Page 46 of Merry Murder Season
Beth worked this evening and she’d told me she’d be at the library this morning, so when I got home from work, I let Emma out and grabbed my keys for the Jeep. I wished I could take Emma, but I knew she wouldn’t be allowed inside, and even though it wasn’t hot, I didn’t like leaving her in the car for long. And who knew how long this project would take? It was better to be safe than sorry. I turned on the television so she would have some noise and then got in my Jeep to head out to the historical library.
The weather was perfect for watching the waves while I drove. Luckily it wasn’t too far for me toget distracted.
When I got there, a tall young Black man sat on the steps, waiting. He looked like he worked out. Not your typical library rat. He wore dress pants and a button-down shirt. “Are you Jamal?”
“You must be Jill King. I’ve been in your shop several times, but it’s usually nights when Andrew’s godmother or your blond surfer dude with dreadlocks is there. I don’t think we’ve ever met.” He held out his hand.
I shook his hand and looked around. “This is amazing. I’m not sure I knew it existed.”
“The original library started in Sacramento. We took over the coastal area about ten years ago when Sacramento cried uncle on all the historical documents it was being given. So now there are three libraries. Northern, inland, and our coastal building. We handle from San Francisco down. I bet both San Francisco and LA will have their own buildings within ten years.There’s just too much history happening here for us not to grow.” He paused the history lesson as he held the door open for me and we went inside. “If you need a jacket, let me know. We have the temperature low to keep the materials safe. All the South Cove stuff is in this roomdown the hall.”
I followed him to a room where there were boxes of materials lining the walls. Several bookcases were sparsely filled with either books or boxes. He led me to a set of drawers that weren’t more than four inches tall. He slapped the top of the cabinet. “All the blueprints should be in here unless they haven’t been unboxed yet. We separate them by year. Do you know what year your building was built?”
“In 1922,” I said as I scanned the labels. “Here’s 1900–1930, fingers crossed.”
I pulled open the drawer to see three blueprints. The bank, the library, and a building I knew had been torn down when they built City Hall. “It’s not here.”
“I would have been shocked if it was.” Jamal smiled at me. “Don’t freak out. We’ve got a lot of stuff to look through. You take all the drawers from 1800 forward and I’ll start unboxing over there. I thought I saw some boxes labeled tax records.”
I knelt on the floor and pulled out the first drawer. Empty. Same with the second, and third. If there ever was a picture of what a wild goose chase looked like, it would be me, on the floor looking through empty or almostempty drawers.
Two hours later, I’d gone through all the drawers and Jamal had unpacked five boxes. Neither one of us had been successful in finding the building’s blueprints.
He held out a notepad. “Write down your name and phone number and exactly what building we’re looking for the blueprints for.” He hadn’t found any blueprints during his search but he had found some old menus from a restaurant in South Covein the fifties.
I took the paper and wrote my information on it, even though I figured I was at a complete dead end. “Thanks, Jamal. I appreciate everything you did.”
“Andrew says he’s working for you. He’s a great guy. A little buttoned up, but a good guy. We bonded in undergrad. We lived on the same floor in the dorms. I’m glad he’s finding his path.” He took back the notebook and pen and walked me out to the front door. “Come any time. We love having visitors.”
Which I knew was a complete lie since he’d walked me to the room and escorted me out using his passkey for every door. The securityhere was tight. At least Greg couldn’t say I was putting myself in danger, sitting in a locked library digging through historic documents.
As I drove home, I wondered if Josh knew about this treasure trove of history. I would stop in tomorrow and return his books and tell him about the document library. Beth was still out when I got home, so Emma and I ran on the beach.
After that, I texted Greg to see if he was coming home for dinner.Maybe, was the response. When I texted Beth, I was surprised to get an answer. She kept her phone off, so she must have been in the car with the phone plugged in.
I’m meeting someone for coffee, then going directly to the bookstore. I had a big lunch.
Her response seemed normal, but I wondered who she was meeting for coffee. Hopefully Sadie or a fellow student. There was only one person who could be an issue. Dom. But as Greg liked to say all the time, at least to me, not my circus,not my monkeys.
Unless Lille took it out on me.
I would be alone for dinner. Greg’smaybeusually turned into ano,so I needed a plan. The fridge was empty. I could drive into Bakerstown to get groceries, or I could leave that chore until Sunday. I picked up the phone and placed a to-go order at Diamond Lille’s. This way, at least I’d have Emma to keep me company. And we could walk there and back. I got her leash, tucked my wallet and Josh’s books into my backpack, and headed into town. After I got back, I’d curl up with the book Deek had assigned me for the Staff Recommends part of the newsletter and see if I could get far enough to write something for his upcoming newsletter.
First stop, the bookstore, just to check in.
Deek and Judith were there, as well as a few customers scattered about. They must have had a rush earlier, because both of them were in the dining room cleaning when I came inside. Deek saw me first. “Jill, what’s going on? Did Beth bailon her shift?”
“No, I’m just checking in.” I stayed near the doorway, hoping Emma wouldn’t bother anyone. I could have come in the back and left her in the office, but I wanted to make this visit quick. “Howdid Andrew do?”
Judith moved her bin to the next table, spraying and wiping down the last one as she talked. “He did great again today. He’s curious and thinks ahead. And he’s got a wide variety of reading habits. I think he’ll bea real asset.”
Deek nodded. “I’m beginning to worry about my job. You hired two people in two days who should be amazing and blend inwith the crew.”
“I have to keep you around. You know where too many bodies are buried.” I smiled and because of the shocked look on a customer’s face, I added, “Figuratively, that is.”
“Did you need something?” Deek moved closer. “Judith’s about to leave, but if you need to talk to one of us, I can ask her to stay.”
“I was just checking in, so I’m out of here.” I pulled on Emma’s leash. “Have a great shift with Beth. She’s enjoying playing barista.”
