Sam pulled a slim notebook out of his pocket and opened to the correct page. He ran through the minutes of last month’s meeting. They had confirmed the date of the annual community foraging walk and set up a time for Pauline to talk about wild edibles at the main library.
Pauline cleared her throat. “All right. Let’s move on to new business. “
Sadie began. “I think it’s about time we started talking about the quarterly trail maintenance,” she said. “Now, last quarter we covered the southwestern region, but I think…”
Pauline had already opened her binder and began spreading out printouts of trail maps on the table before her, but that didn’t stop Frank from butting in. “I got new business.”
“Frank.” Pauline’s tone held a warning. “Sadie was speaking. There’s plenty of time for your point, but hold on to it. It’s time to start talking about trail maintenance.”
Frank ignored her. “What are we going to do about the darn towers.”
Martin heaved a sigh. Beside him, Sam rolled his eyes. Here it came. Frank really was in the mood to be confrontational today.
“Frank!” Pauline raised her voice now. “We’re talking about trail maintenance”
But someone else interrupted this time. “We can’t do anything about the cell towers anyway,” said Ricky. “We’re a hiking group. We don’t have any governmental authority.”
“We are advocates for the natural beauty that these cell towers will ruin,” said Frank.
“Oh, come on.” Ricky rolled his eyes. “They’ll cover them to look like silos, like they’ve done with cell towers in lots of other places. Besides it’s a safety issue. When someone breaks down on the road out in the country, it can take forever for them to find help. And what if a storm takes the phone lines out? I’m thinking of my residents and the safety of the community.”
“Oh, and what’s gonna happen to the economy of this place when they build those ugly towers? We all know they’re not really silos. It’s obvious. People come out here to see the unspoiled beauty of nature,” said Frank.
“Really!” Pauline rapped her knuckles on the glass again. “I’m not fond of these proposed towers either, Frank. But right now we’re talking about trail maintenance. Let’s get back to it.”
Frank drew himself up. “Fine. Let’s see these maps.”
The assembled board members gathered around the maps Pauline had spread on her table, depositing their cups on the empty table beside her. While they went over locations and details. Jack and Chloe took advantage of the temporary lull in Frank’s mood to pop in and out with more coffee and cream.
It wasn’t long before Frank could no longer resist butting in again. “You know,” he pointed to an area on one of the maps, “there’ll be a stupid tower ruining the view right here.”
The group erupted with sighs and groans. As Frank launched into his rant yet again, Martin retrieved his mug and paced the deck, staring across the open fields toward the blue mountains in the distance. Voices raised. Martin thought their squabble was ruining his enjoyment of nature’s beauty right now.
As he paced, Martin finally looked in the opposite direction of the mountains and spotted a welcome sight on the road. The brightly colored bookmobile beckoned like an old friend. The Wild Wanderers, distracted by their passion, paid Martin no attention. So with only a small twinge of guilt, he drained his mug and slipped away through the garden, the taste of the coffee lingering in his mouth as he picked his way through fading sunflowers and newly blooming marigolds.
4
Chapter 4
Flor threw open the back door of the bookmobile and lowered the metal ramp to allow patrons in. Millie brought out the sandwich board sign that read OPEN and set it on the pavement beside the ramp. The van was parked across the road from The Ridge Road Hotel and Café, very much in the center of the downtown area of Winding Creek. The sun was higher in the sky now, illuminating the August morning with bright colors: blue sky, red brick, green foliage. Two older women emerged from the post office down the road. Their faces lit up when they spotted the bookmobile.
“That’s Doris, and I forget her friend’s name,” said Flor. “They’re regulars at this spot.”
The two ladies soon walked over. “You’re the new girl,” Doris said brightly. She introduced herself and her quieter friend Lorna. Lorna smiled then browsed the shelves on her own. Doris, however, leaned in toward Flor and said in a gleeful whisper, “I’m ready for the goriest horror books you got.”
Millie felt her jaw drop and closed it. Flor, however, didn’t miss a beat.
“We are ready for you this week. We just added some excellent horror titles to the collection. I’ll show you.”
The women chose their books, and Flor introduced Millie to the online point of service system to help them check out. Millie glanced at the stack of books Doris had chosen. She was sure, based on the titles alone, that if she looked in the contents she might never fall asleep again. Doris on the other hand clutched her newly checked out stack with the glee of a kindergartner with a cookie. As Millie checked out Lorna’s choices, she felt Doris watching her. She looked up.
“You’ll do fine, my dear,” Doris said. Then she added, “Just remember you can’t tell someone’s reading preferences by looking at them. Like I never would’ve guessed you’d be the type to punch somebody in the nose.”
Millie’s jaw dropped again, and she didn’t bother closing it this time. It was one thing that Flor knew about her altercation, but had she told the whole town? The question must’ve shown on Millie’s face. Flor answered it before she even had to say anything.
“I didn’t tell everybody.” Flor said, and a little redness crept into her face. “But I may have chatted you up a little. Like I said, don’t go punching anyone on the clock or at the library, but what you did was kind of cool.”
“C-cool,” Millie stammered. It was the first time she ever heard anyone talk about it that way. Maybe things were looking up for this new job, this new place, this new life that she launched herself into.
They had more patrons, then at mid-morning the traffic died down to nothing. Flor stretched her arms and yawned. Millie picked up her travel mug of terrible coffee, opened the lid, and sniffed tentatively. Was it worth it?
“Let’s close for a moment and go grab a coffee across the street,” said Flor. “I could sure use some caffeine, and you don’t seem to be enjoying your coffee very much.”
Millie chuckled. “My cousin made it,” she said with a sigh. “It was nice of him. He means well, but I don’t think he’d made a coffee a day in his life before I arrived.”
“Well,” Flor clapped her hands. “You’ll just have to teach him how. For now, let’s head over there and get some in to-go cups.”
They left the bookmobile, locking the doors and turning the sign on the pavement from OPEN to BE RIGHT BACK. Then they trotted across the street and up the steps into The Ridge Road Hotel and Café.
“If we’re lucky, the hiking club board meeting might be finishing up and you can meet Martin,” said Flor, opening the door to the café.
They stepped inside. The café area was bustling. It held perhaps a dozen wicker tables with chairs around each one and all of them filled. This was clearly the place to be and to be seen in Winding Creek. Millie was glad they were getting their coffees to go.
Flor approached the register. She ordered a large Americano, then turned to Millie. “What would you like? My treat.”
Millie ordered a latte. While the waitress rung Flor up, Flor leaned in so as to be heard over the ambient noise and asked, “Chloe, do you know if the Wild Wanderers meeting is still happening out back?”
“Meeting?” asked Chloe with a smirk. Then a sigh. “Fighting, you mean. I don’t know why they let Frank stay in that club. This is the second board meeting he’s derailed. This time it’s about the cell tower issue. I’m guessing you wanted to see Martin.”
Flor nodded.
Chloe sighed a
gain. “They are all out on the deck and Martin with them if you dare to go out there.”
“Not this time,” said Flor in a knowing voice. “I’ll introduce Millie another day.”
They chatted and Flor made Millie’s introduction to Chloe as she prepared their coffee. Millie took a restroom break, and when she returned the coffees were done. Chloe waved them cheerily out the door as they headed to get back to work, now caffeine-fueled.
On the veranda, Flor stopped and placed a hand on Millie’s shoulder. “That’s weird,” she said. There was something in Flor’s tone that chilled Millie on the warm summer morning.
“What is it?” asked Millie.
“The door.” Flor pointed. The door to the bookmobile was indeed ajar.
“But you locked it,” said Millie. “I saw you.”
Flor nodded. Silently, she descended the steps and crossed the street to the van. Millie trailed after her. Her heart began to hammer in her chest. Locked doors didn’t just come open like that.
They reached the metal ramp leading to the door. Flor seemed to come to herself. “You better stay here,” Flor said. “I’ll have a peek inside.” Millie held Flor’s coffee for her.
Flor opened the door slowly and slipped inside. “Hello?” Then came a cry. “Martin!”
Millie leapt into action, running up the ramp and into the van. The bookmobile was cramped, but Millie could still see the scene. A man in his late seventies or early eighties lay sprawled on the floor facing the door, eyes closed. A walking stick lay on one side. In his opposite hand was an open book. Flor knelt beside him and screamed as she touched him.
She turned to Millie. “We better get out,” she said, her voice breaking. “We’ve got to lock the door.”
Millie hurried to obey. Flor followed outside a step later, shaking as she locked the door behind her. Then she sat, planting herself as a physical barrier for anyone wishing to enter the bookmobile. She took a few deep breaths.
“Millie, I’d better stay here. You go to the café and ask for the phone to call 911. Tell them Martin’s—just tell them he’s unresponsive.”
Millie nodded and ran across the street, barely remembering to look both ways. The coffee sloshed stupidly in her hands. Flor didn’t have to say the word. Millie knew. Martin was dead.
5
Chapter 5
Millie placed the picture books carefully on the shelf and then went back to her cart for more. It was three days after she and Flor found Martin Day sprawled on the floor of the bookmobile, and she was helping Abby shelve books in the children’s department.
Just as Millie reached for a handful of books by authors beginning with the letter M, she heard a familiar voice behind her.
“There you are,” said Peter.
Millie straightened up and spun around. Peter was walking into the children’s section, a stack of art books in one arm. “I thought I’d say hi before I checked these out.” He held them up. “Jody wants me to study the masters so I can stick ‘em on people’s skin. How’s it going?”
Millie shrugged. “Pretty good.” She wasn’t sure if it was going good or not, to be honest. It was a pleasant enough job, except for her first day, what with finding a body and all. And now just as she was trying to get to know all her new coworkers, they were all in mourning for a man she’d never met. At least never met while he was alive. In truth it was going… awkward.
From the shelf behind her, Abby straightened up as well. “Is this your cousin?” she asked.
“Sure am,” said Peter. He stepped forward and shook Abby’s hand. “I’m Peter.”
“Abby,” she replied, with a little smile at the corner of her mouth. It was the first one Millie had seen on her face since she heard the news about Martin. Abby tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Millie looked from Abby to Peter. Did Abby think Peter was… cute? Millie was sure he was okay-looking, but it was not the sort of thing you notice about your cousin.
“Nice to meet you….” Peter trailed off, his face reddening. Well, well. Maybe Peter thought Abby was cute too. Peter found his voice at last. “Any more news about what happened with the guy that died?”
Abby’s smile fell. “They think it’s a heart attack, at least as far as we know.” She looked to Millie.
“That’s what they said at the scene, anyway.” Millie shuddered at the memory. It had been a heck of a way to start her first workday. They’d had to sit outside a long time waiting while the ambulance—and later the police—arrived. Then they’d had to wait a long time (cheered by the tea Chloe brought them) while everything got cleared away. While Martin got cleared away. There were no official announcements. Neither Flor nor Millie were any relation to Martin, so why should anyone tell them anything? However, Flor and Millie were in hearing distance as the paramedics did their thing. They could hear the words myocardial infarction multiple times. It made sense. Martin was getting up there in age. And as for the mystery of the door: Martin let himself in with his own key, found on his keyring on the floor of the bookmobile. Retirees were supposed to return all keys belonging to the library. He must’ve had a copy made even though all keys were stamped with the words DO NOT COPY. Now the library system was busy changing the locks on all kinds of places Martin had once had access to, to be sure there weren’t any extras floating around out there.
But all of that stress paled in comparison to what Martin’s grandson must have been feeling. He’d been in the Wild Wanderers meeting at the time, and he rushed out when Millie called 911. It was obvious at once that Martin was gone. Sam, the poor grandson, had hung around, sitting silently on the curb unless asked a question by the medical personnel or the police, during the whole ordeal.
Peter’s voice brought Millie back to reality. “It just seems so weird.” He shook his head. “Even though heart attacks aren’t really out of the ordinary.”
Abby moved forward and spoke in a whisper even though no patrons were around. “It does feel weird. And Flor, our boss, is worried. She doesn’t want to say so, but I can tell she thinks something is wrong. She’s worried about the book, though I’m sure it’s a coincidence.” She bit her lip like she was trying to convince herself, too.
That book, the one Martin had been holding, it had to be no big deal. It was a book that was perfectly natural that he would pick up: Eating Wild in Virginia by Pauline Coombs. Pauline, as Millie had later learned, was the president of The Wild Wanderers. She was actually due to give a talk at the library about foraging for wild plants that weekend. Millie figured they must have been talking about that very event at the meeting, and Martin decided to look something up in the book that he knew would be located in the bookmobile he saw right across the street. Why he needed to look it up in the book when the author was present right before him— that Millie wasn’t sure of.
Peter sighed. “I gotta head out. I’ve got a sphynx cat to tattoo.”
Millie felt her eyes widen. “You’re tattooing one of the cats?” she asked, a little too loudly. Abby gave her a slightly sharp look and Millie’s face grew warm.
“Oh, God no!” said Peter, also too loudly. “That would be animal cruelty. I’m tattooing a picture of a cat on a person. Somebody really loves their sphynx… and for some reason wants a picture of her dressed as a ballerina immortalized on their flesh. Anyway, see you around, Abby.” Peter gave a little half-smile and Abby reddened. He waved and headed to check out his books.
Millie and Abby finished unloading their carts and were just heading back towards the circulation desk to return them, when another visitor arrived.
“Oh, it’s you,” a woman called from the library entrance. Millie cringed. Apparently today was a day of shouting in the library. She squinted at the figure, a silhouette against the bright light streaming in from the glass doors. Even before the figure drew closer and she could see, Millie had a feeling the shout was meant for her.
The woman approached. It was Chloe, the server from The Ridge Road Hotel. Millie had been right.
>
Chloe hurried over, out of breath, her dark hair a little disheveled. “I’m glad I caught you. Is Flor here?”
Both Millie and Abby shook their heads. “It’s her day off. She needed one,” said Millie. “Can we help?”
“You can give her my number to call me when she gets back. I really need to tell—” Chloe stopped to run her hand through her hair. “Okay, let me tell you.” The words burst out of her. Again, too loud, too loud. “I gotta tell someone or I’ll explode.” She motioned for Millie and Abby to follow her away from the center of the room to a quiet corner where she spoke, blessedly, in a whisper. “The police don’t believe me, but I know Martin Day was murdered.”
6
Chapter 6
A few hours later, Millie sat in a comfy chair in the corner of The Witch’s Brew with Abby and Chloe. They had reached out to Flor to see if she wanted to come, but she was still feeling a little overwhelmed. Martin had been a friend, and finding him like that… Millie knew it was bad enough for her, a complete stranger. She couldn’t imagine what Flor was going through.
For a while, the three of them sat in silence, sipping their magically named drinks, for Abby—a fan of all things floral and earthy, the Triple Hops the Charm IPA. For Chloe it was the Sorcerer’s Milk Stout. For Millie, it was the Batty Blonde Ale.
At last Millie cleared her throat. She wasn’t sure what made her think it was her job to lead this conversation, but somehow she knew it was. “So, Chloe, what makes you think—you know—that Martin was—you know…”
Chloe took another sip of her stout before answering. “Now, the thing you have to know about Martin is that he was so kind.” She turned to Abby. “You know. You hiked with him and knew him from the library.” She took another long sip and turned back to Millie. “He really was a very dear person, but he had enemies. And one of them was Frank Fowler.”
The Body in the Bookmobile Page 3