Tempest In The Tea Leaves Part 17

"Right." She gave me a calculating look that warned me to be careful and not do anything stupid to jeopardize this case. "Well, if you're done with your lecture, I'd like you to meet a new friend of mine."

I looked around but didn't see anyone. "Where is she?"

"Inside, buying the outfit I picked out for her. She's my new protegee. At least someone welcomes the advice I give them." My mother sniffed sharply.

A woman exited the shop and came to a stop beside my mother. "Thank you so much for all your help. It's nice to finally meet a friendly face around this town. I swear everyone thinks I'm the devil."

"I know exactly how you feel," I said, glad to know the Mad Hatters had taken the focus off of me.

"It was my pleasure, dear," my mother said and then swept her hand in my direction. "This is my daughter, Sylvia Meadows." She turned to me. "Darling, this is the new manager of the library, Holly Smith."

"It's Sunny," I corrected, and held out my hand.

Holly shook it, her handshake firm and tough, nothing at all like her average, slightly mousy appearance. Her sharp eyes met mine, and I swear a warning of Back off was very clearly written in them. Then they changed so quickly, I questioned if I had imagined it. Either I needed gla.s.ses, or there was more to this woman than met the eye.

Last I checked my vision was twenty-twenty.

15.

"It was great meeting you, Sunny," Ms. Smith said as though she hadn't just given me the look. "And again, thank you for the help, Mrs. Meadows, but I really must be going. My s.h.i.+ft at the library starts at five." She waved and then walked off.

"What a nice girl," my mother said.

"Hmmm, she seems nice enough, but she's hardly a girl, Mother," I said. I couldn't get that look out of my head. I knew I hadn't imagined it, but I didn't know what it meant, either. "I have to go, too," I said, needing time to figure out what to do.

"But we're not finished. What could possibly be more pressing than spending time with your mother?"

"I, um, have to meet with Detective Stone to go over the case."

"Oh, well then, by all means get going. We need something to break in this case soon." My mother looked worried, like the kind of worry I see on the faces of the people whose tea leaves I read after I tell them I see a pistol. A pistol represents disaster, and right about now disaster pretty much summed up my life. My mother never looked worried. That was not a good sign.

I gave her a quick hug and air kiss, and then I drove home in my rental car. It was almost four o'clock. I had to hurry if I was going to get to the library before Holly Smith. Maybe she was hiding something in the office. But how was I going to sneak in with Carolyn Hanes around?

I let myself into the house, tossed my bag on the kitchen counter, and then hit the message b.u.t.ton on my answering machine.

"Hey, Tink, where are you?" A pause filled the line, and then Mitch's smooth, deep b.u.t.tery voice continued, "We need to talk. Call me."

Morty rounded the corner and hissed.

"Oh, so now he wants to talk. Ha!" I said to Morty, feeling like hissing myself. "Too little, too late. I have plans." I looked at Morty and sighed. "I just haven't figured them out yet."

Morty stared at me for a full minute, and I couldn't look away. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he could hear my thoughts. He meowed and then headed for the stairs. When I didn't follow, he ran back, rubbed up against me, and meowed again. Louder this time. Then headed for the stairs once more.

I needed to change my clothes, anyway, so I followed. When I reached my bedroom, Morty was sitting on my mattress. I eyed him curiously. "What are you up to, boy?"

His nose wrinkled, and it seriously looked like the corners of his mouth tipped up. Then he stepped to the side, revealing a teddy bear behind him.

My jaw fell open. "Where did you get that?" I sputtered.

When I was little, my mom had a nanny cam that looked just like this. She used to watch my babysitters to make sure they weren't behaving badly. When I grew older, she still had a nanny cam to keep her eye on me. I hadn't seen a teddy bear like this in years. It couldn't be the same one . . . could it?

"How on earth did you get this?" I asked, gaping at Morty.

He sauntered off as if to say, You simple, simple girl.

My grin came slow and sweet. I didn't understand how it had happened, but I didn't really care, either. This nanny cam was the perfect solution to my problem.

I changed my clothes, putting on a flowy skirt and soft sweater, and then I grabbed the bear. Once downstairs, I stuffed it inside my bag and glanced around. "Thanks, Morty, wherever you are." The little stinker was as elusive as ever, his food and water still untouched. I shook my head and headed out the door.

Ten minutes later I was parking my rental car at the library. I glanced at my watch. Only thirty minutes until Holly Smith showed up. I had to work fast.

Locking up my car, I headed inside right to the circulation desk. "Excuse me," I said to the woman behind the counter.

"Yes?"

"Do you know where Miss Hanes is?"

"In the office in back."

"Thanks." I headed in that direction and knocked on the closed door.

The door opened, and Carolyn stared at me in surprise and then wariness. "Ms. Meadows?" She looked beyond me as though looking for Detective Stone. "Are you alone?"

"Oh yes." I waved my hand. "This is an unofficial visit. I have a request that might sound strange, but I was hoping you could accommodate me. You know, just between you and me. Detective Stone will never have to know."

"It's not anything unsavory, is it?"

"Oh, heavens, no." I held my hand to my chest. "It's just I feel so bad about what happened to Ms. Robbins. When she came to me for her reading, she mentioned how much she loved teddy bears." I had no clue if she really did like teddy bears or not, but I was winging it. "Anyway, I thought it would be a nice tribute if I could keep this teddy bear in here in her honor."

"Well, I don't see why not. I had no idea she was so fond of teddy bears, but that's very kind of you."

"Do you mind if I have a moment alone?" I forced my voice to hitch and my eyes to water. "I just want to say I'm so sorry for what happened to her and say good-bye."

"I guess that would be okay. But only a minute. This office is for personnel only." She slipped out the door, and I got to work.

I reached inside the bear and turned the camera on. Then I climbed on the office chair and placed the bear on top of the bookshelf. The eyes stared right down at the desk.

Perfect.

I hopped down as Carolyn Hanes came back in. I dabbed my eyes, thanked her, and left. Mission accomplished. Just before I reached the door, I ran into Holly Smith.

She stopped short and blinked when she saw me. "Miss Meadows?"

"Ah, Miss Smith. So nice to see you again. I stopped in for a book, but you don't have it, so I'll be on my way." I tried to step around her.

"What's the t.i.tle?" She blocked my path. "I'll see if we can order it."

"Oh, that's okay. I'm in a hurry." I tapped my watch. "I've got a date." I wagged my brows. "Can't keep the man waiting." I giggled, then darted by her and slipped out the door.

Back at home, I snuggled down in my pj's and sank my teeth into a gooey slice of veggie pizza. I sat on my living room sofa with a roaring fire going and surveyed the items on the coffee table before me. The audio device for the bug I'd planted in Pendleton's car and the video thingy for the nanny cam I'd placed in the library office sat front and center, beckoning me to check them out.

I never could resist a good beckoning.

"Let's see what you're up to, Alex," I said as I pressed the play b.u.t.ton and sat back to listen, sipping my iced tea.

At first a lot of static filled the line, and then Pendleton's voice came in and out, telling me more than I wanted to know about the man. He sang Beatles songs with a voice that wasn't actually half bad. He cursed out other drivers, having a bit of a temper and not much patience at all. He had a surprising fast-food addiction and loved to listen to talk radio.

I yawned, getting bored and thinking bugging his car had been a waste of time. I reached forward to shut off the device when his phone rang.

"Pendleton here," he said. "Are you sure?" A pause. "Maybe we should drop this project and move on to another location in another town. They're getting too close." Another pause. "I know we've got a lot invested in this one, but I'm telling you, something doesn't feel right." A loud bang sounded like he had slammed his fist on the dashboard. "Okay, we'll wait awhile longer, but if this deal doesn't go through soon, I'm out."

He disconnected, and then a sound like keys dropping echoed through the device really close. There was some shuffling, and then I heard, "What the h.e.l.l is this?" followed by a curse. Then the sound went dead.

I choked on a piece of my pizza, and Morty appeared at my feet, staring up at me with what looked like concern. I took a sip of my tea and rea.s.sured him. "I'm fine, my little hero."

He flipped his tail and lay down at my feet, apparently not moving until he deemed everything was okay. Physically, I was okay. Mentally, not so much. I'd worn gloves when I planted that bug, but I wasn't sure I'd done everything else right. What if Pendleton figured out I was behind the bug somehow?

Detective Stone wasn't going to be happy with me.

To take my mind off that little mess-up, I decided to turn on the video device. Carolyn Hanes wandered in and out a couple more times, doing normal office-type work. But she paced, looking worried about something.

Next, Holly Smith and Lucinda Griswold III came in together to join Carolyn and locked the door behind them.

"How are you holding up?" Lucinda asked Carolyn.

She took a shaky breath. "I'm doing okay, considering."

"It won't be much longer. Everything will work out, it always does," Holly added.

I didn't understand any of this. Holly had taken the position meant for Carolyn, and Carolyn had acted like she despised her in public. Yet here they were chummychummy. And what about Lucinda? Carolyn had told Gladys and Alex she was with them in trying to get the deal to turn the library into a bookstore to go through. Then why did she seem to be in cahoots with Lucinda as well?

Maybe it was like Survivor. Carolyn was playing both sides to see which ally would get her further in the game.

Lucinda's phone vibrated on the desk, and she answered it. A moment later, she looked straight at the nanny cam and then said, "Got it," and hung up. She tipped her head to the side and asked Carolyn, "Cute bear. Where'd you get it?"

"Sunny Meadows brought it in as a tribute to Amanda. Wasn't that sweet?"

Holly and Lucinda locked eyes, and then Holly said, "Very." Two seconds later, the bear all but forgotten, she said, "Speaking of Amanda, did you hear the latest?"

Lucinda paused a beat. "Okay, I'll bite. What?"

"Right before Amanda died, she was seen out on the town talking to Alex Pendleton." Holly shrugged. "It might mean nothing, but don't you find it odd they would meet in public together? Everyone knew they despised each other."

"Really," Lucinda said. "I wonder what they were talking about?"

"Where did they go?" Carolyn asked, looking confused.

"That new karaoke bar."

"Karaoke?" Carolyn frowned. "That doesn't sound like Amanda at all."

Holly lifted her hands, palms up. "Hey, that's what I heard. I think Pendleton likes to hang out there."

"That would be a good place to talk in private considering most of the locals prefer Smokey Jo's," Carolyn said.

"Hmmm. I wonder if the police are aware of the rumors," Lucinda speculated.

"Well, I'm sure the detective is looking into every lead." Carolyn stood, twisting her purse string in her hands. "If we're done here, I really need to go home now."

"Almost. We need to go over one more thing," Holly said.

I sat forward, my eyes glued to the screen, and then the screen went all fuzzy like a snowy white blizzard. The b.u.g.g.e.r flicked off. Unbelievable. I never thought to check the battery. I blew out a breath, still processing everything I'd heard.

Not only were these women allies, but Carolyn had still acted nervous when they'd mentioned the case. Especially the part about Pendleton. The detective wasn't the only one following leads. I'd been given a new one myself.

Maybe it was time to do a little singing of my own.

The Song Bird was a new j.a.panese karaoke bar on the edge of town. I'd changed out of my jammies and had decided to check out the place, maybe ask around and see if anyone might have seen Amanda and Pendleton. Possibly overheard their conversation.

I asked Jo to come along, but she refused to step foot in her compet.i.tor's door. Besides, she had to work. They were swamped, so Sean had to work as well. That meant I would have to go solo. I was used to going solo, and I loved karaoke. Everything would be fine.

Then why was I shaking in my knee-high suede boots?

I pulled my rental car into the parking lot, missing my bug. Hopefully Big Don would call soon, saying she was fixed. Stepping inside the bar, I didn't see anyone I knew. I recognized some people from town but no one I knew personally. Not like at Smokey Jo's, anyway.

Jo had nothing to worry about.

This place was filled with eclectic people with bizarre tastes in music, strange clothes, and weird food I didn't even recognize. It kind of reminded me of being back in the city. Not in a good way. I agreed with Carolyn Hanes's statement: this place did not seem like the sort of bar Amanda Robbins would visit, so Pendleton must have made it worth her while.

I made my way over to the bar, tucking my skirt beneath my legs as I sat on a stool barely big enough to fit beneath my bottom. I ordered a club soda with lime. That way I could keep my wits about me, yet no one would know I wasn't drinking. I needed to keep a clear head and find some answers.

"Hi there, I'm Sunny," I said to the bartender. "I'm new in town. Someone I met at the library recommended this place."

The bartender was a pet.i.te Asian woman with long black hair twisted in a knot at the base of her neck. "That's nice. I'm Kim." She looked me over curiously. "You don't look like our usual crowd. We get more outsiders than we do locals."

"Really? That's odd. My friend said her coworker, Amanda Robbins, used to come here a lot."

"I heard about that poor librarian. That's awful what happened to her." She shook her head. "I don't ever remember her coming in here."

I sipped more of my club soda, completely baffled now. "Are you sure you've never seen her in here with some man?"

"I'm here a lot, and I've never seen Amanda Robbins in here by herself or with anyone else. Why don't you ask Cole?"