Peril in Paperback (29 page)

Soft fur bumped against my ankles as Leroy wound himself through and around my legs, purring softly. I let go of the breath I’d been holding and bent down to pick him up.

“My hero,” I muttered against his soft fur. “You saved my life.”

He had also helped reveal who my intruder was. I’d heard that gasp and was fairly certain I knew. The question now was whether or not that person was also Bella’s killer.

For some reason, I woke up feeling lighter and happier than I had in days. We were close to finding Bella’s killer, but that wasn’t the only reason I felt good.

I was comfortable in my own skin again. I wasn’t sure why, but I refused to question it. I was just relieved to be rid of the psycho girlfriend who had invaded my body and brain since that fateful phone call to Derek. The real Brooklyn was back.

Hallelujah.

As I brushed my teeth and fixed my hair, I thought about my mother, who was a big proponent of dream therapy. So maybe I had worked out all my doubts and fears in my dreams. Who knew? But once again, I wasn’t going to ponder it too deeply, because, let’s face it: my mother was also a big proponent of curried-ghee facials and astral trekking.

Today was Grace’s birthday. The day would be a long one and tonight would be jam-packed with drinking and partying—and, with any luck, unmasking a killer. I decided to track down Kiki and do something I’d been yearning to do all week. I was going to get a massage.

Two hours later, I was in my bedroom, lying prone on Kiki’s portable massage table, completely wiped out and
still groaning from the glorious pummeling I’d just received.

“You do great work, Kiki,” I whispered.

“Thanks,” she said. “But promise me you’ll work on that tension in your shoulders. That stuff will make you old if it doesn’t kill you first.”

“Those are wise words,” I muttered. “I promise. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She tucked the sheet around me, then said, “And thank you, Brooklyn.”

“You’re welcome.” I opened one eye. “For what?”

She smiled softly. “For Gabriel.”

“You mean…” I stopped. Why was she thanking me? What had he done? Oh, God, she’d already fallen in love and he was going to break her heart. “Look, Kiki, I never—”

She laughed. “It’s okay, Brooklyn. We just talked. He’s wonderful. I’ve never met anyone like him, and I have you to thank for making it happen.”

“I just gave him the message, Kiki. So…what did he say to you?”

“He told me about his big move. He said he’d sworn you to secrecy, so I don’t blame you for not telling me. It’s so exciting, isn’t it?”

“Uh, yeah. It sure is.” I had no idea what she was talking about.

“Imagine moving to Antarctica for the next five years to study the flight patterns of polar birds. That takes dedication. I had no idea he was a scientist. But it makes sense, doesn’t it? The way he took complete charge of the murder investigation until the police got here? He’s so clever. A true Renaissance man.”

A scientist?
I choked on a laugh, then coughed to disguise it, happy I was lying facedown so Kiki couldn’t see my expression. “He truly is.”

“I was so inspired by his story,” she continued, “that I’ve decided to go back to school and get my degree in physical education.”

“That’s wonderful, Kiki. Good for you.”

“Thank you.” She patted my shoulder. “Wish me luck.”

“I do,” I said, relaxing again. “Good luck.”

Then she walked silently out of the room.

Ten minutes later, I had gained back enough of my strength to slide off the table, pulling the sheet with me. After a leisurely shower, I dressed, then walked down the hall to the library to shelve the book of poetry I’d found in the wine cellar yesterday.

I opened the library door and saw Nathan and Merrilee talking quietly. They immediately hushed up as I walked in.

The old, suspicious Brooklyn might have felt a little paranoid. But the newly refreshed Brooklyn simply chalked it up to their personal business and not my problem.

“Good morning,” I said cheerfully. “I was just returning another book found in a strange place.” I briefly explained how I’d come across the book in the wine cellar.

Merrilee stuttered a good morning, then dashed out of the room.

I watched her go, then glanced at Nathan. “Was it something I said?”

“No,” he said, scowling. “It’s something I said.”

His frown was so forbidding that I didn’t even bother to ask. He turned and stared at his computer screen, and I ignored him, refusing to relinquish my good mood.

Instead I turned to work, always the best distraction for me. Laying a white cloth out on the reading table, I placed the poetry book I’d found yesterday in the middle of the cloth and stared at it for a minute.

It had been a pretty little thing once upon a time, providing companionship and inspiration to some poetry lover who had probably carried it in his jacket pocket when he went on walks through the woods.

At least that’s what my imagination conjured up. I liked to picture it as a beloved book whose owner had
taken good care of it always. Sadly, the owner had died and the book had fallen on hard times.

Now I examined the cover and, except for the heavy dust and grime and some age spots where the leather had faded, it appeared to be in good condition. I dusted and cleaned it thoroughly with another soft cloth. Then I went through the book page by page, using a thin, stiff brush to swipe away the bits of dirt and film that had collected over the years due to neglect and poor storage conditions.

The paper itself was in decent shape except for the ubiquitous foxing that occurred in old books. The small brown spots of mildew or dirt were difficult to avoid and hard to get rid of once they had appeared.

In my workshop at home, I had several methods of lightening spots like these. But I hadn’t brought any of my bleaching supplies with me, so the spots would have to stay for now.

After placing the poetry book on Nathan’s growing pile of books to catalog, I went back to my desk and pulled some pretty endpapers from my pack of supplies. I used them to wrap the book box I’d made for Grace, then took colored strands of raffia and made a rustic bow.

I noticed the piles of vintage noir paperbacks were still on my desk. They’d been stacked to the side, out of the way, to make more room for my computer and tools. But now I wondered again what the best thing to do with them might be. They would find a loving home at the Covington Library, if only Grace would allow me to take them. They could be displayed under protective glass to halt their aging process somewhat. Otherwise, if they were stuck on a shelf here, even if wrapped in archival plastic, I was concerned that they might eventually perish.

Absently I picked up the book on top of the stack. Agatha Christie’s
And Then There Were None
. Sudden shivers tickled my spine as I recalled that the story revolved
around a number of strangers who were invited to a party at an isolated mansion. The first murder victim in Christie’s classic tale died of cyanide poisoning.

I set the book down quickly and rubbed my arms to calm the chills.

I promised myself I would deal with the paperbacks later and went to find Suzie and Vinnie. I tracked them down in the small dining room off the kitchen. Vinnie was drinking a cup of tea while Suzie was just starting to feed Lily a half bottle of formula.

“Hi, girls,” I said. “How’s our baby?”

“She is a darling ray of sunshine this morning,” Vinnie said proudly, as she tucked a clean dish towel under Lily’s chin.

Suzie grinned at me. “How you doin’, kiddo?”

“I’m kind of a little ray of sunshine myself,” I said, determined to keep the conversation light. “I feel good. Slept well, had a massage, wrapped a present for the birthday girl. Then I came looking for you guys and here you are.”

“So, what’s up?”

I helped myself to a cup of coffee from the sideboard and sat down next to Suzie. “I wanted to ask you about something I read in Grace’s book.”

“Oh, dang. I haven’t even started reading it,” Suzie admitted guiltily.

“Well, you’ve had your hands full,” I said.

“True,” she said, smiling down at Lily. Then she looked up at me. “So what about it?”

“I’m just curious. Did Grace ever talk about having a corporate thief in her company?”

Suzie thought about it. “I’ve got a vague memory of that. It happened years ago when I was pretty young. I remember my mom and dad talking about it. They said Grace lost millions of dollars, but more importantly, she lost a video game to a competitor. I think that hurt her a lot more than the money.”

“I’ll bet.”

“So you’re enjoying Grace’s book?” Vinnie said.

“I am,” I said. “I didn’t think it would be as good as it is, but it’s fascinating. I’m just trying to figure out what’s real and what’s fiction.”

“You should ask Grace,” Suzie said. She pulled the bottle from Lily’s mouth to check how much was left. “She loves talking about the book.”

“I will. I guess she would love to hear that I’m enjoying it.”

“Oh, you know she would.” The baby began to fuss and Suzie quickly plugged the bottle back into her mouth.

“She is a good little eater,” Vinnie said fondly, then smiled brightly at Suzie. “She reminds me of our neighbor, Brooklyn.”

Suzie laughed. “Another good eater.”

“Hey, I like food.”

“It is one of your finest qualities,” Vinnie said.

“Thanks a lot,” I said wryly, then gave a gentle tweak to Lily’s cheek. “At least I’m in good company.”

The rest of the day passed in a whirlwind. Everyone was excited about Grace’s party and there was lots of speculation about the big surprise she planned to announce tonight. It felt as if a month had passed since she first mentioned her big announcement, but it had been only five days.

It was wild, really. Being at Grace’s home was like being on another planet or something. Time seemed to move differently here. But now I was beginning to wonder what kind of announcement would be coming from Grace that night and what effect it would have on the gathered throng. She had already told us about the book she’d written. We knew why she had invited Stephen Fowler. So what was left? Suzie had been so worried that it would have something to do with her aunt changing her will. I was glad that that issue was off the table.

I really hoped that Grace’s announcement would be
a happy one. We could all use some upbeat news after the week we’d been through.

I dressed for the occasion in black palazzo pants and a short, shimmery silver jacket. Everyone else kicked their wardrobes up a notch, too. Both Peter and Harrison wore tuxedos, and Kiki glided in wearing a slinky red gown. It almost resembled an old movie set. Unfortunately, I couldn’t forget that one of us was a murderer, and the old, suspicious Brooklyn peeked her head out for a quick look around at her fellow guests.

We had gathered for the birthday festivities in the elegant Gold Salon. The five members of Chef Tang’s kitchen staff were dressed in tuxedos today in honor of Grace’s special day. The bartender began popping champagne bottles and two waiters walked through the room with trays of flutes filled with the bubbly.

Harrison, Grace’s always genial brother, shushed everyone so that he could make the first toast. He held up his glass and asked us all to do the same.

“To Grace,” he said. “A beautiful eccentric, a freaking genius, a hell of a good tennis player, and the best sister a man ever had.”

Everyone laughed and cheered, and Harrison finished by saying, “Happy birthday, sis. Here’s wishing you many more years of health, wealth, and happiness.”

“Aw,” Grace said, as tears sprang to her eyes. “Thank you, Harry.”

Even I got a little sniffly—big surprise. I dabbed at my eyes to keep the tears from actually falling and cursed the gene that had endowed me with such sympathetic tear ducts.

“Cheers!” Harrison shouted, and we all clinked glasses and drank to Grace’s good health.

After a second round of champagne and several more toasts, Grace announced that Ruth had a new poem to read.

“I hear it’s a doozy,” Grace added.

I really liked Ruth a lot and seriously hoped she was
everything she seemed to be. I didn’t think Grace could take it if she found out her dearest friend was a killer. But what in the world had the woman been doing with that shovel the other day? Had she been digging up a dead bird? Or perhaps burying a cassava root?

I shooed suspicious Brooklyn away as we all took our seats. Ruth stood alone in the center of the room, looking serious and dignified as she faced Grace. She cleared her throat, and began:

As groans and moans and laughter filled the room, Ruth smiled primly. She cleared her throat, then continued valiantly through four more silly, hilarious verses, each more groan-inducing than the one before. By the time she reached the final few lines, we were on our feet, hooting and cheering.

“Amazing how many words rhyme with Tahoe,” Gabriel said. I turned to see him standing right next to my chair.

“
Chapeau
threw me,” I admitted.

“What about
big toe
?”

I nodded. “That was a good one, too.”

We smiled at each other. Finally I whispered, “I’ll miss you.”

He raised one eyebrow.

“When you leave for Antarctica.” I chuckled as he did his best to ignore me. “Really? Polar birds?”

His jaw moved back and forth as he continued to stare straight ahead. “I didn’t want to hurt her.”

I studied him for a long moment, then nodded. “That was good of you.”

From the other side of the room, Kiki called out, “Aunt Grace, you have to do a reading from your manuscript!”

“Oh no,” Grace demurred. “I already did. Nobody wants to hear more.”

“Yes, we do,” Suzie said loudly. “Read the sexy parts!”

Harrison laughed, and Nathan led the prompt “Read it, read it, read it, read it.”