Murder by Page One by Olivia Matthews (read aloud txt) 📗

“That’s what was different.” I brushed off the knees of my pants. “I knew something was off with the spacing in my office yesterday afternoon, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.” With my right index finger, I directed Adrian’s and Floyd’s attention to the carpet. “Based on those indentations, it seems as though someone had shoved my desk back and to the right, which would also have moved my chair from its usual spot.”

Adrian’s eyes stretched wide. “Closer to the edge of the windowsill.”

I nodded. “By at least two and a quarter inches.”

He and I shared a look. Was he remembering how he’d placed himself between me and the windowsill when he’d caught me yesterday? I was.

Adrian’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. “Thanks for the cobbler.”

I blinked. “Thank you.”

Floyd glared at the carpet. “Why would someone move your desk?”

“I’m glad you asked.” I gestured toward Adrian in silent encouragement for him to bring Viv and Floyd up to speed on the subject of my booby-trapped chair and its missing screws.

Viv sank onto the spare seat at my conversation table. “Who’d do something like that?”

Floyd watched me closely. “Did you tick off one of the staff?”

“Floyd!” Viv admonished him.

“I hate to say it, but he has a point.” Adrian gave me an apologetic look. “I like you, Marvey, but visitors aren’t allowed back here unless one of us comes with them, so how would a stranger have been able to rig your chair?”

Floyd laughed. “People get back here all the time. That policy may cut back on how many get past the desk, but it doesn’t eliminate intruders altogether.”

I wrapped my arms around my waist. “During the four months I’ve been here, I’ve noticed the circulation desk unstaffed at least half a dozen times.”

Viv pressed a hand to the base of her throat. Her perfectly manicured nails were polished a shade between frost and pink, complementing her pale rose blouse. “Those rules are in place for a reason. I’m going to start fining people who don’t remain at the desk during their entire assigned time.”

“Just last week, Ms. Betty got past the desk and into Marvey’s office.” Adrian jerked a thumb toward Viv. “And we were both at the desk.”

I searched my mind for other plausible ideas. “Since I don’t think I’ve offended a coworker, an outsider must’ve gotten into my office while I was out.”

Floyd grunted. “Okay, then this must’ve happened yesterday. The way they took apart your chair, they intended for it to collapse right away.”

“I agree.” I looked over my shoulder toward the remnants of my office furniture. “Isn’t Bobby Hayes a repair person?”

Adrian frowned. “That’s right. He works at the repair shop and hardware store.”

I hesitated. “He’d know how to tamper with a chair to make it collapse, and he’d have the tools to do it. I spoke with him in the parking lot Wednesday afternoon while he was waiting for Betty.”

He’d been leaning against a dark blue compact sedan.

I shook off the memory of Bobby’s car and faced my team of librarians. “Have you started Fiona’s book?”

Floyd rocked on his feet. “Finished it last night. It was surprisingly good.”

Adrian raised his hand. “I have a couple of chapters left.”

Viv nodded. “Me too.”

Close enough. “What are your impressions? Do you think the story could’ve made Betty or Bobby angry enough to kill Fiona?”

Floyd snorted. “I could see it. It sounds like the gossip Betty had been saying about Fiona since Buddy died, but applied to Betty.”

I shared my gaze with each of them. “Did the sheriff’s office investigate Buddy’s death?”

Adrian nodded. “According to the paper’s reporting, Mr. Buddy died of a heart attack. Ms. Betty went around claiming he didn’t have a bad heart, but the autopsy showed he had coronary artery disease.”

I leaned back against my desk and crossed my arms. “How do you know Betty was behind the rumors? Could it have been someone else?”

Floyd shrugged. “Well, I didn’t pay that much attention to it. But from what I remember, the gossip was contained only to people who were close to Betty, and everyone was saying the same exact thing she’d said. Like a pandemonium of trained parrots. No one else gave Buddy’s death a second thought. Buddy didn’t have what people call ‘healthy habits.’”

I sank onto my temporary chair. “I wish I could make more progress on this investigation. I feel like I’m not getting anywhere. What about the writers group? Do you think we might have some suspects there?”

Floyd grunted. “Tons. No one liked her, especially after she was published.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Were a lot of the members jealous?”

Floyd tilted his head in thought. “Yeah, but they didn’t care for her much before that, either.”

“Why not?” Adrian asked.

Floyd considered his answer. “I think they didn’t like her because Zelda, the group’s president, didn’t like her, and they’re all loyal to Zelda. They knew her longer.”

I shook my head in amazement. “How do you know all of this?”

He shrugged. “I belonged to the group for a little while. I left a couple of months after Fiona joined. I wasn’t getting as much from their meetings as I’d wanted.”

Excitement propelled me forward on my chair. “Floyd, are you writing a book?”

His face darkened with a blush. He looked at us self-consciously. “Yeah.”

I clasped my hands in excitement. “Wow! That’s wonderful. What are you writing?”

“A children’s fairytale,” he muttered.

I blinked. There was so much more to the grumpy old man than met the eyes.

Chapter 20

“Excuse me, Marvey, but the deputies, they’re back.” Adrian sounded concerned.

Deputies Jed Whatley and Errol Cole circled him to enter my office Thursday morning.

“Thank you, Adrian.” I offered my young coworker a reassuring smile. Still appearing anxious, he moved away but left the door open. Did he plan to linger outside my office to eavesdrop on my meeting with the deputies? I directed my guests to the visitors’ chairs. “How can I help you, deputies?”

The two men removed their campaign