MELODY and MURDER (Melody The Librarian Book 1) (5 page)

On Friday, I left the house early so I could make a stop to pick up donuts. The rain clouds, although still present, had parted and the sun was breaking through. We lived close enough to town that I could walk to work, and I hoped that when I found my own place, its location would allow me to do the same.

At 8:00, not many of the businesses along Main Street were open. Several, in fact, wouldn’t open for another month, including the ice cream stand, the miniature golf course and a couple of restaurants. I flashed on how exciting the summers were growing up, with lots of tourists milling about, and all the shops open, the mix of food aromas carried on the warm air. By contrast, during the winters, Main Street looked a little like a ghost town with weeds growing along the fronts and sides of the vacant buildings.

Geri’s Bakery was a welcome exception. I hadn’t been there since summer break in my senior year at college. It was a small place, with only four tables for customers, plus the counter seats, but most of their business was takeout. According to the sign, they served soup and sandwiches up to 1:00.

And there behind the counter was the owner, Geraldine Rafferty. If I’d had any doubts about the quality of their baked items being as good as I remembered, they had now been laid to rest. I waited behind two other customers, scanning the display cases, my mouth watering the whole while.

“Melody Reed, is that you?” Geri smiled. “I heard you were back in town. Haven’t lost your sweet tooth, have you?”

“No way,” I laughed. “Good to see you’re still at it, Geri. I thought maybe you’d gotten tired of getting up at three in the morning and had retired.”

“Hah! Nobody retires anymore, don’t you know that? We just work till we drop, if we’re lucky. What’ll you have?”

She had a very impressive assortment of pastries and it was hard to choose. I’ve always had a weakness for maple logs, so I started with three of those. (Chrissie, our volunteer, would be working today; didn’t want to overlook her.) By the time I was done, I’d chosen a dozen treats before forcing myself to stop.

“So I heard you found that homeless guy, huh?” she asked, while ringing me up. “Ain’t that terrible? Never thought something like that would happen in Lake Hare. That’s more like ‘big city’ stuff.”

“Yes, I used to think so, too,” I replied.

“He used to come around here, Jacob. I’d give him the day-olds once in a while. He never talked, just smiled. Seemed harmless enough to me. Don’t know why people used to get so upset.”

“Upset?”

“Sure. Some shop owners would run out and shoo him away if he loitered in front of their business. Harvey Crane at the hardware used to keep a broom by the front and chase him away. I never heard of Jacob trying to steal anything, unlike that one, for instance.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked past me.

I turned and saw a tall, thin man in a green Army coat across the street. He had tipped the lid from a litter can and seemed to be inspecting its contents.

“I must have lived a sheltered life,” I admitted. “I don’t remember seeing people digging through trash cans or loitering in the library when I was younger.”

“Oh, there may have been some, but either there are more of them now or they’ve become bolder. I’ve heard that several squat on the campgrounds by the lake or out at the state park. Chief Benson’s told me that he’s driven some all the way into Crawford, just to be rid of them. But somehow they’re able to find their way back. You’d think a bigger town like Crawford would offer more resources or work, if that’s what they’re looking for, but you’d be surprised how many of them seem to wander back before long.”

I thanked Geri and turned to leave.

“So have you gone and gotten married yet, Melody?”

“No, not yet,” I said, a little embarrassed at discussing my marital status in front of her customers.

“Well, you keep me in mind when you do. I make the best cakes in town!”

We both laughed. As far as I knew, she was the only baker in town.

Outside, I hesitated, watching the man across the street, wondering if I should offer him one of my donuts. I felt a little guilty about indulging in junk food when someone else had no food at all. At the same time, I wasn’t sure that a donut would be the most practical thing to offer someone in his situation. But he ignored me, intent on exploring the litter can, so I continued on toward work.

A man stood outside Crane’s Hardware. He had a hose running, wetting the asphalt parking spaces in front while he vigorously scrubbed at the bird droppings with a hard-bristled broom. He didn’t look happy, nor did he look up from his task to acknowledge me. Was that Harvey Crane? The hardware store used to be run by a man named Somers.

I needed to get up-to-speed on the changes that had occurred in my hometown. Since we were only open till noon on Saturdays, I decided that I’d undertake a more thorough tour of Main Street tomorrow. Mom could help me fill in the gaps.

When I entered the library, I took the donuts into the lunchroom. I found a platter in a cupboard and arranged the donuts on napkins. Then I noticed an unpleasant odor coming from the trashcan. It was the wine bottle. I should’ve taken it out to the recycling bin yesterday, but I’d forgotten to do so.

I needed to take care of the morning preparations, so I pulled the trash bag, tied it, and placed it in the cupboard under the sink until I could get to it. I heard the back door slam. That would be Marian. I hoped she wouldn’t think that I’d been sipping some – what was the brand? – Rabid Dog Froth, or whatever, as an eye-opener.

The day flew by, and for that, I was grateful. The afternoons are always fun because that’s when the kids get home from school, and some usually trickle into the library. Fridays they’re scarcer; they’ve had their fill of books by then, and today was the first sunny day we’d had since I’d been here.

Molly was the exception. She had visited the library every afternoon this week. Marian referred to her as my “little friend,” though she admitted that Molly had been a regular for quite some time. Marian also informed me that Molly was raised by a single mom who worked in Crawford and got home by 5:30 p.m. each day. Since we were open till 6:00, it all worked out, and I was glad to have Molly’s company.

“And what did you learn in school today, Molly?”

“New words, Miss Melody! Compass:  that’s what helps you when you’re lost. Complain: that’s what Brian Donahue does. He hates learning new words. He told me that we won’t even use most of our new words when we get big.”

“Don’t you believe that, Molly,” I said. “You can always use new words. The more words you know, the better you can describe things so people know exactly what you mean. That’s like saying you don’t need a lot of musical notes because you can make a simple song with three notes, like do-re-mi. But if you know lots of notes, you can make a
symphony.
Do you know what that is?”

“Like Beethoven?” she asked.

“Exactly! And people have loved Beethoven’s music for hundreds of years, so it must be pretty good, huh?”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “He uses lots of these.” Molly pantomimed playing a violin.

“You do that very well,” a man’s voice said. “That may be the best air violin I’ve ever heard.” Molly smiled and looked up over my head. When I turned around, I saw that it was Gary Van Dyke. He now sported a mustache and his resemblance to his father was even more pronounced.

I stood and have Gary a hug. “Molly, this is Gary; Gary, Molly.”

“Hello, Molly,” he said, crouching down to her height. “Have you ever played a real violin before?” Molly shook her head. “Do you know where the music store is?” Molly nodded. “Well, if you’d like to try playing one, just have your mother bring you down to our store and we’ll let you saw away on one. We have a couple that are just your size. Would you like that?” Molly nodded her head enthusiastically.

Gary stood up. “Thanks for providing me with a lead, Melody.

I laughed. “Do I get some kind of commission?”

“Sure. I’ll spring for dinner. Seriously, I came by to see if you’d like to grab a bite at Burger’s. What time are you off?”

“I can see you’re not a regular patron,” I sniffed. “We’re open till 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and until noon on Saturday.”

“Good to know,” he laughed. “I just got back from Crawford. It’s been a long day. But Dad told me you were back in town and I thought we could catch up on what you’ve been doing. What do you say?”

“Sounds great,” I said. “I’m staying with Mom for now. I’d better give her a call.”

“Do what you need to and I’ll be back at 6:00. I’ve got to run a few errands in the meantime. I’ll see you in a little bit, okay?”

“Okey dokey,” I said. Molly was observing our interaction.

“Okey dokey!” she said, smiling. She liked saying it, too. We watched Gary leave, and Molly asked, “Miss Melody, are you going on a date?”

“I wouldn’t call it a date, Molly. We’re both friends.”

“Oh,” she said, trying to sort out the difference. “So…no kissing, then.”

“That’s right, Molly. No kissing.”

I directed Molly to the picture books and sat her down in a child’s rocker. As she turned the pages, she was soon oblivious to my presence. I went to the lunchroom to call Mom.

“Mom, you didn’t have any special plans for dinner tonight, did you? I think I’m going to grab something at Burger’s after work.”

“Oh, Melody, I wish you’d have let me know sooner. I’ve got vegetable lasagna in the oven.”

“I’m sorry, Mom. It was kind of spur-of-the-moment. Gary Van Dyke just stopped by and asked me….”

“Gary Van Dyke? Well, why didn’t you say so? Not a problem; the only thing better than lasagna fresh from the oven is leftover lasagna. You kids go and have fun.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

“I’ll leave the door unlocked in case you get back late. And if you don’t get in till morning, I’ll understand. After all, you’re an adult now.”

“Mom!”
I couldn’t believe my mother was giving her blessing for her daughter to…well, let’s just say that I didn’t remember quite this level of permissiveness before I went off to college. “I’m sure I’ll be back before you turn in.”

“Don’t rush home on my account, sweetie.”

“Goodbye, Mom.” Sheesh, sometimes I wonder if Mom’s grandmotherly imperative trumped any “maternal drive” on my part.

At 5:55, Gary returned. “Are we ready?” he asked.

“Not quite,” I said, and nodded toward Molly, who stood looking out the window for her mother’s car. Usually, her Mom would arrive shortly after 5:30. I wondered why she didn’t call if she knew she was running late. Finally, at 6:10, I turned out the lights and locked up. The three of us stood on the front steps and waited.

“You don’t mind, do you?” I asked.

“Not at all,” Gary said, calmly. “It’s not like I’m starving. In fact, I’m glad we’re making sure she stays safe.”

The sound of a car in need of a new muffler grew louder and soon appeared, parking on the side street. A woman in a down vest and jeans walked briskly toward us.

“Oh, my god, I’m so sorry. Thank you for watching Molly. They asked if I could stay a half hour longer at work. I thought for sure I’d get here before closing.”

“It wasn’t a problem,” I assured her. “I’m Melody, the librarian, and this is Gary Van Dyke.” She shook our hands. She smelled heavily of nicotine and stale smoke.

“Oh, the music store, huh?” she asked. She looked to be about the same age as me, early thirties. Now that the stress had subsided, her smile revealed an attractive woman. “I’m Cathy Spencer; call me Cat. Yeah, when they offer me some overtime, I have to jump on it. Matter of fact, they asked me to come in tomorrow for a half day. There’s something going on at the paper mill. I don’t know what, but I hope it stays busy. There were rumors of lay-offs not long ago, but now we’re heading into our peak season, so it should stay hopping. All I have to do is find a babysitter for tomorrow.”

“Do you have family in the area, Cat?” I asked.

“Got a sister in Rose City, but she works, too.”

Something made me hesitate – selfishness, maybe – but I found myself volunteering to watch Molly.

“Are you sure?” she asked. “That would be so helpful.”

“Sure, I’m sure. Just drop her off at the library. When would you pick her up?”

“I work from 9:00 to 1:00. Does that work for you?”

“I’ll make it work for me.” I’d have to go in early and stay later, but that was all right. I had plenty to do. “You’ll drop her off about 8:30?” Cat nodded. “Great. But if you’re going to be later than 1:30, please call.”

“Deal,” she said. “Thanks so much, Melody. Good to meet you both. Come on, Molly, you must be hungry.”

We watched them walk to the car. “How about you, Gary? Are you hungry?”

“Are you kidding?” he asked. “I’m starved!”

Burger’s was actually named after its owner, Klaus Burger, and was a nice casual dining eatery. But when your name is Burger and you serve food, you’d better feature some sort of hamburger on your menu or the tourists would revolt. So they came up with an extensive lineup of burger variations which became popular with both tourists and townies alike.