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“I talked to him at the Garnet that Saturday night. He was waiting for Janey to get off work. He said Janey kept surprising him. She appeared to be one thing, then she’d blurt out something, and he’d learn something new. Like her trust. He thought she was a poor college student. He joked that maybe he’d found himself a sugar mama.” Archer shook his head. “Sorry, I know we’re trying to get Marcus out of thesuspect pool.”
“Well, that helps. If he wanted her money, he’d have to marry her to get it, right? Just killing her wouldn’t get him anything.” Rarity walked up the steps to her porch. “Did we have a datethat Saturday?”
“Actually, I met with Calliope. She wanted to talk to me.” He followed her into the house after she unlocked the door. “She wanted a reference letter for a new job. Or at least that’s what she said. I told her I’d write her one whenever. She didn’t have to ask,just call me.”
“You think she was checking in?”
He nodded. “She was friendly until I mentioned you. Then she clammed up and said she needed to leave. She gave me a piece of paper with the new employer name and fax numberand then left.”
“She still likes you.” Rarity didn’t want to say the wordlove,but she knew Archer’s ex-assistant had it bad for her former boss.
He held up his hand. “We were just friends. At least on my part. I feel bad for her, but there isn’t anything I can do to change my feelings. I lovesomeone else.”
Rarity smiled at him. “I hope so.”
They spent the rest of the night not talking about Calliope or Marcus or the murder. Instead, they focused on dinner and what movie to watch. They even looked at calendars to see if they could fit in a short vacation soon. When she went to bed, she gave Archer a hug. “Thanksfor being you.”
“I think you’re delirious.” Archer laughed but hugged her back. “And thanksfor being you.”
* * * *
Thursday morning, Jonathon was waiting at the bookstore again when she showed up. He had his briefcase sitting beside him along with two coffees and a bakery bag. “Good morning. I heard Sam’s shop had some excitement last night.”
“What did Drew say?” Rarity unlocked the door and waved at Archer, who was already heading to his shop.
“He found traces of someone hanging out in the alley. He thinks it might be someone who’s sleeping there at night. He’s going to go back tonight and see if he can find the culprit.” Jonathon followed herinto the shop.
“He doesn’t think it’s tied to Janey’s case, then?” Rarity unclipped Killer, and they moved into their daily chores.
“Not so much. I know it’s possible, and it feels like someone’s out there to get you, but sometimes, the right answer is the simplest.” He held up his hand. “Occam’s razorat its finest.”
“Until he’s wrong.” Rarity held up her hand. “Don’t worry, I’m not challenging Drew’s conclusion. I’m just tired.”
“You need a vacation.” He settled back at the table he’d used yesterday. “I think I’m coming here to write more often. I got more words done yesterday than the lastweek at home.”
“It’s a bookstore. The books are supporting your endeavor. She opened the computer and started going through the inventory, finishing her order for the next week. Before she could finish, the phone rang. “The Next Chapter. This is Rarity.”
“Hi, Rarity, it’s Caleb. Sorry, I can’t come in today. I’m under the weather.”
“Oh no. I hope you didn’t catch something from the kids on Saturday. They say that being around a lot of kids at first has you catching all kinds of things. You probably haven’t talked to that many middle schoolers since you wereattending one.”
He laughed. “Probably not even then. I was a bit of a loner. Anyway, if I feel better, I’ll be there Saturday, but don’t count on me.”
“Shirley’s looking forward to running it, so I think we’ll be fine. Of course, you’re always welcome since I’m not sure how crazy it will be. Get better soon.”
She hung up the phone and made a note on the calendar so she wouldn’t forget and pay him for the day. She looked over at Jonathon. “Caleb’s a no-show. Do you need to be somewhere else?”
He shook his head. “That’s the joy of retirement. I get to make my own schedule. I’ll run out at lunch and get us something to eat, but other than that, I’m at yourbeck and call.”
“If you do that, you won’t finish your words. You focus on what you need to do. I’ll do the same. At the end of the day, we’ll compare notes and see who was more productive.”
“I do love a challenge. Game on.” He focusedon his laptop.
Rarity did the same. She didn’t mind someone being around, like Jonathon, as long as they could entertain themselves while she worked.
After she got her Thursday tasks done, she looked at the plan for Saturday. The items were mostly done, just not treats ordered or the letters sent out. She sent out emails to the ones who’d signed up, using a picture that Caleb had sent her last week showing the book and the details about the club meeting. It was cute, and using emails kept the cost announcing the club down. She’d continue to use the template, or Caleb would for the duration of the book club. She’d planned on running it for eight months, but if it was as successful as last week’s meeting, she could see it going indefinitely. She needed to rethink what to do in summer and if they needed some advanced clubs or if you could move up a club level based on yourreading level.
She was playing with some ideas when her first customer arrived. A young woman walked in with a black lab. Rarity glanced over at Killer, who was sleeping in his bed. She’d leave him there until she knew how the dog was with other dogs. As it was, she didn’t have to worry. Jonathon had stood, stretched, then walked over and plucked Killer out of his bed and was walking around the store with him. Away fromthe other dog.
