“Okay, I’ll remember that.” He took her in a short hug. “I know things are crazy right now, so whatever you need to do to make yourself comfortable is fine by me.”
She nodded as they left the room. “Worst-case scenario, they were looking for Sam’s back door and just got the wrong window. Which means I need to call Sam and let her know that someone might be looking for her.”
“I’ll call Drew. Call Sam and see if she’s still at the shop. If so, we’ll go over there and wait.” They stayed inside the bookstore while they made their calls.
“Sam’s already home,” she said when Archer hung up.
He nodded. “Drew’s on his way over. He said he’d call Sam as soon as he checked it out. I guess we can go home.”
Rarity snuck a peek out the window by the door. The outside didn’t seem menacing, but she had seen someone in the alley. She took a deep breath, and Archer put his arm around her.
“It’s going to be okay.” He opened the front door. “This too shall pass.”
“You sound like my cancer group. Always look at the bright side. And if things are bad, just push through.” She locked the door and tucked her keys into her jacket pocket.
“Does it work?” Archer waited for her to turn around before walking toward the sidewalk.
“Sometimes,” she admitted. “Other times, the darkness just needs to be pushed away, and you have to feel your feelings.”
They walked in silence toward home. Rarity felt comfortable just being with Archer, not having to chat all the time, but she didn’t know if he felt the same way. This was not the time to have a heart-to-heart since Archer was at her house until this murder was solved. But still, Rarity worried.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Archer finally said.
“I was just thinking about Janey. Drew was supposed to find out who got her trust money. I wonder if he did?”
“You think someone thought they were inheriting, so they killed her for the money?” Archer nodded. “The thought had crossed my mind too.”
“Everyone loved her. I can’t see any other reason besides her money. And it had to be someone close. I didn’t even know she had a trust. She didn’t seem like the type.”
“Marcus knew,” Archer said.
Rarity turned her head. She could barely see his face in the darkening light. “What do you mean?”
“I talked to him at the Garnet that Saturday night. He was waiting for Janey to get off work. He said Janey kept surprising him. She appeared to be one thing, then she’d blurt out something, and he’d learn something new. Like her trust. He thought she was a poor college student. He joked that maybe he’d found himself a sugar mama.” Archer shook his head. “Sorry, I know we’re trying to get Marcus out of the suspect pool.”
“Well, that helps. If he wanted her money, he’d have to marry her to get it, right? Just killing her wouldn’t get him anything.” Rarity walked up the steps to her porch. “Did we have a date that Saturday?”
“Actually, I met with Calliope. She wanted to talk to me.” He followed her into the house after she unlocked the door. “She wanted a reference letter for a new job. Or at least that’s what she said. I told her I’d write her one whenever. She didn’t have to ask, just call me.”
“You think she was checking in?”
He nodded. “She was friendly until I mentioned you. Then she clammed up and said she needed to leave. She gave me a piece of paper with the new employer name and fax number and then left.”
“She still likes you.” Rarity didn’t want to say the word love, but she knew Archer’s ex-assistant had it bad for her former boss.
He held up his hand. “We were just friends. At least on my part. I feel bad for her, but there isn’t anything I can do to change my feelings. I love someone else.”
Rarity smiled at him. “I hope so.”
They spent the rest of the night not talking about Calliope or Marcus or the murder. Instead, they focused on dinner and what movie to watch. They even looked at calendars to see if they could fit in a short vacation soon. When she went to bed, she gave Archer a hug. “Thanks for being you.”
“I think you’re delirious.” Archer laughed but hugged her back. “And thanks for being you.”
* * * *
Thursday morning, Jonathon was waiting at the bookstore again when she showed up. He had his briefcase sitting beside him along with two coffees and a bakery bag. “Good morning. I heard Sam’s shop had some excitement last night.”
“What did Drew say?” Rarity unlocked the door and waved at Archer, who was already heading to his shop.
“He found traces of someone hanging out in the alley. He thinks it might be someone who’s sleeping there at night. He’s going to go back tonight and see if he can find the culprit.” Jonathon followed her into the shop.
“He doesn’t think it’s tied to Janey’s case, then?” Rarity unclipped Killer, and they moved into their daily chores.
“Not so much. I know it’s possible, and it feels like someone’s out there to get you, but sometimes, the right answer is the simplest.” He held up his hand. “Occam’s razor at its finest.”
“Until he’s wrong.” Rarity held up her hand. “Don’t worry, I’m not challenging Drew’s conclusion. I’m just tired.”
“You need a vacation.” He settled back at the table he’d used yesterday. “I think I’m coming here to write more often. I got more words done yesterday than the last week at home.”
“It’s a bookstore. The books are supporting your endeavor. She opened the computer and started going through the inventory, finishing her order for the next week. Before she could finish, the phone rang. “The Next Chapter. This is Rarity.”
“Hi, Rarity, it’s Caleb. Sorry, I can’t come in today. I’m under the weather.”
“Oh no. I hope you didn’t catch something from the kids on Saturday. They say that being around a lot of kids at first has you catching all kinds of things. You probably haven’t talked to that many middle schoolers since you were attending one.”
He laughed. “Probably not even then. I was a bit of a loner. Anyway, if I feel better, I’ll be there Saturday, but don’t count on me.”
“Shirley’s looking forward to running it, so I think we’ll be fine. Of course, you’re always welcome since I’m not sure how crazy it will be. Get better soon.”
She hung up the phone and made a note on the calendar so she wouldn’t forget and pay him for the day. She looked over at Jonathon. “Caleb’s a no-show. Do you need to be somewhere else?”