Bound To Die: A Cozy Mystery (Strawberry Shores Mystery Book 1) Read online

  “What do you mean he makes you miserable?”

  “Don't get me wrong,” Jane said, backpedaling. She raised her hands to me, displaying the palms. “I mean, he's not abusive. But he's not always pleasant.” She smiled nervously. “What I mean to say is, sometimes you have to let the things Edward says roll off your back. Does that make sense?”

  “I guess so.”

  “Great. Like I said, I'm sorry about Ed. He's just getting older. He doesn't mean to be nasty.”

  I was okay with Jane, so for her sake, I said I forgave him. Secretly though, I wasn't convinced. On the bright side, the conversation was interrupted by the reappearance of Dennis.

  “That's quite the treasure trove,” he remarked. “Good find, Laura. There must be books in there at least 200 years old.”

  “The earliest date I could find was 1778,” I said. “But then again, I wasn't looking that hard, and it was dark.”

  “I agree with you though,” he continued. “This stuff can't stay down here. It has to go in a museum. Or the Atheneum.”

  “You'll have to convince the town,” I said.

  “I talked it over with Jason and Edward and the other trustees. We're going to have a town meeting tomorrow. For tonight, everyone head home. There's nothing more to do here.”

  “Yay!” I heard over my shoulder. “Cupcake time!”

  “Tomorrow we can worry about convincing the town,” Dennis said. He locked his eyes on mine. “But I think the real challenge is convincing one person.”

  With that, he winked at me, and we left the secret room behind for the evening.

  Chapter 7

  After the excitement of the day I slept well, save for a few nightmares brought on because I'd eaten too many of Emily's chocolate cupcakes, and by noon the next day everyone in Strawberry Shores knew about the secret room under the library. A bunch of kids had been spotted hanging around the secret room in the middle of the night, so Frank Caldwell had to stand guard to keep people out.

  The town meeting was at six that night, and everyone was there. I mean everyone.

  The town hall was abuzz until Mr. Shade took the stand. He stood at the podium, banged his gavel, and the meeting was underway. Emily, Alex and I sat smooshed in the center of the audience.

  “All right everyone, let's get this show on the road. We all know what this is about, yeah?”

  Hearing Mr. Shade talk, I could see where Alex got her sarcastic streak. As he summarized the events of the past twenty-four hours, it was almost like the town had placed a burden on him to be there leading the meeting. He didn't speak in a 'this is stupid' tone the way Alex usually did, but more of a 'we all know why we're here so let's get this done because we have better things to do' tone.

  “Yesterday after we settled on having a carnival for Strawberry Days, we all went over to the library, where one of the girls found a secret room. What was her name? Lauren? Lisa?”

  “Laura,” I called out. I waved to the crowd sheepishly.

  “Right, Laura. So Laura found a secret room under the library. Some of us want to block it off and leave it as is, some of us want to pack it all up and stick it in a museum, or donate it to the Atheneum.”

  Someone up front raised their hand. “What exactly is in there?”

  “Dennis and I went through the room this morning,” Mr. Shade said, facing the person who asked the question but addressing the audience at the same time. “Books, mostly. Stuff from the Revolutionary War. We haven't had a chance to really go through them because the bindings are falling apart, but some of them are dated the late 1700s.”

  “Why wouldn't we want to give something like that to a museum?” someone else asked.

  Before Mr. Shade had a chance to answer, Edward was on his feet. “Because those books are a part of our legacy! Why can't you people wrap your heads around this? It's not complicated. Would you remove a brick from the foundation of a house because it was old? No. In the same way, you wouldn't remove a piece of history just because it's old. The books stay where they are.”

  “Now hold on,” Dennis Arbour said. As he stood, he adjusted his tie. “We're not talking about removing a piece of history here, Edward. We're talking about preserving it.”

  “So am I,” Edward shot back. There was acid in his tone. “You move those books, you damage them. They fall apart. Leave them where they are and it's the same as leaving them under glass. Nobody reads them either way, but none of them get destroyed either.”

  “We'll hire professionals,” Dennis rebutted. “They'll take good care of the books, if that's what you're worried about.”

  Edward rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Okay, let me spell it out for you,” he said, looking up to address the town. “Because apparently you ignorant rubes can't wrap your heads around what I'm saying. The books are staying where they are. If any of you tries to move them, I'll withdraw funding from the library and from the school. The blasted books stay where they are, and that's final!”

  With that, Edward pushed his way to the center aisle and made his way to the doors. They slammed behind him, leaving the town in stunned silence.

  “He doesn't mean it,” rose a familiar voice. It was Jane. She stood up. “You've all seen Edward go off before. He's just under a lot of stress right now.”

  Dennis, who was still standing, cleared his throat. “You know we need that funding, Jane.”

  Jane nodded enthusiastically. “I'll talk to him! Look, just give it some time. He'll come around. Just...” Jane paused and massaged her temples. “Please. Don't pressure him. I'll never hear the end of it.”

  “We've been over this,” Dennis said. “If he's not treating you well—”

  “He treats me fine,” Jane said quickly. “Sometimes though, I feel like I'd be better off without him. Until that day comes though, that's how things work. If you put too much pressure on him, he'll be nasty when he gets home. Let me handle it, okay?”

  “So where does that leave us now?” someone up front yelled. “Are we moving the books or not?”

  “It's clear that we're at a standstill,” Mr. Shade said into the mic. “So here's what we're going to do. Strawberry Days is coming up in a few days. First we're going to get that out of the way. We're going to push all this business about the secret room out of our heads and we're going to enjoy ourselves. Who knows? Maybe the problem will solve itself. Then, if we still haven't made a decision after that, we'll handle it then. Any objections?”

  The hall was silent.

  Mr. Shade shrugged. “That settles it then. We'll settle this later. And until then, we're going to recommend that anyone found snooping around the secret room is to be arrested.”

  With the bang of the gavel, the meeting was dismissed. Jane was the first one out, rushing past the townsfolk as they exited their seats.

  Just because the official meeting was over, though, didn't mean people were done discussing. A few dozen groups popped up in front of the city hall, talking about the meeting. I stood with Alex and Emily.

  Everyone tried to ignore Jane and Edward around the corner of the town hall. Though their words were muffled, it was easy to tell they were arguing.

  “It almost makes me wish I'd never found the stupid room,” I said.

  “Aw, don't be like that, Laura!” Emily chirped. “You found something precious. People are arguing about how to handle the room because it's so special.”

  “Emily's right,” Alex added, pausing to give Emily a strange look. “For a change. This is the most exciting thing to happen in Strawberry Shores for years. I think mostly people are milking it for what it's worth. You know why my dad is stonewalling for next week? It's because he knows by next week, the novelty of the discovery is going to wear off, and nobody is going to care either way what happens to the books. He's smart like that.”

  “I guess you're right,” I started to say.

  “Hey guys!” I turned to see Susan standing beside us. “Listen, my car broke down. I
s there any way you guys could give me a ride back to my house so I don't have to walk?”

  I looked at Emily and Alex. Emily looked sad. Alex looked at me because she knew the answer, but figured I could phrase it better. “Sorry Susan,” I said. “It's game night at Alex's. Hey, maybe you want to join?”

  Susan shook her head. “No, it's good,” she said, smiling. “Thanks anyway guys!”

  I watched Susan walk away. Beyond her, Jane was storming off. Edward, frowning, leaned against the corner of the town hall. He lit a cigarette and looked off toward the tree line. A moment later Susan was talking to him. His frown deepened, but I could distinctly read the words on his lips. He said, “Fine.”

  I didn't think anything of it at the time.

  Chapter 8

  I showed up at the library at 8:30 the next morning. Miss Tisdell was waiting for me at the front door.

  “Hi, Miss Tisdell,” I said, as I got close to the main doors.

  “Hi, Laura,” she replied. Miss Tisdell was a much older woman on a smallish frame. She walked with a slight hunch, but she was surprisingly mobile for a woman her age. I suspected that on any given day, she could move from one side of Strawberry Shores to the other. She always wore a lot of makeup, and her hair was a tangled white bun sitting atop her head like bird's nests stacked one atop the other. Her lips were small and perpetually puckered with little wrinkles around them. I waited a moment, expecting her to announce the reason for her early arrival, but she patiently waited for me to unlock the doors and then stepped inside.

  I took my seat at the counter and started up the computers while Miss Tisdell disappeared into the stacks. Usually the first patrons didn't show up until about ten or so, and I usually savored my thirty minutes of alone time until Susan showed up at nine. Knowing Miss Tisdell was floating around the stacks gave the library a heavy feeling. I felt like she might be peering through the shelves at me.

  At 8:45 she approached the counter empty-handed. “So how are you, Laura?” she asked.

  “Good,” I replied. “How are you, Miss Tisdell?”

  “I'm quite well. Just looking for a book.”

  “Oh?” I moved the mouse so the computer would wake up. “If you tell me what you're looking for, maybe I can help you find it.”

  Miss Tisdell shook her head. “That's not necessary. I'm not quite sure what I'm looking for, you see. I'll know it when I find it.” Her eyes wandered to the empty seat beside me. “Say, isn't there usually someone else with you?”

  I furrowed my brow. “Susan?” It seemed strange to me that of all people, Miss Tisdell wouldn't know someone's name.

  “Right, Susan!”

  “She comes in at nine.”

  “Ah. I see. How are you getting along with Susan?” she asked.

  “Good. We're good friends.”

  “Good. Well, back to it.”

  Again she disappeared into the stacks, leaving me puzzled at the desk.

  I heard the front doors squeal open at nine. Expecting it to be Susan, I glanced over and saw it was Alex. There was no mistaking her. Today she was wearing a black and red plaid skirt with black high-heeled boots, with fishnet stockings and a fishnet top. Her lipstick was dark red. She waved as she crossed the foyer.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked as she neared.

  “I have the day off,” she said. “I thought I'd come visit you.”

  “Hm. I must be popular today.”

  Alex cocked her head. “What do you mean?”

  “Miss Tisdell is in here too.” I scanned the stacks. She was nowhere to be found. “Somewhere.”

  Alex followed my gaze. “Ew. Gross. She's probably trying to get the scoop on Susan.”

  “Susan? What about her?”

  “You haven't heard?”

  Before I could respond, the front door opened again. This time it was Susan, in a pair of blue jeans and a scarlet button-up. Her pace was hurried and as she approached the counter, she kept her eyes to the floor.

  “Hi Susan,” I offered. I glanced at the clock on the computer. It read 9:10. “Is everything okay? You're usually here at nine on the dot.”

  She ignored me and looked up at Alex. “Why are you always here? Don't you have anywhere else to be?”

  Alex did a double take. “Excuse me? Seeing as my dad is a trustee here, I'll be here when I want to be here.”

  “Right, pulling the 'my dad's a trustee’ card,” Susan muttered under her breath.

  I could see Alex pulling back and about to unleash a storm on Susan. I put up my hand to stop her. “Susan? Is everything all right?”

  She sat paralyzed for a minute, and then burst into tears. I waved Alex away. She retreated to the stacks.

  “What's going on?” I rubbed her shoulder. “What's happening?”

  “Everyone in this town is stupid,” she blurted out. “All they do is gossip. None of it's true.”

  “Why?” I pressed. “Why is everyone stupid? What do they gossip about?”

  Susan sniffled. “Me. And that filthy old Edward Brooks.”

  “What are they saying?”

  Susan pulled a tissue out of her purse and blew into it. “Okay,” she stammered. “You remember last night? I was looking for a ride home?”

  I nodded.

  “I asked Edward. He agreed. And that's what happened. I got in his car; he took me back to my house, and let me out. But everyone's saying he took me back to his house and we, you know...”

  I nodded again. “I know what you're saying.”

  “No, you don't!” She looked up at me, her puffy red eyes filled with fire. “Last year, Mr. and Mrs. Brooks got in a fight about the library. Mr. Brooks claimed he was seeing one of the girls that worked here. It wasn't true, of course. I think he was just trying to hurt Mrs. Brooks. But the rumor got out, and somehow I got pinned for it.”

  I'd heard the rumors, but only bits and pieces. My heart went out to Susan. I felt bad for the joke I'd made about 'older gentlemen' a few days before.

  “It's not true, Susan. People will figure out how stupid they sound and move on. They always do.” I leaned over to Susan and wrapped my arms around her. “This'll pass.”

  “It never would have happened if it hadn't been for that jerk Edward,” she said, her voice muffled by my shoulder. “I wish I'd never asked him for a ride last night. No,” she said as she pulled away and looked at me in the eyes. “You know what? I wish he was dead. This town would be a lot better off without him.”

  I shook my head. “You don't mean that, Susan.”

  She wiped her face. “No, I do. D-E-A-D. I wish he was dead.”

  Chapter 9

  Susan and I spent most of the day in silence. I handled most of the checkouts. Usually if Susan withdrew and started offloading the workload onto me, I antagonized her, but today she was upset so I let it slide.

  By 3:00 people were starting to flow in for the Strawberry Days Planning meeting. Susan seemed to be cheering up so when Emily arrived, I asked if she minded watching the desk while I sat in on the meeting. Susan smiled and said it was okay.

  “This is going to be so exciting!” Emily exclaimed as we made our way to the back corner, where the meeting would take place.

  “What was last year's Strawberry Days like?”

  Emily puckered her lips and angled them way to the side, her eyes looking up and to the right. Even I had to admit it was adorable when she was thinking with this expression. “Umm...we went down to the shore! That's right. Everyone in town set up tents along the shoreline. Some people sold crafts, and some people sold treats like cookies. I sold cupcakes. There were bonfires, too, and we stayed up until around midnight making s'mores. A lot of people stayed out later but I had to go home, because it was a Saturday night and I had to go to church in the morning.”

  “So it's a big deal?”

  Emily nodded emphatically. “Super big deal. This is the time of year when we celebrate the town's birthday!”

  We took a position relatively
out of sight, near the P through Z Fiction stacks. “What are you going to suggest the town does this year?” I whispered to her.

  Emily shook her head. “Oh, I'm not here to make suggestions. I let the older people make the decisions. I just want to know what they decide on, so I know what to prepare for.”

  “You mean, you want to know what kind of cupcakes to make?”

  Emily giggled. “Yeah, I guess you're right.”

  Mr. Shade took the front of the room. It was strange to see him out of his suit. Come to think of it, I don't think I'd ever seen him in a t-shirt and khaki pants. “All right everyone, settle down. Let's get down to business.”

  Over the course of the next hour, it was decided: the Strawberry Days festival would be a carnival theme and it would happen the following Saturday in the library parking lot. People were welcome to bring treats. There would be grills—hot dogs, burgers, tofu dogs and vegetarian burgers. The fire department would have a truck on-hand just in case. Sheriff Caldwell would be there too, to keep the peace.

  About fifty minutes in, Mr. Shade started to lose control of the conversation—the town had established the important things. Mr. Shade wasn't trying very hard to keep the conversation on track at this point and the conversation devolved to gossip.

  I was starting to lose focus on the conversation when I heard a familiar voice behind us. “Hey ladies.”

  “Hi, Harold,” Emily said.

  I whipped around. “Hi, Harold.” I gave him a broad smile.

  He put his finger to his lips. “Shh, I don't want to interrupt,” he whispered. “What are they talking about?”

  “Oh, it's okay. You missed the stuff about the carnival. Now they're talking about…” I paused to listen for a moment. “It sounds like they're talking about Miss Tisdell's terrier barking at three in the morning.”

  “Now how is that not important?” he asked with a grin.

  “This year's Strawberry Days,” Emily said, “is going to be carnival-themed. They're going to have it right here in the library parking lot. I'm thinking of bringing cupcakes with hearts on them. What are you going to bring, Harold?”