"A Murder In Milburn", Book 3: Death In The Library (18 page)

“But how?” Tina asked. “And why?”

“Grant is the obvious connection, really,” Nora said. “As soon as you figure out his motive. Fifty years ago, he killed the girlfriend who left him for an older man. Helen. Poor young Helen. What was worse, he blamed an innocent woman for the crime.”

“I had no intention of ruining Maude’s life,” Grant said. “She was just a convenience.”

“Your father ran the town pharmacy. You worked there. You knew Maude’ pills, and her dosage. You knew everything about Helen’s schedule too.” Nora sighed. “You killed Helen and framed Maude.”

“Not very easy to prove,” Grant said.

“No. Not very easy to prove,” Nora agreed. “But you still didn’t want the case to be reopened.”

“I couldn’t risk it,” Grant said. “With modern testing… they were sure to find my DNA somewhere it shouldn’t be. No. Selena had to die. So did Robert. He was a threat.”

“That’s why you invited him here in the first place,” Nora said. “Isn’t it? You found out that he was planning to write this book.”

“Selena’s literary agent has lunch with me each time she’s in town,” Grant said. “She told me about him.”

“You thought the perfect opportunity was when he and I met at the library that day,” Nora said.

“It was like a godsend,” Grant replied. “Robert had told nobody but me. You, I assumed, would tell
someone
that Robert had invited you there. I thought I could make it look like a murder-suicide. I was going to spin some tale, write a nice note. I was desperate by then, to be rid of the whole thing. I got rid of Robert, but Harvey barged in and saved you. I was unlucky.”

“Wrong,” Nora said. “Your plan would never have worked. If you had killed us both, Sean would have known within days that it was you, either through the prints or DNA you left behind, or simply because you had better access to the library than anyone else. As a matter of fact, you got away with it for too long because that coma of yours put me off track.”
 

Grant laughed. “You can imagine how scared I was, Nora. I’d just killed Robert. I was about to get rid of you when Harvey played the hero. I had to think fast. I dropped a heavy book on myself. I was prepared to die then, but I believed luck was on my side. I knew I would survive.”

“Some evil force was on your side, all right,” Nora said. “You got away for so long because after the coma, none of us thought of you as a suspect. The library door threw me off track too, after all, if you had done it, why throw the door open?”

“Ah.” Grant looked smug. “That was a brilliant move on my part. You couldn’t figure it out, could you?”

“I did. Just now. It clicked together somehow when Tina talked about a bitter pill. It’s when I remembered that you were the pharmacist’s son,” Nora said. “I also remembered exactly what happened that day. You went downstairs, and then I heard you scream. Robert ran down to get you, as you expected. You had opened the library door so that you could hide in the darkness and wait for your prey to step into the patch of light in front of the door. That’s exactly what Robert did, isn’t it? I saw his body as I was coming down the stairs. I only saw a bit of it, and for the longest time I assumed that it was
you
I saw lying there. But of course, it wasn’t. You snuck upstairs through another route, and tried to kill me. You hid when Harvey ran in to save me and then, when Harvey took me to the hospital, you panicked at the thought that you would soon be caught. You hid Robert’s body in the basement, dumping it in a trunk full of mothballs so that no one would catch the scent. You hit yourself over the head and that was that.”

“Right.” Grant smiled. “You’re a smart woman, Nora. But are you an emotional one?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean this. My game is up. I know it. But before I die, I’d rather take you with me than Tina.” He smiled. “Now if you put down that gun and kick it to me, I’ll let Tina go. I have nothing against her, so I’ll just kill you and me. Otherwise, you have the choice. Feel free to kill me. Tina will die.”

Nora didn’t hesitate. She put down her gun.

“No!” Tina screamed. “Nora, don’t be stupid. Don’t kick that gun to him. We’re both dead if you do!”

“I know what I’m doing, Tina.”

“You really don’t! Don’t do it!”

“Tina.” Nora gave her a stern look. “Look at me.” Tina looked at her.

“Goodbye,” Nora said, looking Tina in the eye.

But she said it to Grant.

From behind him, Harvey sprang, wresting the knife away. Tina pushed herself away, gasping and rubbing her neck.

Grant, with the power of a maniac, struggled hard in Harvey’s grip, but in seconds, Nora was standing over him, gun in hand. “Game’s up,” she said, and Grant slumped, defeated.

*****

Epilogue

Grant’s arrest went through the town like a ball of lightning. For a week, it was all anyone could discuss. The trial, when it happened a year later, would become one of the most highly watched TV programs in the town’s history. When he was sentenced to life imprisonment, cheers went up around the room, and Sam swept Tina into his arms, kissing her over and over.

As Nora had predicted, Sean found the evidence he needed soon enough. Backed with Grant’s full confession, it was a pretty easy decision for the judge and jury.

What was harder, and took a lot longer, was the judge’s posthumous dismissal of all charges against JJ’s Aunt Maude. With the proceeds from selling Selena’s house, Sam renovated the old library, and renamed it after Selena, Helen and Maude. As for Grant - any sign that he had ever been librarian was removed. Except for the
Milburn Report
article about his arrest.

Nora’s cast came off two days before the diner was due to open. Harvey took a photo of the moment, uploading it to Facebook, much to Nora’s embarrassment.

“Well, well, well.” Mayor Almand walked in, a bouquet in hand. “There’s no lady who deserves this more than you, Nora.”

“Thank you, Mayor.”

“I’m here to give you an official commendation from the office of Mayor. You can expect a medal for bravery to be at your doorstep soon,” he said.

“I really wasn’t trying to be brave this time,” Nora said. “I promised Harvey I’d give up all my false bravado.”

“Yes, we know how long that lasted.” Harvey leaned down and kissed her.

“On a personal note, Nora.” Mayor Almand hesitated. “I… I’ve come to ask you… to request you--”

“Not to speak about you and Helen?” Nora said.

“I’ve decided to speak about it to May myself,” Mayor Almand says. “It terrifies me, but I’m hoping she’ll come around. Eventually.”

“Mayor Almand, may I speak to you as an equal for a second?” Nora asked. “And not as Mayor?”

“Why, of course. I’ve often told you to call me Brett.”

“Brett, then. You’re a fool. You really think May doesn’t know?” Nora shook her head. “She’s a smart lady. She knows, believe me. She probably always did. She loved you anyway.”

Mayor Almand hung his head. “Then there’s a chance,” he said, hopefully.

“You’ll be in the doghouse for a long time, though,” Harvey said.

“It’ll be worth it, I think,” Mayor Almand said.
 

Harvey turned to Nora as the Mayor left, and asked, “What do you think?”

“What do I think? I think May loves him very much,” Nora said. “I also think she’s likely to break a lamp against his head if he’s not careful.”

“He’s a politician,” Harvey said. “My bet is he’ll charm her so well, they’ll be like a newly married couple in no time.”

“That’s so sweet,” Nora said.

“Yes, it’ll be tough competition for us.” Harvey smiled.

“What?” Nora’s eyes brightened.

“I said, it’ll be tough competition for others,” Harvey said.

“That’s not what you said.”

“Can you prove it?” he teased.

“Harvey…” Nora’s voice was dangerous.

“What? I still remember how easily you told May that you and I were just
casual
,” Harvey said. “Well, I’m being casual.”

“You’re being downright cruel,” Nora said.

Harvey reached inside his pocket, and paused.

Nora waited.

“I bought you something,” he said, bringing his hand out. A small velvet box was clutched in it.

“Oh!” Nora gasped.

“A pendant,” he said, opening it, and revealing a beautiful azure necklace.

“Oh!” Nora’s face lit up with a smile, a smile that had a hint of disappointment.

“That’s an unusual box for a necklace,” she said.

“The jeweler didn’t have the box for the necklace, so I told him he could pack it up in a ring-box instead,” Harvey said.

“I’m sure you did.” Nora batted at him with a pillow. Then, she hugged him.

“I
am
going to propose sooner or later, you know,” Harvey said. “But not when you’ve just had your cast removed. I’m a little bit more creative than that.”

“You just enjoy teasing me,” Nora said.

“Of course, I do,” Harvey replied. “You get the most delicious red color on your cheeks.”

“One day more,” Tina said excitedly. “One day more and the diner will be open! This is it, Nora! I can’t contain myself.”

“I feel the same way.” Nora jumped up and down happily. “It’s done. Everything’s perfect.”

“It is. Especially between me and Sam,” Tina said. “Nora, I can’t thank you enough for everything. I have my husband back. He’s stopped using those nasty pills. He’s started eating normal meals. He even laughs once in awhile. All because of you.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Nora said. “You nursed him back, and he’s a strong man. He would have recovered eventually.”

“Sometimes I wish you were a little less modest.” Tina gave Nora a hug. “Alright. I’ll be back later. Will you close up here?”

“I will. See you tomorrow!”

“See you! I can’t wait!”

Nora waved goodbye. Then she turned around, and took a deep breath.
 

This was it.

Tomorrow
The Madness Diner
would begin. But for today, just for today, she could do without any madness.

The End

Thank you so much for reading my story!
 
If you liked it, you can carry on to Book 4,
Death By Ice Cream
right now!
 
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You’ve probably already read the first two
BOOKS IN THIS SERIES
but you may
not
know that there is also a novella-length Prequel that you can get on Amazon called
Dying To Be Cool.
 
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CLICKING HERE!

Please continue for a note from the author…

A RECIPE FOR YOU!

Nora’s Pomegranate Iced Tea

Total Time
: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

Ice

8 cups of water

8 tea bags

4 cups pomegranate juice

1 cup cranberry juice

Juice of 2 lemons

Juice of 2 limes

2 cups of white sugar

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

Sprigs of fresh mint

Directions:

1.
 
Pour 8 cups of boiling water into a heat-safe pitcher.

2.
 
Add 8 tea bags and allow tea to steep for 10 minutes.

3.
 
Discard the tea bags and stir in the 2 cups of white sugar.

4.
 
In a mixing bowl, muddle the lemon and lime juices with the brown sugar, blending them thoroughly.
 

5.
 
Thin-slice several mint leaves and add them to the juices/brown sugar.

6.
 
Stir in the pomegranate juice and cranberry juice.

7.
 
Add the entire mixture to the sweet tea and mix thoroughly.

8.
 
Serve over ice, garnished with fresh mint.

9. Enjoy!

One More Thing…

If you would
RETURN TO AMAZON
to give this book a positive review, I would
really
appreciate it!
 
Thank you so much!

Please continue for a note from the author…

A Note From Nancy

Wow!
 
Book 3!
 
I can’t believe we’ve already come this far!
 
It has been an amazing journey so far and, from what I can tell, it is only going to get better from here!

Of course, the reason everything is so great is because of
you
, my reader.
 
I cannot say
Thank You
enough for all you have done to support me in this exciting endeavor.
 
Between buying my books, spreading the word about them
 
(and me!) via social media and filling my email inbox with words of encouragement, you have touched my heart in a way I could never have imagined.
 
And I
so
appreciate all of it!