“Listen to that accent! Is that a real dog?” another woman said. “We’ll be careful, I promise.”
“Aye,” Rosie said, and Hector, knowing his role well, smiled.
The women fell under The Cracked Spine’s spell. They would enjoy their time in the shop, and Hector would enjoy their attention.
“Come along, lass, let’s go back tae my office and make some calls. Do a little more research,” Edwin said quietly.
Any other time, I would have approached and talked to the three women. Not today, though. Today, we had a killer to catch.
EIGHTEEN
“They all worked with Doctors Without Borders. Doctors Eban, Carson, Clacher, and Glenn, though he wasn’t a real doctor. The title stuck, even through all the horror he inflicted. They were friends and did a lot of good,” I said to Tom.
He slid a glass of water over the bar. There were only a few other customers in the pub. It had been a long and late evening at the bookshop and it was good to be with my pub owner.
“I remember Dr. Glenn’s murders, but I didn’t pay attention tae his life.”
“Do you remember his daughter?”
“No,” he said sadly.
“Lily. I couldn’t find a picture. The Internet was going strong ten years ago, but the media must’ve respected her youthful age and her privacy and kept her picture out of the stories.”
“That’s good, and probably wouldn’t happen now.”
“Probably not. I did see pictures of all of the doctors when they were younger. I’m sure Dr. Glenn’s murders were devastating in so many ways. In fact, I wonder if the fierceness and mistrust I saw in Dr. Carson came more from that time than any other. The pictures I saw of her from back then were … she was so naturally happy, with big smiles.”
“You think she’s not that way anymore?”
“I only talked to her briefly, and she might have just not liked me or suspected me of something, but she’s not like the pictures I saw. Not anymore.”
“Do you think she was just sad about Mallory?”
“I’m sure she was sad, but no, I was seeing something different.”
“What did the police say?”
“I talked to both Inspectors Pierce and Winters, though Pierce had already started putting things about Dr. Glenn together. They were very glad to have the information, and Inspector Pierce came to the bookshop, talked to Rosie—and she insisted that no attorney be present. I don’t know where it will go from here, but he was there a long time. We all talked about Dr. Glenn, what was either remembered or whatever research we found.”
“Did Winters come in?” Tom asked.
“No, it’s not his case. They are part of the same precinct, but Pierce works from a satellite office up by the castle. Winters wasn’t in on the case at the beginning. He’s brought himself up to speed, but I sense that he doesn’t want to get in Pierce’s way. I talked to him on the phone. He told me he can’t find anything about a case of missing books from the university either.”
“Something must be ringing a bell for him.”
“That’s what he said. Now, he thinks he overheard another officer on a phone call, just answering some questions, not filing any official report. He’s trying to remember which officer, and then that officer has to remember the call. He’s not giving up.”
“He’ll figure it out.”
I took a drink of the water. “I have another thought.”
Tom leaned toward me, his elbows on the bar, his eyes locked on mine. He knew that what I wanted to say was important; he was giving me his full attention.
Would his full attention ever not disarm me? Despite being tired to the bone, and off-kilter because of the many terrible circumstances surrounding me, I swooned a tiny bit.
I cleared my throat. “So. Lily. She was thirteen when her father killed her mother. She was placed into foster care. In Glasgow.”
“Okay.”
“Sophie and Rena are from Glasgow.”
“Do you think that they might know Lily, or do you think one of them is Lily?” Tom asked.
“I don’t know exactly. They’re too old to be her if they’ve told me their true ages. I just don’t know. Rena said the books came from her father. Maybe … I just don’t know.”
Tom thought a long moment. “Goodness, if Glenn has resurfaced. Wow.”
“Exactly. I think it’s a possibility.”
“I hope not.”
“Me too.”
Tom stood up straight again. “I can’t believe Rosie bought the scalpels at a jumble sale.”
“I know. Did you know her husband, Paulie?”
“Aye, Paulie was sweet and kind, as you might imagine would be perfect for Rosie.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t know about him.”
“It wouldn’t be like Rosie tae talk about him. Too sad for her. She and Regg are happy.”
“I don’t think they’re talking marriage, but yes, they’re happy.”
“Good.”
“Tom, lad, another one?” one of the customers said as he lumbered up to the bar.
“Sorry, Mel, last call’s a while ago.”
“Aw,” Mel said.
Tom whistled. I didn’t think I’d ever heard him whistle before, and a smile pulled at my lips. “You’re not driving tonight, are you, Mel?” he said.
“No sir. Cab all the way.”
“Coffee first?” Tom reached around to the coffeepot and poured Mel what I knew was a cup of extra-strong coffee. After he made sure Mel took a sip, he moved back toward me.
“Do me a favor,” he said.
“Anything.”
“Don’t go visit Dr. Eban alone again, even if you meet him somewhere on campus.”
“I promise I won’t.”
“Thank you.”
Tom eyed Mel as he took the coffee to a table by the front window.
I couldn’t resist any longer. “Whistle again. Please.”
He looked at me with that smile and those cobalt eyes before he sent me a brief whistle. All the time I’d been in Kansas living a good life, this guy had been here, living an equally good life. Though the moments were fleeting, every once in a while I was sure I felt the presence of fate, or destiny. This was one of those moments.
And then it was mostly gone, except for a tiny piece of it. This
