“Oh, that’s so good,” Sophie said as she set the glass down for Tom to pour another. He did.
“You know,” Rena said to me, “we’re sorry we were so mysterious tae you. That night, I knew about Mallory seeing an older man, but I tried to divert you with a lie about Sophie because I thought she’d told you something she shouldn’t have when you two were in the loo—that she’d seen Mallory and the man together, that we thought we’d figured out who he was, and why we had the books, and … well, it was such a mess. After I got home that night, I went back out tae meet Dr. Eban. It was a planned meeting—we had to meet late at night, in places his wife wouldn’t find us. She was everywhere and into everything. Anyway, I wanted tae tell him that I wanted tae get the books back from the shop and return the money, but he convinced me not tae. By then, though, it was too late to change anything.”
It had been too late. In fact, Dr. Meg Carson had lured Mallory to the bookshop with her own lie. She’d confessed to telling Mallory that if she didn’t break into the bookshop and retrieve the books that Dr. Eban gave to Sophie and Rena to keep them quiet, she would tell Boris Clacher that his daughter was having an affair with the one and only murderer, Dr. Glenn. The scalpels had had nothing to do with the murder. Dr. Carson had even jimmied the lock of the bookshop’s front door and left it slightly open, just to confuse whoever found it that way.
Both Dr. Carson and Dr. Eban knew what books I was referring to when I went to the university to allegedly find out more information about them. Apparently, Dr. Carson pretended not to know to see if there was any way she could frame me or Edwin for any of her evil deeds. Dr. Eban had just played along with the act, thinking that his curiosity might somehow help. Yes, it was a huge mess.
With Joshua’s help, I’d researched the scalpels. They weren’t trinkets—they were the real thing. I wasn’t sure what I would do with that information at this point, but for now, it was just another secret, another one for the secret room in the greatest bookshop of all time.
“I’m so sorry about it all,” Rena continued.
“Me too,” Sophie said. “Me too.”
I nodded.
Sophie and Rena’s medical school paperwork was found. They were who they said they were. Rena had written down an incorrect phone number for her father regarding the provenance of the books, but that was only because she was trying to hide the fact they were from Dr. Eban. Dr. Eban refused to further admit that the books were used for blackmail. After that day in the library, he stuck by the story that he’d just given them the books out of the kindness of his heart. Sophie and Rena were in no trouble at all, except for the pain from Mallory’s murder that would always be a part of their lives.
“We’re either going tae give the money back tae your boss or the medical school for research,” Sophie said.
“And he’ll give the school the books. They can doubly benefit.” That was one transaction I knew I didn’t need to get approved.
“Aye? That’s too much tae ask,” Rena said.
“Edwin would be thrilled,” I said.
“This is the best whisky I’ve ever tasted,” Sophie said.
I made note to watch my back for spills tonight.
Two of the soccer fans, in a moment of celebration over a goal being scored, walked over and introduced themselves to Sophie and Rena. I already knew them as regulars. They greeted me, then asked Sophie and Rena to join them the few steps away at their table for some celebratory drinks.
I told them to go and have fun.
I sidled up to a stool and watched my pub owner as he waited on another customer. He was fun to watch.
Dr. Glenn, now known only as Jack Glenn, had been arrested, but charges were pending and muddled. A trial date had yet to be set, and I wondered if the police just wanted to put him somewhere until they could make sure he really hadn’t killed anyone. His daughter, Lily, was now in a flat all her own, and no longer a student at the university. She visited her father in prison every day.
Lily knew what had happened to Mallory, or at least she’d guessed. She also knew she had to keep her father hidden. She knew the rumors were that Mallory was having an affair with an older man, so she had mentioned Dr. Eban to me, in a shock and fear-induced reaction to Mallory’s murder. She’d seen her lie as a way to continue to keep her father’s whereabouts hidden, or not even considered. She and I hadn’t spoken after we saved each other in the theater, but I hoped to talk to her someday. Her life had been bizarre and punctuated by so much violence, and I still thought she would ultimately be okay. The resiliency of the human spirit. I couldn’t believe that she and her father had been in Edinburgh, him not far away undercover in a distant land. He’d been hiding in plain sight, maybe. There was no grandfather in Virginia; that was another lie. I didn’t know where Lily would end up, but truthfully, I was fascinated by her and her father.
Dr. Eban was also in some trouble, but he hadn’t been arrested. Though I hadn’t seen him again, I’d thought about taking him the scalpels. I liked the
