“They certainly do,” Skye murmured.
“Just remember, the nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow.”
As they walked out to the parking lot, Skye asked Wally, “Was what you said about knowing you didn’t feel the way toward Darleen that you felt toward someone else, and wanting to back out of the wedding, true?” All that he’d told her previously was that his and Darleen’s marriage had been rocky from the start.
He stopped. “Every word.” Tugging her under a huge old oak tree that hadn’t started losing its leaves yet, he pulled her to him.
As she gazed into his warm brown eyes, Skye saw the heartrending tenderness of his gaze, and a tiny part of her blew out a sigh of relief. She had always wondered what he felt for Darleen and whether she had been his true soul mate.
“And was that person you felt more for . . . Was that me?” Skye slipped her arms between his jacket and shirt, caressing the planes of his back.
“Yes, it was you,” he whispered. “It’s always been you, since I first saw you.”
His breath was warm against her face, and her heart raced. “Is it awful of me to be glad?”
“No.” His lips brushed against hers. “Not if you love me as much as I love you.”
“Once I turned eighteen, I always wondered if you’d ask me out sometime.” She could feel the heat of his body pressed against the length of hers.
“I was twenty-four years old and you were still in high school. It wouldn’t have been right.” He rained tiny kisses all over her face. “Then after you went to college, you rarely came home.”
“A huge mistake on my part.” She raised herself on tiptoe, cradled his cheeks between her two hands, and pressed her mouth to his.
Wally gathered her closer, and his tongue stroked the soft fullness of her lips.
Skye shivered in delight, and at first she didn’t hear the sound of a throat clearing. Then abruptly she stiffened and stepped out of Wally’s embrace. He gave her a puzzled look, then blew out a sigh of resignation.
Officer Zelda Martinez stood a few feet away, her olive completion a dusty pink. “I’m sorry to bother you, Chief, but you’ve got your cell switched off and we’ve had a break in the case.”
CHAPTER 13
Brave New World
“At approximately four forty-five p.m.,a Ms.Judy Martin, who claimed to be the director of the Scumble River Public Library, phoned the PD.” Zelda stood at attention and focused her gaze over Wally’s right shoulder. “Ms. Martin stated that she had important information regarding the Tales and Treats burglary but refused to give the dispatcher any details and insisted on speaking directly to the chief.”
“And when she was told I was unavailable?” Wally asked when Zelda didn’t continue.
“Ms. Martin declared that she would wait for you at the library.”
“Thank you.” Wally nodded, dismissing the officer. Once Zelda was gone, he said to Skye, “This has got to be about the stolen books. We sent out a list to other rare-book dealers in a three-hundred-mile radius and to Internet brokers, but why would a librarian be involved?”
“I don’t have a clue.” Skye put both hands up in a “who knows?” gesture. “But Judy isn’t prone to exaggeration or drama.” As a frequent patron of the library, Skye knew the librarian well. “If she says her info is important, I’d bet it is.”
“Then we best get over there and hear what she has to say.”
Since Skye and Wally had each driven from work directly to the rectory, she followed him in her own car. The library was on the second floor of city hall, in the same building as the PD. So while Skye drove around to park in the public lot, Wally pulled his squad car into the garage.
They met at the entrance and climbed the stairs together. It was almost five thirty, a half hour after the library was supposed to close, but the door was unlocked. Skye and Wally stood at the chest-high counter and looked around. There was no sign of Judy.
The library was divided into two main rooms, both of which were jam-packed with shelves. There were a few wooden chairs and a couple of study carols, but the rest of the space was crammed with books and magazines. A small office was wedged into a corner.
“Anybody here?” Wally raised his voice. “Ms. Martin, it’s Chief Boyd.”
There was no answer.
The town had needed a bigger library for years, but somehow the funds never materialized. Lack of resources also meant limited hours. Currently, on the weekend the library was open only from ten to four on Saturday and noon to three on Sunday. Judy and two high school students on a work-study plan were the sole employees, although the Friends of the Library provided a couple of volunteers.
“I’ll check the office,” Skye offered.
“Good. I’ll see if she’s anywhere among the shelves.” Wally headed into the other room.
Skye walked over to the tiny cube and stuck her head inside. It was empty. As she returned to the circulation counter, she noted how threadbare and depressing the surroundings were. With most of the budget reserved for acquisitions, the paint on the walls had faded to a sickly goldenrod, and the carpet was somewhere between a tumbleweed tan and mouse-droppings brown.
Someone, presumably Judy, had attempted to brighten the space by adding lacy green plants to the tops of the shelves and hanging colorful mobiles from the ceiling. But they just added to the clutter and highlighted the shabbiness.
Skye and Wally met back at the entrance, and he said, “No sign of her among the shelves.”
“She wasn’t in her office either.” Skye felt a prickle of concern. “I hope nothing’s happened to her. If she had some knowledge of the crime, and the criminal found out, maybe he kidnap—”
“We don’t even know what she wanted to tell me,” Wally cut her off. “Let’s not borrow trouble.”
“I’m not.” Skye’s voice had an edge to it. “But she specifically said she would wait for you here, so where is she?”
Wally stepped into the hallway and yelled, “Hey, anyone around?”
He had just taken a deep breath to call out again when Judy came rushing up the stairs, still drying her hands on a paper towel. She wore her shiny brown hair to her shoulders and had a light dusting of freckles across her button nose. Her wholesome good looks reminded Skye of the old TV show character Gidget. And the pink and black polka-dotted skirt and pink cotton T-shirt she wore reinforced that girl-next-door image.
Skye stepped out from behind Wally and raised her hand in a small wave. “Hi, Judy.”
“Hi, Skye.” After ditching the paper towel in the trash can, Judy apologized. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Chief Boyd. I was in the bathroom. It sure would be nice if there was one up here. Oh, well. As my grandma used to say, if wishes were horses, we’d all be in the Kentucky Derby.” She smiled at them both. “I’m so glad to see you two.”
“What’s up?” Wally took his notepad from his pocket. “Officer Martinez said you had something urgent to discuss with me.”
“I do.” Judy fished a key ring from her pocket, then walked around Wally and Skye. “Let me lock up and I’ll show you. It’s easier than trying to explain.”
“Sure.” Skye glanced at Wally. What did she need to show them?
After Judy secured the library’s entrance, she motioned for them to follow her. “They’re in my office.” Once they had squeezed into the tiny space, she pointed to a pile of books. A paper grocery bag was pushed down around them. “These do not belong to the library.”
“Oh?” Wally’s voice was neutral. “Then how did they get here?”
“They were deposited into our remote box sometime between four p.m. on Saturday and noon Sunday,” Judy explained. “You know, the one in the parking lot that people can drive up to and return books without getting out of their car.”