The post was about a race. The photo showed several women as they fought for the last few feet of the race. The winner had her hands up in victory as she crossed just a few inches before the others.
The caption didn’t look stalkerish. Just a comment on how Tyra McAdams had won the women’s division. The name sounded familiar, so Rarity wrote it down, then went to look up the race winners here in Sedona. Tyra had won the women’s division in last weekend’s race too. And according to her post, she was still here in Sedona and was hiking with a local guide tomorrow. Rarity thought she knew which one.
She set her alarm for six then headed off to bed. She needed to talk to Tyra McAdams and see how she knew Marc. And why her brother would ask Marc to stop stalking her.
Maybe Rarity had just solved one of the mysteries.
As she lay in bed, trying to wind down, she used her phone to look the brother up on Facebook. Rufus also raced bikes. He wasn’t as good as his sister or what Marc had been, but he placed okay. It looked like he had sponsors too. She zoomed in on the picture of him and gasped.
He was the guy who Rarity had thought was a young dad at the booth. The one she’d scared away by asking how old his kids or the kids in his life were. She stared at the photo. So why had Rufus been in her shop, and why had talking to him made him react like that?
Rarity’s first thought was that he had a guilty conscience. He didn’t want anyone to know he’d been in the bookstore’s booth. Had he been checking out Marc’s book? Trying to see how it sold? Or had he been checking out Rarity or one of her staff?
Like Darby?
Chapter 13
The next morning, she texted Archer as soon as she got up.
Where are you meeting your customer and is her name Tyra McAdams?
She watched the little bubbles for a long time. Then the response came back.
How do you know that? I’m at the shop. She’s supposed to be here at seven. She’s not a killer, right?
Rarity smiled and then told him she’d be right there and not to leave before she got there. She didn’t answer the killer question. One, because she didn’t know the answer and it would make Archer a little nervous while he waited. It wasn’t bad to keep a man guessing. At least on some things.
When she pulled her Mini Cooper into one of the parking spots for the building, Tyra had just arrived. She smiled brightly when she saw Rarity get out of her car. “Oh, good, another hiker. My mom always worries when I go out alone with a guide. I guess she thinks I can’t defend myself.”
Rarity hurried over. “Sorry, Tyra, I’m not hiking with you.”
“I would hope not. Not in those shoes. You’d be dying in ten minutes, fifteen tops. So you know me; why do you look familiar?” Tyra leaned against her Jeep, watching Rarity.
“I’m Rarity Cole; I run the local bookstore. The Next Chapter? Maybe you came in for Marc’s signing?”
Tyra shook her head. “No, I tend to stay away from ex-husbands. Especially when they write books. I hate to think of the way I’m portrayed in the book. Do you know?”
“I haven’t read it, no. So you and Marc were married? Is that why your brother thinks he’s stalking you?”
Tyra started laughing. When she stopped, she wiped her eyes. “That’s a good one. But I can see you’re serious. Rufus and Marc never got along. We were only married for five years. Most of them, we were out on the road, racing. When we spent time together, we talked about racing. So then when he was hurt and decided to retire, we had nothing to talk about. Racing was the thing that brought us together and, in the end, the thing that drove us apart. We weren’t in love. We were convenient.”
A marriage of convenience in a nonliterary way. “So, Marc’s a good guy?”
“Marc’s the best. He’s devoted to his mother. He remembers birthdays and sends flowers on all the right occasions. He just wasn’t in love with me. We’re great friends, though.” Tyra waved as Archer came out of the building, keys in hand. “I thought you scared up another hiker.”
Archer walked over and kissed Rarity. “No, just my girlfriend. She’s trying to solve mysteries before she goes and watches movies all day. Besides, she’s in the wrong shoes.”
“I told her the same thing.” Tyra laughed and held her hand up for a high five, which Archer gave her. “Anyway, anything else I can tell you about Marc? Are you friends with that new girl he’s courting here?”
“I am, I mean, we’re all friends. And I’m her boss.” Now Rarity was stumbling over her words. She’d made assumptions about Marc and his ex-wife. Now she wasn’t sure what else she wanted to know. “Anyway, thanks for clearing up the thing about your brother and Marc.”
“No problem. Are we ready to slay this hike?” Tyra turned back to Archer, ready to start their adventure.
“Hey, one more thing. Does your brother have kids or know someone with kids that he’d be buying books for?” Rarity turned back from walking over to get into her car.
“Weird question, but no on both counts. He’s not even dating.” Tyra said as she locked her Jeep. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Back at the house, Rarity got ready for her day. Killer sat by the door, watching her. She’d already left him home alone once, and somehow the dog knew a second time was coming. She scooped him up into a hug then sat down on the couch. “Look, Aunt Sam and I have to go watch movies and they won’t let you in the theater. I know, it’s a crime.”
