Oh my God.
I glance up at Thomas and Brooklynn.
It all makes sense now.
I think I know who the killer is.
And I think I know who may be next, as well.
Chapter 17
Gatsby comes along with me as I abandon my post at the Country Cottage Café table for a moment.
What is it, Bizzy? Why are we headed toward Killer Books? That look on your face… You know something, don’t you?
I shake my head. “I’m not sure what I know,” I say it lower than a whisper as I weave my way through the crowd.
Georgie and Juni are rummaging through one of the bins on the end, but there’s no sign of either Thomas or Brooklynn.
“Hey, ladies,” I say, breathless, as if the walk over exasperated me. But it wasn’t that twenty-foot crawl. It’s the fact I think I’m onto something—something murderous.
Georgie looks up. “They’re running a buy-one-get-one-free special. I’m doing my best to stock up on mysteries for the next year.”
Juni hands her mother a few more. “And I’m collecting funds for the bookstore while they’re in the back getting more books.”
“The back?” I glance to a split between the buildings that leads to an alley.
I’m familiar with it. Macy’s store has one, too.
Gatsby barks. Follow me, Bizzy.
And I do. Gatsby leads us down the narrow path just as Thomas comes our way with a couple of heavy-looking boxes in his arms.
“Hey, Gatsby.” He laughs at the sight of him. “Hello, Bizzy. Just getting the rest of the inventory to the front.”
“Helping out a friend?” I ask.
“That I am.”
“I saw you with Brooklynn. That’s very nice of you.”
“She’s great.” He squeezes by me and I do my best to adhere myself to the wall. “In fact, in a few hours I hope to show her just how great I think she is. She actually asked me out on a date. I’ve been waiting months for this.”
He takes off and an icy chill runs through me.
Why would Brooklynn want to date someone who might have had something to do with her fiancé’s disappearance?
And then it hits me. Something tells me that Thomas may not make it home from that date alive.
“Come on, Gatsby,” I say as the red-haired pooch continues to lead me to the back of the building. We spot an open moving truck halfway filled with boxes, and I see Brooklynn making her way out of it.
“Bizzy,” she says as she walks down the metal ramp. “Who knew this day was going to be so crazy? Can you believe all the people?” She jumps down next to me, wiping her brow with her arm. “I’m just glad I can offload the rest of these books. I’ll reduce them all down to a dollar before the night is through.” She glances behind me. “Are you trying to get into the back of your sister’s shop?”
“No, actually, Gatsby took off running and we ended up here.” I shrug his way as a form of a meager apology for using him as a scapegoat.
Don’t worry, Bizzy. The cute pup pants. I want to get to the bottom of this as much as you do.
And that I believe.
“Hmm.” Brooklynn shrugs over at him. “He seems content now. Hopefully he won’t take off on you again.”
“I don’t think he will.” I inspect her features a moment. She seems weary, bone-tired. The crow’s feet around her eyes, the puckering around her mouth—it looks as if you can see years of bitterness etched onto her face. “Brooklynn? I hope you don’t mind if I ask you something.”
“No, not at all. In fact, I’ll take any excuse not to get back out there. That crowd can be brutal.”
I think on how to approach this for a moment.
“Thomas mentioned you held an interest in the bookstore.” I leave out the part where she had already told me as much. I want to see how good she is at keeping her lies straight.
She makes a face. “That I do.”
“I thought you told me you sold your share over a year ago?”
Her expression darkens. “Yes, well, I guess this place never left my heart.” How do you like that? Falling over my own lies. Ah, who the heck cares. “I still own a little piece of it. And I’m telling you this is the moment that makes me regret it. Back in the day, I was sort of holding the dumb end of the stick while Wyatt was running the show.”
“You’re doing great.”
“I’m going to have to walk away from it. I don’t have the money to save it.” But that was never the point.
“Stormy was just telling me that you bought the place in honor of your old fiancé. I guess he liked books?”
Her eyes hook to mine. “Yes, actually. I guess you could say he was scholarly. He would have graduated with honors had he had the chance. He was the great love of my life, but he passed a long time ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear it.”
“So am I.” She swallows hard, her gaze lost in the woods behind me.
“Your fiancé’s name was Channing Neville, wasn’t it? He was the great love of your life. You vowed revenge in an article I read. You got that revenge, didn’t you? Against Wyatt first. And soon you’ll be taking it against Thomas, too. Perhaps even as early as tonight.”
Her eyes widen, and her face looks bleached of all color under the duress of the streetlamp above.
“How did you…?” She continues to look right through me, unblinking.
“You didn’t have much money to purchase half of this bookstore, so you stole money from your clients while working as an attorney. You trumped up false charges against them and forced them to settle. And that’s how you bought an interest in this place.
