Elizabeth C. Main - Jane Serrano 01 - Murder of the Month (31 page)

“But what about the damage? Bookcases knocked over … in both the front and back, you say?”

“We should leave it the way it is and advertise it as sort of a theme house,” Tyler said.

“Good idea,” Alix said. “Come and see the room where it all started, with Wendell and his frosted bran bars. For only one extra dollar you can step over and around the hundreds of books Harley tried to use to trap the fearless Jane. You could sell the books as collector’s items. Some of them look as though they’ve been there long enough to qualify. And the ones Jane had picked out to throw at Harley ought to be worth a lot more.”

“I could make cookies to sell,” Minnie volunteered. “Let’s see. What kind?”

Bianca was right in tune with this insane chorus. “You could make them in the shape of little handcuffs.”

Minnie looked thoughtful, and then clapped her hands. “I’ve got it! Instead of cookies, I’ll make funnel cakes. They’re like little doughnuts.”

“Great,” Bianca said. “Maybe some non-fat ones, too, so we could appeal to a wider clientele.”

“How do you make non-fat doughnuts?” Alix asked.

“I don’t know, but if anybody can do it, it’s Minnie,” said Bianca. “Anyway, the handcuffs would really tie together the whole mystery theme. They’d advertise the fact that Mom caught Harley and at the same time they’d advertise our book club.”

“Oh, no,” I said. “Never again with the book club. That’s how we got into this mess.”

“But we never got to discuss
Prove It, Puppy!
”

“We were sort of busy,” Tyler said indignantly, “looking for you, mostly.”

“If you’d looked a little faster, you could have saved me a lot of trouble,” Bianca teased.

“I wasn’t even supposed to be in that garage,” he protested. “You’re lucky I popped the trunk of Gil’s car at all.”

“We all are, Tyler,” I said. “I never thought I’d say it, but let’s hear it for insubordination.”

“Wait a minute. I have to live with this kid,” Laurence said. From the smile on his face, it was clear that he didn’t mind the prospect at all.

“Hello,” said Nick from the doorway. “This is the most popular room in the hospital today.” He looked around until he found where I was sitting. My heart raced just the tiniest bit. “Nice cast, Jane.”

“You might as well come in,” Laurence said, “whoever you are.”

“I’m a customer at your store, as well as Jane and Bianca’s attorney.”

“Better stick around,” Laurence suggested. “They may need you again if they persist in removing evidence from crime scenes.”

“Oh, I intend to stick around all right,” Nick responded, smiling and handing me a newspaper. “I thought you’d be interested in this morning’s
Juniper Journal
. Great headline: ‘The Murder of the Month Book Club Closes Chapter on Local Murders.’”

I groaned. “Why’d they have to mention the book club?”

“You’re famous,” Nick said, “and it’s great publicity for the bookstore. The whole town will be clamoring to join your club. You’d better schedule a meeting quick.”

“We will!” Bianca turned to me and added, “At least I hope we will.”

“Well, we did promise to discuss your book,” Minnie said.

“We can show people the cool fake pictures we took,” added Tyler.

Alix joined the chorus. “Oh, hell, Jane. Why not?”

Everyone was looking at me expectantly, and Bianca most of all. I thought of the various rules Raymond Morris had laid out in
Making Peace with your Adult Child
. I’d have to write and suggest a few things he probably hadn’t considered. I smiled at Bianca.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”