James, Miranda - Out of Circulation (CAT IN THE STACKS MYSTERY)

“Morning, Dad, Azalea. Isn’t it a gorgeous day?” Laura breezed into the kitchen. “The semester is done, I’ve turned in all my grades, and now I’m a free woman. I could eat a horse.”

Talk about strange. Laura and Sean and their dates had left the party before Vera’s body was discovered, and obviously she hadn’t heard the story from anyone yet this morning. Stewart must still be in bed. Otherwise the whole house would be buzzing with the news.

What could I say? I didn’t want to bring the subject up in front of Azalea, but my housekeeper solved my dilemma for me as she set my plate of scrambled eggs, bacon, and biscuits on the table.

“Something bad happened last night, Miss Laura. I reckon you was gone by the time it happened.” She set down Laura’s plate and then disappeared into the laundry room.

Wide-eyed, Laura left off stroking Diesel and gazed at me. “What on earth happened, Dad?”

“Happened where?” Sean startled me. He wandered over to the stove and filled a plate. “Want coffee, bug breath?”

“No, thanks, snot brain.” Laura glared at her brother. “Go on, what went on after we left last night?” She sneaked Diesel a bite of bacon when she thought I wasn’t looking.

Maybe one of these days my darling children would stop referring to each other by those silly nicknames. “Vera Cassity died, and it looks like she might have been murdered.”

Sean paused, fork halfway to his mouth, and the eggs plopped back onto the plate.

Laura groaned. “Don’t tell me. You found the body, didn’t you?” She and her brother shared a glance—of commiseration, I assumed.

“Not exactly.” I had a sip of my coffee. “Kanesha was worried because she couldn’t find her mother, and Morty Cassity mentioned he hadn’t seen Vera. So we started looking for them.” I gave them a brief account of my discovery of Azalea and Vera’s body in the stairwell.

Laura shivered, her breakfast forgotten. “How terrible for Azalea. Locked in with a corpse.”

“Sounds like the title of a Golden Age detective story.” Sean scooped up the fallen egg and popped it into his mouth. Not much interfered with his appetite.

“Don’t be facetious, son.”

Sean shrugged. “Sorry.”

I suppressed a sigh of irritation. “Azalea was terrified, and Kanesha was pretty upset, too. She seemed to think Sheriff Tidwell was considering her mother as a suspect in Vera’s death.”

“Azalea? You’ve got to be kidding me.” Sean set his fork aside. “No way she’d kill someone. Did she even know Mrs. Cassity?”

“She knew her.” I hadn’t confided in either Sean or Laura about my set-down from Azalea or the reason for it. I would explain that to them later. I didn’t want Azalea to come back into the room and catch me talking about it.

“To know her was to loathe her, evidently.” Laura broke off another bit of bacon and gazed innocently at me as it disappeared under the table. Smug purring followed.

“That’s putting it mildly. Vera made enemies all too easily.” I had some bacon and biscuit and a forkful of eggs.

“Maybe one of the Ducote sisters caught her snooping and pushed her down the stairs. Maybe Ducote is French for ‘ruthless.’” Sean was being particularly smart-mouthed this morning.

My temper flared. “I’m not too happy with you right this minute, Sean. Your flippancy is totally out of place. What happened last night was horrible, and you ought to have more respect for Azalea and what she went through than to carry on like this.”

Diesel appeared at my side, meowing anxiously. He got agitated anytime he thought I was upset. In taking a moment to reassure him I began to calm down myself. I almost—almost, mind you—regretted my outburst.

“Sorry, Dad.” Sean looked suitably abashed. “I guess it seems a little unreal. I didn’t know Mrs. Cassity.”

“Neither did I, but I do know Azalea.” Laura seemed to withdraw for a moment, and I realized she must be thinking of the events of three months before when a friend of hers was murdered and she found the body. “I’m sorry she had to go through all that.”

Sean reached over and squeezed her shoulder. His voice was gruff when he spoke. “Sorry, Laura, I was really insensitive.”

“It’s okay.” Laura offered the ghost of a smile. “Dad, is there anything we can do for Azalea?”

“Just let her be,” I said. “She’s a strong woman, and if she needs us to lean on, we’ll be here.”

“What about her being a suspect?” Sean poked at his eggs. “Do you think the sheriff is really serious?”

Before I could respond, Laura asked, “Is the sheriff investigating this? And not Kanesha?”

“Yes, the sheriff is in charge. It wouldn’t be ethical for Kanesha to investigate, I suppose, because her mother was found with the body.” I sighed. “Kanesha’s not going to be happy having to sit this one out.”

Sean reminded me I hadn’t answered his question.

“I know from my own experience that they tend to be suspicious of the person who finds the body. But I think once the sheriff and his team have had time to evaluate the evidence, they’ll have to conclude that Azalea couldn’t have pushed Vera down the stairs.” I paused. “If that’s what caused her death.”

“You sound awfully sure,” Laura said.

I explained my reasoning, keeping an eye out for Azalea. She’d been in the laundry room for a good ten minutes or more, and she might pop back in any minute now.

She hadn’t reappeared by the time I finished my explanation. Sean looked particularly thoughtful. “How wide is that stairwell?”

I thought for a moment. “Maybe an inch or so wider than my shoulders. It really is a tight squeeze.”

“Then I don’t see how Azalea could have done it, unless she’s a world-class gymnast.” Sean rolled his eyes. “I thought the sheriff was smarter than that.”

“I’m sure he is,” I said. “I don’t know him personally, but I know he’s highly regarded. He seems to run the department effectively—and honestly, from all I’ve heard.”

Laura pushed her plate aside. “Then by now he’s surely realized that Azalea is innocent. Just unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“For her sake,” Sean said, his tone grim, “let’s hope the murderer didn’t know she was there, or she could be next on the list.”

“That thought had occurred to me.” I got up to refill my coffee. “I’m sure it’s occurred to Kanesha, too. Frankly I’m surprised she’s let her mother out of her sight.”

“Do you really think Azalea is going to let Kanesha tell her what to do?” Laura grinned.

“That girl don’t need to be minding my business.” Azalea walked into the room with a basket of laundry. “I been taking care of myself just fine on my own.” She disappeared in the direction of the stairs, and seconds later we heard her going up to the second floor.

Diesel meowed, and we three humans shared a smile. Azalea truly was indomitable. The sheriff was no match for her.

SIXTEEN

On the walk to work at the college library I pulled out my cell phone and called Helen Louise. I figured by now the morning rush had subsided and she might have a moment to chat. She answered after two rings.

“Good morning,” I said. “Are you totally exhausted?”

“Pretty wrung out,” she responded, and I could hear it in her voice. “I think I managed about four hours’ sleep, if that much.”

“Any chance you can sneak in the back and have a nap in your office? Or take the afternoon off to get some rest?”

“Not today.” Helen Louise sighed heavily. “I have a huge order of petits fours for a garden club tea this afternoon and three dozen quiches for a bridge party this evening.”