I noticed the gold ring on her finger. Had she recently gotten engaged? She hadn’t mentioned, but why would she? We weren’t friends. It didn’t matter. I’d allowed my thoughts to get sidetracked. I snapped myself back to the topic at hand.
Would the police blame her? I wasn’t so sure. They were looking at Tammy and me as suspects. Should I tell Brannon about this? Yes, I absolutely had to tell him. But Ms. McMillian had asked me not to tell the police. I really was in a pickle. If I told Brannon, then I would probably lose my job.
“So how can I help you?” I asked.
“Well, we have to find out who did this so that I’m not blamed for the murder. I know that you’re good at this kind of thing, so I thought you could help me.”
The fact that she had paid me a compliment had shocked me. I guess she just wanted help and was willing to lie to get it. She came in here being snooty at first, and now she wanted my help. I really needed to teach her a lesson in how to get people to do things for you. She would catch more flies with honey. However, it wasn’t my nature to do that and I would help her if I could.
“Well, I’d already started to look into the murder,” I said. “Because, well, for obvious reasons. I mean, I was there as well, and so was Tammy.”
“Yes, I’d heard that too, but I just feel like when they find out that I was there, then I’ll be in hot water.”
Was there more to the story that she wasn’t telling me? Could she really be the killer and she was just trying to cover her tracks? That was something I definitely had to consider. The thought that I was sitting here in front of the killer sent shivers down my spine. But as hateful as she was sometimes, I really didn’t think she could kill anyone. Although sometimes people could definitely be deceiving.
“May I ask a question?” I asked.
Her pinched brow indicated that she wanted to say no, but her desire to be cleared of a murder charge made her answer accordingly.
“Certainly,” she said with a fake smile.
“Why were you at the wedding?”
I knew Tammy hadn’t invited her.
“I’ve been dating Tammy’s uncle and I attended as his guest.”
I had no idea. Tammy hadn’t mentioned this, and I hadn’t seen Ms. McMillian at the wedding.
“Tammy never mentioned that,” I said.
“I don’t think she knew until now. We haven’t dated long. Which once he finds out I’m suspected of murder I’ll probably never see him again. That’s another reason why I need your help. I really like him.”
No matter how many reasons she had for wanting my help, I already knew I had to agree to help her. My job at the library depended on it.
“Anything I can do to solve this case, I will,” I said.
“So where do we start?” She scooted to the edge of the seat and leaned closer.
Did she think we were ready to go down to business right away? I preferred to work alone. Nevertheless, I had to appease her so that she wouldn’t recommend I be fired.
“I have a couple people who could be suspects. Legitimate suspects, not fake ones like you, right?” I forced to smile, hoping that this might crack her hard exterior.
What if she really was the killer? She didn’t budge. Instead, she kept her chilly demeanor.
Her stare remained on me. “Yes, well, that sounds good, but will that really be the case?”
“All we can do is try,” I said.
Without warning, she pushed to her feet. “Well, I have a meeting. Call me please and let me know what you find out.”
I felt like now she had just dumped this huge task on my lap and expected me to solve the problem for her. I mean, granted I was doing it anyway, but she shouldn’t just expect that from me. Maybe she could offer to help a little bit more. But now to casually walk away wasn’t cool. Why did I let her push me around?
“All right, I’ll let you know what I find out. I do need your help some, you know? If we want to clear your name.
“I’m not a detective. You’re good at this stuff.”
I hurried across my office floor, following her out into the hallway. While we’d been discussing the murder, I’d temporarily forgotten that a ghost might be waiting for her. What if the ghost pushed her down again? That would only make her angry all over again.
As she walked down the hallway, she skirted around the spot that I’d pointed out as the reason for her fall. Luckily, there was no sign of the ghost as we stepped out of the hallway and back into the library’s main area. I scanned the area, crossing my fingers that nothing paranormal would happen until Ms. McMillian got out of here.
When Tammy rounded the corner and spotted us, she stopped in her tracks. Tammy knew what a problem Ms. McMillian usually caused when she set foot in the library.
Tammy grimaced and then caught herself, forcing a smile. “Good morning, Ms. McMillian.”
“Sorry about what happened, Tammy,” she said as she briskly continued toward the library doors.
At least she was in a hurry and getting out of here and I wouldn’t have to deal with more of her pushiness today. Though now that she wanted me to solve the murder she’d be on me like a tick on a dog.
I followed along behind her as if escorting her to the door to make sure that no ghost popped up. Also to make sure that she really left. I needed her to get out of here until I figured out a few things. She made it to the front library doors. Thank goodness with no other incidents. I opened the door for her as if ushering her out.
She eyed me for a second and then said, “Call me, okay?”
“I promise I will,” I said.
As she walked out the library doors, out of the corner of my eye for a second, I thought I saw a shadow approaching her. Then in a fleeting moment, it was gone. Maybe it had just been the shadow of a bird flying over. Obviously, I was on high alert for a sign of the paranormal. Or maybe I was also looking for the killer.
I watched her until she walked all the way down the path to the sidewalk and made a left. Then she headed away from the library. No ghost followed her so that was a good sign. But I sure didn’t know what to make of that whole encounter. When I turned around, Tammy had walked up to me.
“What was that all about?” she asked.
“You’re not going to believe this.”
Chapter 12
The next morning, I arrived at the library early since I had a busy day ahead. It would be a welcome distraction. Even though I truly wanted to solve the murder, I just needed a moment of not thinking about crime scenes, strangulation, and killers. I suppose I needed to regroup and kind of charge my battery.
When I looked up and saw Judy coming through the door, I knew that my momentary reprieve was over. She was smack dab in the middle of the investigation, and she was looking right at me. I had a feeling that her visit to the library wasn’t to check out a book.
Our gaze met and at first, she acted as if she didn’t know who I was, but then seconds later, she smiled. Then I knew that I was definitely the reason she was here.
Judy approached the desk. “You remember me, right?”
“Absolutely. Judy, how are you? I’m surprised to see you here. Is everything all right?”
“You asked me for more information about the haunted house. I just thought I would come by and tell you that I remembered something.”