s head, marveling at the downy soft feel of her hair.

  The baby squinched up her little face, turned bright red, and let out an ear-piercing wail. Lindsey dropped her hand as if the baby had suddenly sprouted fangs. Sully rose and began to rock the baby, gently patting her back.

  Lindsey glanced at Beth and Aidan to see whether they’d registered how much the baby disliked her. Clearly, she was not kid friendly. She glanced at Sully and found his bright blue gaze watching her. He tipped his head to the side and gave her a small smile.

  “It’s not personal, you know,” he said. “She’s probably just gassy.”

  “I know,” she said. She returned his small smile with a rueful look. “I’m just more used to Heathcliff, who likes to share when he’s feeling air bloated.”

  Sully laughed. “Go, but call me later.”

  “I will,” she said. She glanced at Aidan and Beth, who were watching intently as Sully unleashed his baby magic and began to calm Josie down. She waved at them. “Bye!”

  Lindsey was halfway across the restaurant when a toss of bright blond hair caught her eye. She turned, and there was Kayla Manning sitting at the bar. Although she had no idea what she was going to say, the opportunity to talk to the other woman was too good to pass up.

  Lindsey maneuvered herself next to Kayla’s stool and lean
ed in so that it looked as if she were ordering a drink. Kayla gave her a cursory glance but then turned to the man on her other side. Lindsey pursed her lips. Since Kayla wasn’t a library user, Lindsey’s usual conversation opener of mentioning a favorite author was useless. She racked her brain. She had nothing.

  Ian Murphy, Mary’s husband and owner of the Blue Anchor, saw her and hustled down the bar toward her.

  “Lindsey, what can I get for you?” he asked.

  “Um,” Lindsey stalled. She glanced at Kayla, hoping to get her attention. The woman was oblivious. “Did I tell you my car was stolen?”

  “What?” Ian shook his head like a dog shaking off water. “But you don’t own—”

  “I know!” Lindsey said. She raised her voice to drown him out. “I parked it in front of my place, and then it was gone. Can you imagine that? My car—stolen!”

  Kayla swiveled on her stool toward Lindsey. “Excuse me, did you say your car had been stolen?”

  “Yes,” Lindsey said. She glanced at Ian, who was looking at her as if he thought she was having a mental breakdown. “Water, please.”

  “Sure,” Ian said. “Because clearly alcohol is not a good plan for you right now.”

  Lindsey gave him a blank smile and made a shooing gesture with her hand.

  “I can’t believe your car was stolen,” Kayla said.

  “I couldn’t believe it either,” Lindsey said.

  Okay, so technically her car had been stolen five years ago, when she lived in New Haven, so it wasn’t a total lie. Besides, how else could she get Kayla to talk to her?

  “Hi, I’m Kayla.”

  “Lindsey.”

  “My car was stolen, too,” Kayla said.

  “No way,” Lindsey said.

  “Way, and the police found it with a dead guy in it. Can you believe that?”

  “No. Oh, man, I don’t want my car back with a dead man in it.” Lindsey hoped she looked more surprised than she felt.

  “Right?” Kayla said. She shook her head. “This has been one hell of a week.”