Софи Келли - Paws Аnd Effect

“Please,” I said. We talked for a minute about how we were going to handle handing out treats during the Halloween party and then I said good-bye and headed upstairs to change.

The first thing I did when I got to the library was call Lita. I had no idea what time she got to work, but no matter how early I called the office she was always in.

“Good morning, Kathleen,” she said. “I’m glad you called. I heard Marcus was invited to the police station to answer some questions. How is he?”

“He’s fine,” I said. “But, uh, that’s why I called.” I paused and took a deep breath. “I need a favor and it’s for him in a way.”

“Everett instructed me over a week ago to make sure anything Marcus needs he gets, which I would have done anyway.” I could feel her smile coming through the phone. “Tell me what I can do.”

“Ernie Kingsley was at a meeting the day Danielle McAllister was killed. I need to know everything about it. How many people were there? Could Ernie have gotten there late? Did he leave early? Who saw him?”

“In other words you want to know how much of an alibi his alibi really is?”

I turned slowly from side to side in my chair. “I’m not saying he killed her, not deliberately. I just want to be one hundred percent certain he’s not involved.”

“Give me a couple of hours,” Lita said. “I’ll call you back. I know Ernie’s assistant, Nora. He’s here today to give his pitch to the business coalition, so she’ll have a minute to talk.”

I hung up and leaned back in the chair. There was a squeak somewhere in the back mechanism. I sat for a minute, making it squeak like the floor in a horror-movie haunted house while I organized my thoughts.

Whatever Marcus said to his father—which he was probably saying right now—I didn’t think the elder Gordon was going to leave town. But I wasn’t sure if I could trust him, or if I should. I was already having reservations about Hope. I needed to know more about Elliot Gordon, at least as a lawyer if not a person. I knew I couldn’t call Marcus’s sister, Hannah. He didn’t want her to know what had happened, not yet.

I wondered if Brady knew anything about Elliot. I’d noticed that the older man had seemed to recognize the younger’s name when Marcus had called him at the restaurant. I’d already asked for one favor. Maybe I’d get lucky with a second.

The phone rang several times before Maggie answered. “Hi, Mags,” I said.

“Hi,” she said. “Are you at home or the library?”

“Library.”

“Good. How about coming for pizza tonight? I feel like cooking.”

Marcus and I hadn’t made any plans because normally I was at tai chi on Thursday night, but class had been canceled again because now Oren was painting the stairwell up to the studio. As far as I knew Marcus would be at Eddie’s.

“I’d like that,” I said, shifting my weight sideways in the chair so the squeak would stop. “Any chance Brady will be there?”

“Do you want him to be there?” she asked. Her voice sounded a little hollow.

“What are you doing?” I asked. “Your voice sounds odd.”

“Downward Dog. So what about Brady?”

“Marcus’s father showed up last night. I just wondered . . . I just wondered if Brady knows anything about him, what he’s like as an attorney.”

“Somehow I think he does,” Maggie said. “I’ll ask him if he can join us.”

“Thanks,” I said. “Is there anything you want me to bring?”

“Just yourself.”

* * *

Lita called me back about eleven thirty. “Phone, Kathleen,” Susan said, holding up two fingers.

I nodded to show I’d heard her and pointed over my head as I headed for the stairs so she’d know I’d take the call in my office.

“I’m sorry this took so long,” Lita said. “I had to wait for one person to call me back.”

“I’m impressed you managed to find out anything this fast,” I said, sitting on a corner of my desk.

“Well what I found out was that there were fifty-two people at that meeting in Red Wing. It was at the Anderson Center. They didn’t finish until after eight thirty. I talked to five different people. They all saw Ernie.”

So Kingsley couldn’t have had anything to do with Dani’s death. According to Hope the medical examiner estimated she’d been killed between five and eight.

“Thanks, Lita,” I said. “It was a long shot anyway.”

“I wasn’t finished,” she said.

The hairs rose on the back of my neck. “Okay,” I said slowly.

“Every one of those five people remember seeing Ernie because he was late getting to the meeting. He seemed a little jumpy and disheveled.”

“Did anyone happen to notice what time he walked in?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact two different people did. It was ten after six,” Lita said, a self-satisfied edge to her voice. “Does that help?”

Ten after six. Given the approximate distance from the lake to Red Wing, even if he’d stuck to back roads, Ernie Kingsley would have had enough time to kill Dani and make his meeting at just about the time he walked in.

My heart started to race. “Yes, it does,” I said. “Thank you so much.”

“Any time,” Lita said. I could tell from her voice that she was smiling on the other end of the phone. “If you need anything else, anything—”

“I’ll call you,” I finished.

I hung up the phone. So now what? I couldn’t just walk up to the developer and ask him if he killed Dani. What had Lita said earlier? “He’s here today to give his pitch to the business coalition.” I leaned back and pulled a stack of papers on the side of my desk a little closer. What I was looking for was a press release from the town. It was third in the pile, an invitation to a presentation by developer Ernie Kingsley on the proposed Long Lake development. The pitch was aimed at the downtown business community. All stakeholders were urged to attend. When she’d read the word “stakeholders” Ruby had threatened to show up in a black cape with a hawthorn stake and a garlic necklace.

It occurred to me that maybe I could show up as well in my role as head librarian. I could talk to Kingsley and at least see how he responded when I brought up Dani’s death. I decided not to call Hope or Elliot. I didn’t want the developer to know what I suspected and I didn’t think either one of them could be subtle.

I went back downstairs to talk to Susan. “Do you mind if I take the early lunch?” I asked. “I thought I’d head over to the presentation about the development. If it really is going to bring more money to town I’d like to get a little of it for the library.”

“Sounds good to me,” Susan said.

* * *

I found a parking spot on the street just one block up from the community center. Thorsten was at the door.

“Hi, Kathleen,” he said. “You here for the dog and pony show?”

I smiled. “I’ve heard a lot of rumors. I thought it would be a good idea to get the facts.”

He gave a snort of derision. “Don’t think you’re in the right place for that.”

I walked around smiling and saying hello while I looked for Ernie Kingsley. There were a lot more people in the small room than I’d expected and it was hard to see over everyone’s heads. I stood just to the side of the door to the hallway and looked around. I caught sight of Ruby near the middle of the room, no cape, stake or fragrant necklace in sight. And then I caught a glimpse of Ernie Kingsley just coming in the door on the other side of the room. I took two steps in his direction and I was grabbed from behind. A dark-suited arm wrapped around me and pulled me into the hall.

I jammed my elbow back hard, making very satisfying contact with the person’s diaphragm. He—I knew by the strength in the arm it was a man who had grabbed me—let go. I whirled around, mouth open to scream, and discovered Simon Janes half doubled over, trying to get his breath. “What did you do that for?” he managed to gasp out.