“Sorry, I’m not taking it back.” She stood and backed away from Drew’s outstretched hand. “Tag, you’re it.”
“And you’re a nut, thank you. I’ll send you the review as soon as I’m done.” He held it up as he exited the store, his version of a wave.
She kept going back to Darby. The Talia theory was strong. One, they looked alike, and two, Darby had stopped getting threats. So why would someone try to break into Darby’s house? They must have followed her there. But why would Talia have a house in Sedona? She was only here for the film festival. She had a lovely California home that Rarity had seen on Facebook. So if this stalker was smart, they’d be looking for Talia in one of the upscale hotels.
Shirley had come in for her shift and was reviewing the children’s shelves. The good thing about hiring smart people was that they took responsibility for their assigned areas. The Mommy and Me class kept Shirley looking for trends in picture books and elementary chapter books. Katie handled the middle school and high school or young adult book ordering. She needed to ask Darby what section she wanted to take over. She had such wide interests, like traveling, the Scotland section, and real estate.
Something was niggling at Rarity’s brain as she thought about the Talia and Darby connection. The house.
She went to the local short-term rental site and searched for houses with a pool and eight bedrooms. She thought Darby’s castle had at least eight. There were a lot of houses in Sedona that had pools, but eight bedrooms? That was different.
She came across three, including Darby’s castle, but a note on the top said Currently Not Available.
Darby had rented the house out when she was in Scotland. That was why the stalker had thought it could be Talia.
One mystery down. Or one part of one mystery. She wrote the information down in her murder book and then went back to ordering books. She needed to restock before the next festival.
Now, she just needed to find out who had been stalking Talia and why.
Chapter 16
Archer was running late, again. He texted that he and his group were on their way back and he would meet her at the theater.
Save me a seat.
Rarity hadn’t eaten since the soup she’d warmed up for lunch, so she headed to Carole’s Diner for a quick dinner before the films started. Standing at the hostess stand, she saw Talia sitting scrolling on her phone. She took a chance and headed over to her table. “Are you expecting someone or like me, eating alone?”
“Just me. Bret went back to LA. He has an audition tomorrow, so he needed to go back early. He wasn’t even supposed to be here, but then he showed up and surprised me. Come eat with me. I ordered a drink, but nothing else yet. Are you going to the showings tonight?”
“I am. I’m meeting my boyfriend there. He runs a hiking company and was late coming back from a hike. I thought I’d grab dinner first. I’d love to join you if you’re sure.”
Talia pointed to the chair. “I’d love to have someone to chat with. So, tell me about running a bookstore in a small tourist town. Is it even profitable?”
“Surprisingly, yes.” Rarity told her about moving out of St. Louis after the cancer and starting over here in Sedona where her best friend lived. “It’s been the best thing I’ve ever done. My prior relationship, well, he was all about him and his image. So when I didn’t fit his idea of what a girlfriend—fiancée actually—should look like, he dumped me.”
“What a butt. But men are like that. Especially if they’re in the movie business. Mason and I werethepower couple. At least I thought so. Together, we built our careers. Not to the top, but at least we made a goodliving in a high-priced area like Los Angeles. Then, he decided we were done.” Talia snapped her fingers. “He made me what he called ‘financially whole’ again, introduced me to a real estate agent who had what I could afford with Mason’s severance pay, I guess you’d call it. Then the next thing I knew, I was living alone and single again. At forty. I know, my website says thirty-five, but no one hires a woman after forty. It’s rough out there.”
“I’m beginning to feel grateful that I was in my early thirties when Kevin dumped me.” Rarity gave her order to the waitress and then waited for Talia to order. “So now you have a new focus, a new man, and a new house. What’s next on your horizon?”
“I like your thinking, girlfriend.” Talia sipped her wine. “I love acting, but like I said, the jobs aren’t there. I’m comfortable. I could live without another contract for years. But I want to do something more. Maybe find love again.”
“So, Bret?” Rarity sipped her water.
Talia shrugged. “He’s a nice man. He’s just not Mason. Don’t get me wrong, the man had his faults, but you can’t help who you love, right? Anyway, I don’t want to be the more financially stable person in the relationship. It’s nice to be taken care of once in a while, am I right?”
“I don’t know. I like where I am with my new guy. I have my own house, my own business, and I’m happy where I am. I’ve never been taken care of, I guess.” Rarity leaned back as the waitress set a large Cobb salad in front of her. Talia had the lunch-sized version with the dressing on the side. Even with just eating a salad, Rarity thought she looked like a glutton, at least next to Talia. She decided to change the subject. “Is this your first time in Sedona?”
Talia dipped her fork into the salad dressing then took a bite of mostly lettuce. “No, I was here last year. Bret and I rented a lovely house here in town that looks like a castle. Thank goodness for home rentals, right? I hate trying to live out of a hotel, but I wasn’t planning on coming, then the film got nominated and you have to attend these things.”
Bingo. Talia had stayed in Darby’s house before. So two check marks on Rarity’s list. “Sounds like you’re doing a lot of these festivals.”
“It’s the season. Anyway, Sedona’s nice. It’s a little outdoorsy for me, but I love the little courtyard at the hotel where I’m staying. I’ve been reading scripts all week there. When I go back next week, after I meet with Mason’s attorney, I’m booked solid for auditions. My agent has been busy using these nominations to get me back in the doors.”
“That’s fun.” Rarity took a piece of the bread that came with the salad and put some butter on it.
“You can have mine. I haven’t eaten bread in decades.” Talia smiled as she pushed the plate forward. “My dossier also doesn’t list my correct weight on it. But I’m close. It’s horrible to have to make a living from the way you look on camera. You’re so lucky.”
Rarity blinked. She wasn’t sure what Talia was referring to, but she wasn’t going to feel guilty about having a roll at dinner. Then she followed up on the sentence that had caught her attention. “Do you still have business interests with Mason?”
