Uncle Troy started to get into his car. “I’m thinking that telling you to stay out of this investigation is useless, but this isn’t finding lost dogs. Someone could get hurt. Be careful, and don’t do anything stupid.”
She watched him leave and waved when he turned back to look at her. She’d been given a message. Stay out of his investigation.
Meg had never taken orders well.
She went inside the gate and let Watson off his leash. Then she went inside to have lunch with her mom and aunt. Maybe they’d know more about the murder.
* * *
Meg had been busy with customers since she’d arrived. Her mom had a woman, Glory, who worked only Sunday mornings. She didn’t want a lot of hours, just enough to keep her employee discount on books. Meg assumed with the number of books she bought each week that she was buying more than her check even covered.
Glory had finished with the customer at the counter. Then, after hugging Watson, she took off. “Got to grab the next ferry to Seattle. I bought a subscription to the shows at the Paramount Theatre. See you next week.”
Meg watched the older woman hurry out of the door as Dalton held it open for her. They exchanged a few words, and then he came into the shop. “Hey, I’m on my lunch break. How did the chat with Cissy go?”
Meg groaned. “I knew I was forgetting something. My mom dragged me to lunch after church, where Uncle Troy Jedi Mind–tricked me into telling him about what I’d heard Meade say. Then I came here. Is she working tomorrow?”
“Hold on. Let me text her.” He pulled out his phone and typed in a message while Meg helped a customer. When he came back, he shook his head. “You’re not going to like this, but she’s gone after five for a week. She’s going to Florida to visit family.”
“Who goes to Florida in June?” Meg glanced around the shop. “Maybe you could watch the bookstore and—”
“Sorry. I’ve got to get back to work. I’m catching this ferry back to Seattle.” He tapped his hand on the counter. “I’ve got Tuesday and Wednesday off this week. Do you want to do something on Tuesday night?”
“Sure. I guess I’ll see you then.” She waved as he headed out the door.
A customer came up and put two books on the counter. “I’ll take these. Your boyfriend looks like one of the heroes in my favorite fantasy romance. Tell me he likes to LARP.”
“LARP? What’s that?” Meg rang up the books.
The young woman handed over her credit card. “Live-action role-play. There’s a guild in Snohomish that meets at the Renaissance Faire site.”
“Not that I know of.” Meg handed her the bag and her receipt and her card. “But he’s not my boyfriend.”
“Oh, I thought I sensed a vibe there. Maybe you two haven’t found the spark yet. Friends to lovers is my favorite trope—”
Another customer came up and interrupted them. “Do you have the new Jack Reacher book? I know his brother took over the writing, but I can’t remember his name.”
“I’ll be right there.” Meg turned back to the woman, but she’d already left the store. She walked around the counter and met the man near the new-in-fiction shelves. “The new author is Andrew Child, so the books are still shelved in the same place.”
By the time she closed at eight, she’d had plenty of time to kick herself for not going to talk to the ferry ticket girl. And to think about Dalton. They’d become friends when Meg was in middle school and they’d formed the sleuthing club. But was there something more?
She locked the store and, with Watson leading the way, headed home. She had a couple of advanced reader copies of new novels in her tote and plenty of time to read. Unless Lilly started giving her more complex assignments.
A job is a job, she thought, then she added,Be grateful for what you have.If her uncle had his way, there’d be no assignments at all, because Lilly would be in jail.
CHAPTER8
Strike when the iron is hot—or interview your suspects early, since people’s memories fade with time.
Monday morning, Meg was still kicking herself for missing out on talking to Cissy. So after she’d finished up Lilly’s assignment, she texted Jolene. The text back told her to bring it by tomorrow morning and she’d get another assignment. Then a second text said,Thank you.
Jolene wasn’t the most personable in face-to-face conversations. Her texts were even more blunt. And Mom thought Meg was direct.
Meg wrote a note on her new weekly calendar that she’d ordered online last week. She could see her entire week at a glance and had room for a running to-do list. She added her bookstore work schedule, and on Tuesday, she added,Drop off Aster’s work. Then she wrote,Meet up with Dalton, at the bottom of the Tuesday square. It wasn’t a date. She wroteMomwith a question mark on Sunday’s morning square.
Feeling guilty, she added,Call Dad,to her to-do list. Making time to see her parents was important, even if Dad wasn’t home anymore. And as a bonus, if she called, she didn’t have to see Elaine.
She looked at the date. If Romain had kept to their honeymoon schedule, he and Rachel would be back next Friday. He’d probably call as soon as he visited the apartment to get his things. “Why are these presents still here? Why didn’tyoutake care of them?” She mimicked his mad voice.
