Murder of a Bookstore Babe

mentioned that he was still waiting for the ME and crime scene reports.

Because of all the delays, it was close to four thirty when Skye arrived at Kevin’s insurance office, and she was afraid he might already have gone home.

As she locked the Bel Air, her cell phone rang. Sighing, she dug it out of the depths of her tote, checked to make sure it wasn’t her mother calling to bug her about Vince and the engagement ring, then flipped it open and said, “Hello.”

The display screen said ILLINOIS CALLER, so Skye had no idea who was on the other end until she heard, “Hi. This is Simon.” His smooth tenor was oddly soothing. “I missed you at school and didn’t know when you’d be home, so Frannie told me how to reach you.” He paused, but when Skye didn’t react—Frannie had been told not to share Skye’s cell number with Simon—he continued, “I was wondering where things stand on Kayla’s murder.”

“Couldn’t you ask Wally?” Skye pushed open the office building’s door and went in. “Or talk to the ME?”

“Boyd claims there’s nothing new.” Simon sounded unconvinced. “And the ME has promised to e-mail me his report before he leaves work today.”

“So why are you asking me?” Skye looked around the small waiting room. It was empty; even the secretary’s chair was vacant.

“Because I heard that you and Boyd talked to the librarian, and she had info about the stolen books.”

“How did you hear that?” Skye asked. Although she wasn’t surprised, she was annoyed. They’d hoped to keep Judy’s revelation a secret.

“Anthony’s mother, Sally, has been doing some of the funeral home’s paperwork for me lately.”

“Ah.” Skye didn’t bother to point out that Anthony should not have shared the info with Sally. She understood how hard it was to keep secrets from mothers. “Then you know as much as I do. Judy found the books in the library return box.”

“So is Boyd still treating the case as a burglary?” Simon asked.

“Not entirely,” Skye admitted. “We’re checking to see if anyone wanted Kayla dead.”

She felt a little guilty leaving out the fact that she believed the intended victim was Rise, but until she’d cleared her own family, she wasn’t willing to share that little detail with anyone other than the person in charge of the investigation. The fact that that individual happened to be her fiance was just a happy coincidence.

“Any luck?”

“Not so far.” Skye shifted impatiently from foot to foot. “Have you found out any more about whatever Xavier is keeping secret?”

“No.” Simon sounded frustrated. “He’s as tightlipped as a Swiss banker.”

“I’m sorry to rush you, but I really need to go. I’m late for an appointment.” Skye walked over to the closed office door. “Is there anything else?”

“I guess not.” There was a long silence, and she almost thought he had hung up when he said wistfully, “I suppose you’re busy tonight.”

“Yes.” Skye wrinkled her nose. “Believe it or not, Wally and I are going to the grand reopening of the Scumble River Roller Skating Rink.”

“You’re full of surprises lately,” Simon commented. “I won’t say have a good time. I can’t imagine that. How about don’t break a leg?”

“Thanks. Bye.” Frowning, she flipped the phone closed. Wally had said she was full of surprises recently, too. Had she been that predictable before? Vowing to be more spontaneous, she turned back to the door and knocked on the fake wood panel.

A voice yelled, “Come in.” Kevin was sitting at his desk. He looked up and said, “Skye, what are you doing here?” Apparently realizing that wasn’t a very welcoming way to greet both a client and a cousin, he smiled and added hastily, “Have a seat.”

“I thought we could do that insurance review you’ve been reminding me about,” Skye answered. “Unless you don’t have time?”

“Well . . .” He glanced at his watch. “Ilene is expecting me home for supper pretty soon.”

“Maybe I could just update my info, and you could get back to me?”

“Sure.” Kevin unsuccessfully hid his irritation. “Let me turn the computer back on and bring up your file.”

While Kevin’s attention was focused on the PC, Skye said, as casually as she could manage, “I hear you have some new clients. I’m glad the bookstore owners are supporting local businesses.”

“Yeah.” He glanced at her distractedly as he moved his mouse around waiting for the monitor to come to life. “But I don’t know if they’ll continue to use local people. The wife wasn’t too happy with me.”

“Why not?” Skye smiled inwardly. Jackpot! This was exactly what she wanted to talk to him about.

“She accused me of pulling a bait and switch because the premium was more than I originally quoted.” He frowned at the blank blue screen and anxiously tapped a couple of keys. “But it wasn’t my fault. She failed to mention they would be renting out two of their upstairs rooms as B and Bs. The liability involved in having paying guests increased the cost of the insurance.”

“Did you explain that to her?” Skye crossed her legs. “Or wouldn’t she listen?”

“I told her and she seemed okay.” Kevin smiled as the computer monitor filled with data. “But you never know if people believe you or not. And I’m afraid she might bad-mouth me around town.”

“Rise doesn’t strike me as the type.” Skye watched her cousin closely. “And you know it wouldn’t hurt you with your other clients.”

“Probably not.” Kevin rubbed his chin. “Scumble Riverites know I’m trustworthy.”

Skye nodded, then said, “But your company will have to pay for the damages from the break-in, right?”

“Yes.” Kevin jotted a few notes on a yellow pad. “But since the rare books were recovered, the rest is fairly minor. It might not end up being more than their deductible, so they may decide not to even file a claim.”

“That would be good for you.” Skye watched Kevin’s expression closely. “But how about the dead girl? Won’t her family sue?”

“Maybe, but there hasn’t been any hint of that yet.” Kevin scratched his head. “And since she was there after hours, we might be able to argue she wasn’t acting as their employee at the time of her death.”

“Great.” Skye forced herself to sound happy for Kevin, but she hated the thought that the insurance company might wiggle out of paying Kayla’s family for her loss.

“Okay. I’ve got your file up. Let’s get started.” Kevin’s voice became all business. “How many auto accidents have you had in the past year?”

Once Skye had given Kevin all her new info, he stood up and escorted her to the door. “I’ll get back to you tomorrow with my recommendations regarding your up-to-date insurance needs, but offhand, I’d say there shouldn’t be much change.” He grinned. “Especially since you stopped totaling cars.”

“None of those was my fault,” Skye reminded him as they walked into the reception area. She had been wracking her brains to figure out a way to ask Kevin about an alibi. “Say, did you and Ilene go to that party Saturday night she was telling me about?”

“What party?” Kevin looked confused. “We were away for the weekend at an insurance convention in St. Louis. We drove down Friday night and didn’t get home until Monday afternoon. Maybe that’s what she meant.”

“Yeah.” Skye hated lying, even if it was for a good cause. “I must have gotten confused.” She waved and left, saying, “Talk to you later.”

Once she was in her car, she made a quick call to Kevin’s wife, wanting to confirm his alibi before he got home and talked to her. Skye’s excuse was that she and Wally were thinking of taking a few days off, which was true, and she wondered if Ilene had enjoyed her weekend in St. Louis. Ilene assured Skye she’d had a wonderful time there.

Crossing Kevin off her suspect list, Skye drove home to grab a quick bite and change for her date. She had two more cousins to go, and if she hurried, she’d have time to drop by Flip’s house on the way to the skating rink. Now, if she could only figure out a reason to talk to Hugo.

CHAPTER 17