Borrowed Time

by Elizabeth Spann Craig

  “Not a problem. Like I said, you never know when there might be a connection.”

  He hung up and I stuck my phone on the shelf behind the circulation desk and headed off to finally take the Fitz’s Picks photos.

  Fitz was, as usual, very cooperative as a cat model when I set him up with the books. I did get one of his cat toys out of the closet at one point, though, when he started looking drowsy. Although reading sometimes made me sleepy too, I was trying to promote these books as exciting, not soporific. Soon his eyes were huge and his tail was twitching and he was thoroughly engaged with the toy. The trick was to wiggle the cat toy, keep the toy out of view of the camera, and take a picture all at the same time.

  By the time I’d finished, I glanced up at the clock. Then I narrowed my eyes and looked again. Was it really past nine?

  I took a quick stroll around the library to make sure there were no patrons who’d also lost track of time. I grabbed the cat carrier from the breakroom and walked toward the front desk. I realized I hadn’t had my phone on me for the last hour or more, so connected with the device again, retrieving it from behind the circulation desk and checked for messages.

  Luna had left one and I frowned as I read it. In typical Luna style, it was something of a stream of consciousness. There were some random comments about Wilson’s and Mona’s interactions at the library today and then she stated: by the way, I asked my mom and I was wrong. It wasn’t Felicity and Scott who were close when their friend died. It was Grace and Scott.

  Grace had been near when her friend drowned. But did it really matter, in the case of a tragic accident? It simply meant she’d probably been eager to get away from Whitby and leave all the sadness behind her—and she had. And quickly become involved with what appeared to have been a very wealthy man with perhaps a fairly limited view on ethical investments.

  Then I remembered something else. Scott and Grace’s conversation on the boat when I’d been waking up from my nap. Scott knew something then—something about Grace. It could have been how Grace’s husband made his money. After all, that fact could be really damaging to her locally. But what if it was something different? What if Grace had somehow been culpable in the drowning at the lake when she’d been in high school?

  Which was when the library doors opened and Grace rushed in. I tried to maintain a calm, friendly smile while a cold shiver was making its way up my spine. “Hi, Grace.”

  Chapter Twenty

  A car door slammed in the parking lot outside and Grace paled and turned her head. “Can we lock these doors?” she hissed at me. “He followed me here.”

  I didn’t know why Grace was scared and why she wanted to be locked in with me. But after seeing the look on her face, I hastily moved toward the door—whether to lock it or to run out, I wasn’t sure. But before I could get there, the doors opened and Kyle bolted through them.

  Grace looked frozen and I’m sure I did, too. Because Kyle was carrying a gun.

  “Now you’ve endangered Ann,” snarled Kyle to Grace. “All you ever think about is yourself.”

  Grace gave me an apologetic wince. “Sorry. I saw you were still here and Kyle was following me.”

  My mind was whirling.

  “How did you know?” she asked Kyle, her voice flat.

  “I didn’t. Not for a while.” He gave a short laugh. “Scott even told me and I didn’t believe him.”

  I wasn’t sure how to get out of this, but I felt if I could buy myself some time, I might have a better shot at it. I worked hard to steady my voice and said, “You’re talking about your girlfriend’s death.”

  Kyle looked at me. “You know about it too?”

  I shook my head. “Not really. Just the basics.” But I was starting to get a much clearer picture suddenly.

  I cleared my throat. “Grace was present when your girlfriend died.”

  “Amber,” said Kyle in a flat voice.

  I tried to keep my voice even. “When Amber drowned. You and the others were somewhere out on the lake, but Scott and Grace stayed behind with your girlfriend. Everyone thought it was an accident.”

  “The police called it an accident,” said Grace in a husky, frightened voice.

  “It wasn’t. It wasn’t her time to go. You could have saved her.” Kyle’s face was blotchy with anger.

  A mulish expression crossed Grace’s features. “No. No, I couldn’t have.”

  “Scott said you could have,” said Kyle.

  Grace gave a scoffing laugh. “You mean right before you killed him? I guess he would have said anything.”

  While they were focused on each other, I stepped just slightly back away from them.

  Kyle said, “That’s what I thought at the time. Then I discovered something that made me realize he was telling the truth all along.”

  Grace stared wordlessly at him.

  Kyle continued, “When I was helping Scott’s family clear out his things, they told me they’d found out some things about him. They weren’t sure how to process it.” He stared coldly at Grace. “If you couldn’t have helped Amber, why were you paying him money every month?”

  Grace looked confused, but I could tell she knew exactly what Kyle was talking about. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “You were paying him money to stay quiet about letting Amber drown.”

  Grace said quickly, “I was paying him money to help him with his finances. He was having money troubles.”

  Kyle shook his head, stony faced.

  Grace took a deep breath. “You’re right, Kyle. Scott was blackmailing me. But only in the last year, when he went broke. And that’s the same kind of arrangement we can have, you and I. I understand you need money, too. And I have it to give.”

  The red splotches on Kyle’s face grew even more pronounced and again I slipped backwards a bit.

  He seethed. “You think that’s what I care about? Money? I care about justice. I care about what happened to Amber.”

  Grace lifted a shaky hand. “And I totally get that, Kyle. Look, you and I have known each other for years. Even though I know you cared about Amber, money doesn’t hurt.” She gave a hoarse chuckle. “Believe me, I found that out. It may not bring happiness, but it sure can make life easier.”

  Kyle was looking uncertain now and Grace went on: “Killing me isn’t going to bring Amber back. And turning down money won’t, either.” Kyle shook his head angrily and a look of impatience flashed across Grace’s face. “Don’t act as though you’re too ethical to take money. You killed Scott. And he was your best friend.”

  “Until he stopped acting like one.”

  There was a long pause and I tried to keep the conversation going. I cleared my throat. “The final straw must have been Felicity.”

  “There were lots of final straws.” Lines of exhaustion were etched into Kyle’s face.

  Grace made a restless movement and Kyle trained the gun on her until she stilled again.

  “How did you find out what happened to Amber?” Grace’s expression was somber.

  “Scott told me.” Kyle saw Grace’s look of surprise and shrugged. “He was totally wasted by then and running his mouth. I complained about him chasing Felicity. He said in this really cocky voice that maybe she was chasing him.” He noted our disbelieving looks and said bitterly, “Yeah, that’s what I said, too. Felicity didn’t want anything to do with Scott and I told him that. But then he said my high school girlfriend had been chasing him, too.”

  I could just imagine Kyle’s fury at that.

  “What’s more,” added Kyle coolly, “Scott claimed that’s why you let Amber drown, Grace.”

  Grace stared at him.

  “That’s right—because of petty jealousy. Amber was flirting with Scott while I was out on the lake with everyone else. And when she went swimming and started struggling, you just watched her drown.” Kyle’s eyes blazed.

  Grace kept her voice carefully even. “Kyle, let’s talk about this. You can name a price. I know your mo
ther could probably use a hand financially, too. We can make this work out.”

  Kyle gestured at me. “But Ann knows about it. Which is all your fault. And I liked her—you’ve made things even worse by deciding to come here when you saw I was following you. You should have just gone home, Grace.”

  I felt a chill go up my spine at hearing myself referred to in the past tense.

  “She already knew before I came here,” protested Grace. They both turned to me. “Didn’t you? I had a phone call a little while ago from someone on the library board.” She gave me a tight smile.

  I shifted on my feet. “Oh?”

  “I have a couple of friends who serve on the board. Apparently this one received a phone call from your director here that the board needed to meet to discuss my gift to the library. That you had some information that the board needed to hear.” The tight smile was totally gone now.

  That was Wilson for you. Sounded like he’d thrown me under the bus in the process.

  Grace continued. “My friend said that Wilson made it sound as if he didn’t entirely know what the issue might be, but that you were to explain it to the board when they met.”

  A point he hadn’t shared with me.

  I said carefully, “Wilson didn’t tell me that was the case. I did raise some concerns with Wilson and he felt it would be best under the circumstances if the board were convened to discuss your donation. “I just know Wilson and he likes to steer clear of controversy at all costs. Especially when it involves the reputation of the library. Once I realized the source of your husband’s income, I knew I needed to let Wilson know, in case that made him think differently about the donation.”

  “What was there to discuss? I gave money to the library. Wilson gave every indication of being totally delighted with it. In fact, he was falling all over himself to not only accept the gift, but to have you and Luna go out to lunch with me at every opportunity, probably hoping you could procure even more. And that was your concern. The source of the income.” Grace’s voice was flat.

  “That was it.”

  “Right.” Grace looked at Kyle. “She’s not telling the truth . . . I know it was more than just my husband’s income.” She turned back to me. “I had the feeling you weren’t asleep on the boat. Scott was stupid to say anything with other people around. Or reckless. Or maybe he just didn’t care, I don’t know. But the first rule of blackmailing is to keep the secret, right? I mean, unless the victim doesn’t pay up.” Her eyes were hard as she turned to Kyle. “Like I said: just get rid of her and then you and I can come up with an arrangement.”

  Kyle hesitated and then found some resolve and lifted his gun, pointing it at me.

  Grace lunged for the cat carrier and swung it at Kyle hard. The gun flew out of his hand and he went down and Grace turned to reach for the weapon.

  Which was when a voice that was usually very soft said harshly: “Stop!” This command was accompanied by frantic barks.

  Grace whirled to see who it was and to also see what was causing the chorus of deep-throated barking. I didn’t care who or what my savior was, instead taking the opportunity to grab a nearby library cart full of books to be shelved. I rammed it at Grace as hard as I could. Then I picked up Kyle’s gun, and with my other hand dialed Burton’s number.

  Then I looked up to see who’d gotten me out of my jam. Although by now, I’d already figured it out.

  Sure enough, there was Linus and Ivy, standing threateningly over Grace. Well, Linus was looking as threatening as it was possible for mild-mannered Linus to look, and Ivy, who’d picked up on the fact her new owner was quite upset, was definitely looking threatening.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  I breathlessly gave Burton the lowdown and hung up. After a moment’s hesitation, I called Wilson, too. He listened intently and curtly said, “On my way,” before I’d even had the chance to finish what I was saying.

  I grinned shakily at Linus and said, “I’m so grateful that you’re here that I won’t even ask what you’re doing here.”

  Linus, looking a little shaky himself, gave me a small smile. “I thought I’d just walk by with Ivy while I was taking her on her last walk of the day. I knew no one would be here, but the library is my favorite place. I saw lights and could see you inside, and there were cars out in the parking lot that I didn’t recognize. I thought maybe you were having trouble with one or more of the patrons.”

  We looked at Grace and Kyle, who were both still fuming silently on the floor.

  “In a manner of speaking,” I said.

  Burton jogged into the library, looking at Ivy with surprise and then looking at Grace and Kyle and shaking his head.

  “I want a lawyer,” said Grace immediately.

  “And you shall have one,” said Burton, his voice dripping with courtesy. “I would say that’s an excellent idea, considering the sort of trouble you’re currently facing. I’m going to read you both your rights and put some cuffs on you. Considering the fact you’ve both apparently been unpredictable tonight.” Burton glanced over at the cat carrier and at the books scattered from the shelving cart. He carefully read Grace and Kyle their Miranda rights and handcuffed them as Ivy the dog watched with great interest.

  Wilson burst in and I blinked, having never seen him without his omnipresent coat and tie. He instead wore what was apparently his version of casual wear: old, baggy khaki pants and an untucked button-down shirt.

  He stared at the scene in front of him, which must have resembled something out of his worst nightmare. There was a large dog in his library. There was a library donor in handcuffs. A frequent patron of the library was slumped on the floor. And his research librarian appeared to have narrowly escaped some sort of catastrophe involving either a cat carrier or a book cart.

  He chose to focus on the donor, giving her a disapproving and disappointed look. “I hope you know we won’t be able to accept your gift to the library. Under the circumstances.” He glanced around again at the chaos, as if not fully understanding what the said circumstances actually were, but knowing they couldn’t be good.

  Burton glanced over at me. “Ann, why don’t you fill us in a little.”

  I looked over at Grace. “You were right. When we were on the boat, I wasn’t asleep. I was awake and heard part of your conversation with Scott.”

  “That idiot,” she muttered.

  “I didn’t really think anything much about it until today. After all, the conversation could have been about almost anything. Then, today, I wondered if maybe it had to do with the source of your husband’s income.”

  Grace gave a short laugh. “Do you think anybody really cares about that? Money talks.”

  Wilson’s brows knit together. He said irritably, “They do care about it.”

  I continued. “People are sensitive to it. That pharmaceutical company completely misrepresented the abuse potential for the drug and contributed to the epidemic. But you weren’t one who cared about that. What you cared about was something that happened long ago . . . and here locally. Something that could really tarnish your image in Whitby and make it impossible for you to be able to stick around.”

  Linus and Wilson looked very curious. Burton looked as if he had a good idea what it might be about. Grace was practically snarling at me. Ivy was definitely snarling at Grace.

  I added, for the benefit of Linus and Wilson, “There was a tragedy that happened when Grace and the others from the party were in high school. At least, it was definitely treated by the town as a tragedy. The police department at the time had their own questions, but there was no proof that any member of the group had anything to do with the young girl’s drowning. However, Amber was apparently found not far from the lake’s shoreline, raising questions about whether someone could have potentially helped rescue her.”

  “And Grace was responsible for that drowning?” Wilson’s face was horrified. I’m sure he was imagining Grace’s name on the community room and what a lucky escape he’d had.
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br />   “Apparently, she was indirectly responsible,” I turned to Grace. “Maybe you could fill us in.”

  Grace shrugged. Apparently, a desire to defend herself was winning out over her earlier request for a lawyer. “I did not go out into the lake and hold Amber underwater.”

  Burton said, “But you didn’t help her, either, did you?”

  Grace shot him a look. “She might have drowned me out of desperation. People who are drowning do that.”

  Kyle swore under his breath and his eyes glared daggers at Grace.

  “And you didn’t get any help,” said Burton. “It would have been hard for a single struggling swimmer to pull down two friends.”

  Grace said, “I was frozen. I couldn’t believe what was happening.” She glanced over at Kyle, who was still staring furiously at her. “Everyone else was gone, canoeing on the lake. And Scott took off to use the park’s restroom, although really he was trying to get away from the yellow jackets that were buzzing around us because of our soft drinks.”

  Burton said, “You know, the funny thing about this is that the police reports say there was lifesaving equipment there on the shore. It was a public beach on the lake.”

  Grace raised her eyebrows archly. “Life saving equipment? If you mean those foam noodles or preservers, then yeah. I guess so.”

  I said, “Apparently, Scott didn’t seem to see things the same way you do.”

  “So here’s the thing with Scott,” said Grace in a suddenly chatty tone as she leveled her gaze at me. “Once he saw how successful I’d become, and once his own fortunes changed, he decided he had a problem with what happened.”

  “Success by scurrilous means,” muttered Wilson gloomily.

  Grace ignored him. “He thought I should have done something, but he didn’t tell the police or anybody else. I was just as upset as anybody that Amber was dead. She was our friend. It scarred us all, believe me. And he wanted to dredge it all back up again.” She gave a dry laugh and Ivy barked at her.