No Cats Allowed: A Cat in the Stacks Mystery (7 page)

I stared blankly at my son. Two words kept echoing in my brain—
baby
and
married
.

“I know you would have preferred that we were married before there was any sign of a baby.” Sean wore a defensive expression I had seen often during his teenage years when he had to admit to behavior or an action he knew I wouldn’t condone. Not that it happened all that often, because he had been a mostly well-behaved teenager.

I
was
rather old-fashioned in that way. I would have liked them to be married before they contemplated having a child, but there was no point in repining over it now.

I was going to have another grandchild, not to mention a smart, capable, and beautiful daughter-in-law. That was all that really mattered.

“Congratulations, Son.” I stood and smiled at him. “I’m very happy for you and Alexandra. And Laura and Frank’s baby will have a cousin to grow up with.”

Diesel trilled and chirped in response to the excitement he felt coming from me. Sean’s face broke into a broad grin, and he hugged me tight. “Thanks, Dad,” he said, his voice husky.

I thought of his mother and how happy she would be over the news of another grandchild. For a moment my eyes misted over. How I wished she were here to share in the excitement.

Sean released me, and we smiled at each other. I started to ask when the baby was due but decided that could wait. At the moment it would hardly be tactful to inquire.

“I have a favor to ask,” Sean said. “Will you be my best man?”

“I’d be honored,” I said around the sudden, large lump in my throat. “Where is the wedding taking place?”

“In the conference room,” Sean said. “Everyone is waiting for us. Judge Howell is going to perform the ceremony.”

“Really? I haven’t seen her in a long time. We went to school together, you know,” I said as Diesel and I followed Sean from his office and down the hall to the spacious conference room.

The first person I saw when we entered was Alexandra, my soon-to-be daughter-in-law. Her anxious expression disappeared when she saw my beaming face. I moved forward and swept her into a strong embrace.

“Welcome to the family,” I said. “I’m so happy for you both.”

“Thank you, Charlie,” she said. Her eyes sparkled with tears. “Sean and I are so excited. This isn’t the way we’d planned things to go, but, well, here we are.” She smiled and dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. Diesel naturally had to add his congratulations and meowed loudly. Alex laughed and rubbed his head with great affection.

“Isn’t it wonderful, Dad?”

I turned to see my beautiful daughter, heavily pregnant, approaching. Her husband, Frank Salisbury, hovered anxiously behind her.
He hardly wanted to let her out of his sight, Laura had told me, until the baby came. She still had about two months to go before little Charles Franklin Salisbury entered the world.

We hugged, and I shook Frank’s hand. I glanced about to see who else was here. Azalea sat at one end of the table, chatting with the judge, Deborah Howell, with whom I’d gone through elementary school, high school, and college. I was glad that an old friend was performing the ceremony.

There was no sign, however, of Alexandra’s father, a near-legendary figure in Mississippi legal circles.

“Where’s Q.C.?” I asked Sean.

He laughed and shook his head. “In the Australian outback with a few of his cronies. We tried calling him this morning but he’s inaccessible. We thought about waiting until he’s home again, but that won’t be for another couple of weeks.”

Since he had mostly retired from the law practice, Q.C. spent a lot of time traveling these days. He would spend a month or two in Athena, and then he’d be off again on another adventure. After all the years he’d spent working so hard, he deserved the leisure he found in retirement. I envied him a little. I would love to travel to all the places he had been in recent months—Turkey, Greece, Peru, Chile, and now Australia.

“We invited Helen Louise,” Sean said. “Unfortunately, she’s shorthanded and can’t be here.”

I felt a sharp pang of disappointment. I knew Helen Louise wouldn’t be happy, either, having to miss an occasion like this. One of her part-time workers had probably failed to show up for work, I figured.

Judge Howell approached us. “Hello, Charlie. Great to see you again. I’ve heard about some of your exploits.” She grinned at me,
no doubt remembering some of our mutual exploits in elementary school when we both got in trouble for talking too much in class.

I smiled. “It’s great to see you too, Debby. You ended up on the right side of the law, I see.” I winked at her.

She laughed heartily at that. “I was always late returning my books to the library. I remember how you used to fuss. I should have known you’d become a librarian.”

“Of course,” I said.

She squeezed my arm affectionately. “Enough reminiscing for now. We can catch up more later. Now it’s time for me to marry these two wonderful young people.” She beamed at Alex and Sean.

Under the judge’s direction, we assembled ourselves properly for the ceremony. Laura served as matron of honor, and I as best man. Frank, Azalea, and Laquita stood in the background.

The actual ceremony was brief, and I watched through misty eyes as my handsome son was joined in wedlock to his beautiful wife. I felt the presence of my late wife, Jackie, hovering at my shoulder. I knew how happy she would be to see this day.

After the vows were complete, Azalea stepped forward and began to sing. Her rich contralto poured forth with “Amazing Grace” and I was stunned at the beauty of it. I had heard her singing and humming around the house, but I had never heard her sing like this. I was moved by it, and by the belief and passion with which she sang. I don’t think there was a dry eye among us by the time she finished the final verse.

After the last, haunting note evaporated, we all stood for a moment. Then Sean and Alex thanked her and each kissed her on the cheek. Azalea beamed with pleasure.

As Laura, Frank, and Laquita congratulated the happy couple, I approached Azalea.

“Thank you,” I said. “That was beautiful.”

“You’re welcome,” she said with a brief smile. “I pray the Lord will bless them and their child.”

“Did you know about this when you left the house earlier?” I asked. “You said you were going to the grocery store.”

Azalea shook her head. “They called me after I was at the store. I’ll have to go back and get everything.”

I nodded. “Thank you again for your song. You made this an even more memorable occasion.”

“I wish I could have had more time, and I’d’ve had something to bring for a reception.” She glanced at the conference table, bare of any kind of food or drink.

“I guess they didn’t think about a reception,” I said. “We can have a nice dinner later to celebrate.”

Sean must have overheard me. “We are planning a party, but we want to wait until Q.C. is back in town. So it won’t be for at least a couple of weeks.”

“Excellent,” I said. “I know there are a lot of people who will be happy to celebrate with you and Alex.”

I moved on to chat for a few minutes with Debby, who seemed to be enjoying petting and admiring Diesel. He accepted all the attention as his due, and he rewarded his new acolyte with warbles and chirps.

“Where did you ever find this beautiful animal?” Debby asked, and I told her the story of finding Diesel in the shrubbery at the public library.

“I’ve heard he goes everywhere with you,” she said. “You’re lucky to have such a steadfast companion.”

“Yes, I am,” I said. “He came into my life at a time when I needed one. We’ve been good for each other.”

We talked for a few minutes more, then Debby said she was due back in court. The party broke up quickly after that. Frank and Laura both had afternoon classes to teach, and Sean and Alex had client meetings.

After more hugs and congratulations to my son and his wife, I led Diesel out to the car. Once he was in the backseat, I reached in my pocket for my cell phone. I wanted to check on Melba and to let her know the exciting news. I hoped she had followed through on my advice to go home and stay out of Reilly’s way.

No cell phone.

I frowned, then patted down the other pants pocket. No phone. I checked my jacket.

Still no phone.

Then I thought about when I’d last had it in my hands, and I could see myself setting it down on the nightstand after talking to Sean. I was probably so worried by his summons to his office that I completely forgot about it.

I’d call when I got home, I decided as I got behind the wheel. For a moment I thought about swinging by Helen Louise’s bistro, but I realized she would be too busy—it was eleven thirty-seven—with the lunch crowd to talk.

On the short drive home I thought about the new grandchild. Would it be another boy, or a girl? I hoped for the latter, since Laura and Frank were having a boy. I would be happy no matter what, as long as both babies were healthy. Laura was due in about two months, and I reckoned Alex was probably due in another six to seven months. I would find out later.

I forgot to ask Sean and Alex whether they would be taking a honeymoon. Probably not until Alex’s father returned, I reckoned.

When I turned the corner onto my street, I spotted a familiar
car parked in front of my house. What was Melba doing here? I hoped nothing was wrong.

I pulled the car into the garage and let Diesel out. We walked out into the driveway to meet Melba. She had a fierce expression as she approached us.

“Where the heck have you been?” she demanded. “I’ve been calling your house and your cell phone for the past hour.”

I started to explain, but she rushed on before I could get out more than three words.

“You’re not going to believe this.” She looked as angry as I had ever seen her. “The president didn’t fire Reilly, or even put him back in the financial affairs office. Instead, he’s reassigning me. To the philosophy and religious studies department. I’m about ready to wring somebody’s neck.” She paused for a quick breath, then delivered another bombshell. “Reilly’s planning to sell off the rare book collection and get rid of the archives, too.”

I could hardly take in what Melba had said. I had been so sure that the president would decide Reilly wasn’t working out. I shook my head.

“Yes, it’s true,” Melba said.

“I believe you,” I replied. “Look, let’s go inside and talk about this. I don’t know about you, but I need to sit down and try to absorb it.”

Diesel had been trying to gain Melba’s attention. I knew he was alarmed by her obvious distress, but at the moment she was too agitated to notice him.

“Come on, boy, in the house.” I led the way into the garage and unlocked the door to the kitchen. I ushered Melba in, along with the cat, and closed the door after hitting the switch to shut the garage door.

Melba had finally realized that Diesel was beside her. She dropped into a chair by the table and leaned over to hug him. She muttered a
few words that I couldn’t catch, and Diesel meowed in response. I took my usual spot at the table and waited for Melba to finish communing with Diesel.

When at last she let go of the cat and turned to look at me, I saw that her face was streaked with tears.

“Can I get you a drink?” I thought for a moment. “Sean probably has a few beers in the fridge, and I think there’s a bottle of scotch left over from last Christmas.”

“Actually, I wouldn’t mind some hot coffee,” Melba said. “If that’s not too much trouble.”

“Sounds good to me, too.” I got up to make the coffee. “Why don’t you tell me how you found out about your being transferred, and Reilly’s plans to sell the rare book collection.”

“In an e-mail.” Melba sounded outraged again. “One that I wasn’t even supposed to see, but that idiot Reilly wasn’t paying attention when he addressed it. It was supposed to go to a Melissa Gibson, as far as I can tell.”

“He probably typed in the first two or three letters of your name and didn’t bother to check,” I said. “Who is Melissa Gibson, do you know?”

“I searched the college directory, and she works in the financial affairs office,” Melba replied. “I don’t know her, but I’d be willing to bet she’s young, blond, and stacked. That’s probably what Reilly wants in the office with him, and not someone who actually knows the job.”

I wasn’t going to argue with her. For one thing, I figured she was probably right. But mainly I knew she needed to vent, and she was safe with me.

“He was being really indiscreet, if he revealed all these plans to his new administrative assistant.”

“Oh, his message to her was just about reporting to the library administration office tomorrow morning.”

“Then how did you find out about the plans to sell the rare book collection?” I leaned against the counter while I waited for the coffeemaker to finish its task.

Melba glanced down at Diesel, still sitting beside her chair. She rubbed his head for a moment, and I wondered why she was stalling.

She had a sheepish expression when she looked at me again.

“I was snooping around his desk—that was before I got the e-mail—and I happened to find a folder with some very interesting information in it.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“Like the truth about why Peter Vanderkeller quit his job all of a sudden.”

I retrieved a couple of mugs from the cabinet and set them by the machine. The coffee should be ready in about two more minutes, I judged. “Why did he quit?” I had wanted to know the answer to that question from the moment I heard Peter had left.

“Because he overcommitted the library budget by almost half a million dollars,” Melba said. “I thought he was smarter than that, but I guess the man couldn’t balance a checkbook.”

“What on earth did he spend the money on?” I asked, stunned.

“I can’t remember all the details,” Melba said, “because honestly I didn’t know what some of it was. But I guess it was electronic stuff for the library. You know, like e-books and databases, that kind of stuff.”

I hadn’t heard a word about any serious budget issues, and overspending by half a million dollars was definitely serious. I had wondered, like so many others in the library, why the president put a
man experienced in finance in charge of the library. Now that decision made more sense.

“Does that mean Reilly was going to try to sell the rare books to make up the deficit?” That was better, I supposed, than wholesale layoffs of library staff. I always hated to see people lose their jobs, but at times harsh measures had to be taken.

“Partly,” Melba said. “They’re making up some of it with a couple of vacant positions, and taking money from other parts of the budget. Like travel and so on. Cutting part-time student workers, too, and making salaried people fill in.” She grimaced. “And moving me to another department, so I can be a drain on their budget instead of the library’s.”

I didn’t know what Melba’s salary was, but given the length of time she had worked at the college, she was probably making considerably more than Reilly’s friend in the finance office.

“They’re probably taking some money from the library’s endowment.” I poured the coffee and set the mugs on the table. Melba took hers black, but I liked milk and sugar in mine. “Thanks to people like Miss An’gel and Miss Dickce Ducote, the endowment is healthy and can probably stand a hit for a hundred thousand, at least.”

“I hadn’t thought of that,” Melba said, looking slightly relieved. “And speaking of the sisters, can you imagine what they’ll have to say if Reilly tries to go through with selling off the rare books and getting rid of the archives?”

I laughed as I stirred the sugar and milk into my coffee. “Yes, I just about can. They won’t be happy, and I’ll bet Reilly’s plan gets canceled.” I took a sip of coffee. “I’m not going back there until he’s out of the way.”

“Why don’t you call Miss An’gel and tell her what’s going
on?” Melba shot me a wicked grin. “That would spice things up real good.”

I shook my head. “Tempting, but I am not going to get mixed up any more in this. Miss An’gel and Miss Dickce will find out about it soon enough, and if they come to me with questions, I’ll be more than happy to answer them.”

“I guess you’re right,” Melba said. “Sure would love to be there, though, when they talk to you. Miss An’gel is pretty fierce when she gets riled up.”

“She is that.” I had to grin. “What I’d love to see is Reilly facing both sisters. Now that would be something. Poor, ignorant Yankee would never know what hit him.”

Melba hooted. “Nothing deadlier than polite demolition by a Southern steel magnolia. You got that right.”

Diesel added to the mirth with a few warbles, and that set Melba and me off again. By the time we both sobered, we were wiping tears from our eyes.

“I know you’re not happy, being shunted off to the philosophy department,” I said, “but I daresay you won’t be there long.”

“I darn well better not be.” Melba drained her mug and set it aside. “Thanks, Charlie, you’ve made me feel a lot better. I’m still peeved as all get-out with Reilly, but I just might not run him over if he crosses the street in front of me, thanks to you.”

“Good,” I replied. “I don’t know if I have enough money for bail if you did run him down.”

Melba stood. “Reckon I ought to go on home now, get out of your hair.” She picked up her purse, then paused as if struck by a thought. “You never did tell me why I had so much trouble getting ahold of you earlier.”

“No, I didn’t,” I said. “I didn’t get much of a chance.”

She rolled her eyes at that.

“You’d better sit back down,” I said. She rolled her eyes again. “Okay, have it your way. I was at a wedding. Sean and Alex got married today.”

Melba sank into her chair, her mouth open. “Married? What on earth?” Then her eyes narrowed. “Alex is having a baby, isn’t she?”

I nodded. There was no point in dodging the truth.

“Congratulations, Grandpa.” Melba got up again and came over to give me a hug. “Two grandchildren, just think of that. Do they know yet whether it’s a girl or a boy?”

“No, I don’t think Alex is far enough along yet,” I said.

“Probably not,” Melba said. “Oh, I can’t wait to see you with those grandbabies. You’re going to spoil them rotten, I know.”

Diesel chirped excitedly, as if he understood our conversation. Melba chuckled and scratched his head while he rubbed against her legs. “Diesel can be their godfather. How about that?”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” I said, though the idea was amusing. “I don’t think the parents would go for it. Though Laura might.” My daughter really adored my cat.

I showed Melba out the front door and was glad to see her stride down the walk in her usual confident fashion. She would survive this, as would I.

Diesel and I wandered back into the kitchen, and I heard a key in the lock. Azalea came in with grocery bags in one hand, and I hurried to help her finish unloading the car. That much she allowed me. She insisted on putting away all the groceries, and I had learned long ago not to argue.

We chatted for a moment about the morning’s events, and then I remembered my abandoned cell phone. I should retrieve it, in case there were any messages.

Diesel stayed in the kitchen with Azalea while I hurried up to my bedroom. The phone lay right where I’d left it, on the nightstand beside my bed. I checked for voice mail, and sure enough, I had one.

I listened to the message.

“Hello, Charlie, Penny Sisson. I need to talk to you ASAP.” She paused, and I thought I detected a sigh. “I’m afraid it’s not good news.” The message ended.