It seems as though a decent number of people are here today, each person bundled in their winter coat and scarf even though it’s plenty toasty inside. The checkout counter is decorated with poinsettias and evergreen boughs, and there’s a ceramic Santa holding out a fluffy velvet bag stuffed with candy canes. The words printed on the side of the bag read take one.
I spot Kaila right away standing near the shelves marked fiction as she restocks books from off a rolling cart. Her red hair is pulled back into a sleek bun, and she has black rectangular readers on, giving her the appeal of the quintessential librarian. She’s donned a bright red turtleneck in keeping with the holiday theme, and a necklace made of miniature Christmas lights that blink on and off.
As adorable as it is, I can’t help but think it’s a tad bit inappropriate, considering the way her boss was taken out.
“Come on, chica.” Stephanie nudges Tilly in the ribs. “I bet that librarian knows how to have a good time in this place. Let’s have her point the way to the section filled with saucy bossy women who know how to wrangle their men.”
I’m not sure if my sister realizes it, but she navigates us right up to the very suspect I’m here to shake down.
My sister clears her throat, and Kaila gives a casual glance our way.
Stephanie snaps her fingers in the air. “We like naughty books, and we cannot lie. The other readers can’t deny. If you show us where the dirty books are, we’ll get—”
“Lost,” I finish for her.
Tilly breaks into spontaneous applause at my sister’s impromptu, and if I must confess, somewhat catchy performance. Leave it to Steph to turn a visit to the public library into a rap concert with a literary slant. Now if only I can get her to use her superpowers for good, and I’m not talking about the transmundane powers she wields.
Kaila gives a quiet laugh. “You girls came to the right place,” she says in a hushed tone—most likely hoping my sister will emulate it. “In fact, those books are right down this aisle about midway.” She points to her left, and both Steph and Tilly nearly run her over as they speed that way.
“Forgive them,” I say, suddenly a little morose they didn’t have farther to travel. “It’s shaping up to be a long, cold winter for those two.”
She ticks her head to the side. “Well, I can certainly commiserate. I’m between men, if you know what I mean.”
“Between men? I’m not sure if I’m sorry to hear it—or happy for you.”
She belts out a laugh before covering her lips with her fingers. “You’re a funny one,” she whispers. “Hey? I feel like we’ve met before, but I can’t quite place you.”
“The other night at the tree lighting. There was one Mrs. Claus too many, and you were one of them. I’m Bowie Binx, S.J. Wexler’s girlfriend.” A pinch of pride swims through me when I say that last part.
“Oh, that’s right.” She closes her eyes a moment. “Yeah, that was a crazy night.”
“I bet that was a plot twist you didn’t see coming.”
A sly smile rides on her lips as she glances to the checkout counter. “Well, let’s be honest, not every plot twist is all that far-fetched. Holly thought she was the heart and soul of this establishment, and yet if you look around, you’ll see this place is running just fine without her.”
My heart sinks at how cold that sounded.
“So what did she do here exactly?” I ask, taking a brief look around. In the back I can see a children’s reading room that looks like a miniature amphitheater, and in front of it the sign reads Don’t miss reading with Santa this Saturday!
Kaila huffs a laugh. “She liked to boss people around. Which would be expected from the head librarian—just not in the manner she was accustomed to doing it.”
Okay, so she was a pushy broad. I get that, but there has to be another component to this.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for your loss. And if you’re really interested in remedying that ‘in between men dilemma’, Mortimer Manor is hosting the town Christmas party two Saturdays from now. Be sure to wear your ugliest sweater—Mayor Wright’s request, not mine.”
“I’ll be there, but I’m in no hurry to find a man. My dogs keep me plenty company. They’re my whole life.” Her chest bucks with a silent laugh. “And leave it to Mayor Wright to throw a party at a time like this. Oh, I get it, it’s the holidays and all that good stuff, but I’ve heard him say more than a handful of times that if Holly ever bit the big one he would celebrate as if it were a holiday.”
“Wow, that’s harsh.”
She shrugs. “The woman slept with his brother. Now that was harsh. Mayor Wright and Ford never got along again after that. But then, that was pretty much Holly’s MO in life. She sought to seek, kill, and destroy. It was the only way she knew.”
“The mayor did mention something about Holly self-destructing, when I saw him at the tree lot yesterday.” I shrug. “My cat had to have her picture taken with Santa. She’s pushy like that.”
A genuine belly laugh strums from her. “I’ve already got the Santa hats out for my dogs. I’ll be heading that way myself tonight if the snow lets up a bit. It’s really coming down out there.” She glances past me with a look of worry. “Did the mayor happen to mention what Holly was doing to self-destruct?”
“Something about social media posts. Have you seen them?”
Her head
