Page 18

EIGHTEEN

The backroom of the Crown and Clover pub had high church ceilings and a lot of space. The room had been set up with several round tables and wooden chairs. This was a cocktail mixer for attendees who had donated a certain amount to the literary foundation the festival was raising money for, and these were people who loved books.

All of the authors who were presenting and signing at the festival were in attendance.

“Before we open the doors to the attendees we would like to thank you for your contributions to our festival,” Lolly said from the small stage that had been set up. “Those who will be here tonight donated a great deal to the foundation. While the numbers are still being counted, so far we’ve made double from the last festival. I can’t tell you what that means for those who benefit from the foundation. Children and adults deserve the right to read. And the contributions tonight have helped fund many of the programs in place to make that happen.”

Literacy was a cause close to my heart. I’d donated a chunk of my last advance anonymously. Lolly was right. Everyone deserved the opportunity to read. Something that many of us took for granted, kept others from jobs that would improve their lives.

I glanced around for my sister, but I didn’t see her. I pulled out my phone and texted to see where she was.

She didn’t answer.

Maybe she’s busy .

She’d told me she would meet me here because she had to chat with committee members. Most of them were here, including our friends Rob, Scott, and Brenna. I went over to them.

“Have you seen my sister?” I asked.

“She and Mr. Poe had a mishap with a puddle, and she had to go home and change,” said Scott. “Eejit that I am, I was supposed to let you know but totally forgot.”

I let go of the breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding. I was extremely protective of my sister, and she of me. We were all each other had left in the world.

“He does like to jump in them,” I said.

“Yer wee man was covered head to toe in mud. She said he’d been acting strange all day as if he were trying to tell her something.”

I blamed myself for that. He’d been unsettled after our run-in with the professor on the cliffs. I’d thought he would settle down once he was with his favorite person, Lizzie.

“If only he could speak, it would make life easier,” I joked.

They laughed.

“That’s exactly what your sister said,” Rob replied.

I smiled. We did tend to think alike.

That explained why she hadn’t answered me yet. She was probably giving him a bath.

“Is everything going okay with the festival? She said you had an emergency meeting.”

“Aye,” Brenna said. “We talked about the media attention surrounding James’s death. Some of the reports don’t show us in the best light. We were talking about ways to distance ourselves from what happened, while being respectful of those who died.”

“Oh? And what did you decide?”

“Nothing,” Rob said. “We can only continue to promote the upside like tonight, where readers get their one-on-ones with their favorite authors. And we’ve chosen to ignore the rest. If we respond, it only adds fuel to the fires that are already burning out of control, to use a cliché.”

“That makes sense, though. Hopefully, the readers will have fun tonight and post enough positive reviews to outweigh the negatives.”

“We can only hope,” Scott said. “Though, we’ve already had more sign-ups for next year than we’ve ever had at this point for previous festivals. I think everyone is worrying for no reason. A week from now, the media will move on to something else, and no one will remember what happened here.”

Having dealt with the media in the past, I had to agree. At home, the news cycle for a famous death was probably less than twenty-four hours.

“Speaking of which, any news you can share with us?” Rob whispered the question. “Or anyone you want us to chat up?”

Scott shook his head. “Kieran will yell at her if she shares anything. Right?”

I nodded. “Though, if you can keep a secret, I could use some help keeping an eye out for a couple of people. But you’re right, if Kieran finds out he’ll kill me.”

“We are the souls of discretion,” Brenna whispered. “You know that.”

She wasn’t wrong.

I glanced around to see that Lolly was still on the other side of the room. Her loyalty would always be to her grandson Kieran, which was only fair. But he wouldn’t be happy if he heard what I was about to say.

I told them about the school group. Their eyes went wide.

“The mayor is so…I can’t imagine him being involved in any sort of theft,” Rob said. “He’s such a rule follower.”

Rob had been trying to get his food truck up and running before the summer tourist season, but had run into a roadblock with city hall. They were making him jump through hoops because Shamrock Cove had never allowed food trucks before. The mayor felt they had to proceed carefully, so that they didn’t have to allow just anyone a license.

“Please understand, I’m not asking you to speak to any of them. Just if you see them talking to one another, perhaps eavesdrop.”

They smiled.

Rob rubbed his hands together. “Oh, I love being involved in the snooping.”

“Two minutes until the doors open,” Lolly said over the loudspeaker. “Authors, please find your station. The tables have your names on them. And be prepared to sign books. One of the only complaints we’ve had this year are the long lines at book signings.

“Though, I consider that good news. Since the attendees made a sizable donation to be here, we want to cater to them as much as possible.”

“Go to your table.” Rob shooed me away. “We’ll keep an eye on the suspects for you.”

Chef Patrick and his team had set up a banquet of appetizers on the wall nearest the stage. I’d wait until after the mixer to eat. I didn’t want to risk spinach in my teeth. And maybe I wasn’t super excited to eat food made by a possible suspect.

Kieran had mentioned Patrick had alibis for the murders, but I just didn’t trust him. Maybe it was that he was too handsome.

Tonight, he had a scowl on his face, and his eyes were on the mayor.

I wonder what that is about?

I didn’t have much time to think about it. A minute later, the doors were opened, and my table was swarmed by readers.

“Are you okay?” a woman in her late sixties asked me.

“What do you mean?” I smiled as I took the stack of books from her and set them down on the table. I motioned for her to sit next to me. More readers took seats around me.

“We heard you found the bodies,” a man said next to her.

“This is my Alfie,” the woman said proudly.

“And this is the love of my life, Aileen. We’ve been married for fifty-seven years. And one of the things that keeps us together are books. We love ’em, including yours, miss.”

“Congratulations. That is a very long time, and I love that you share books. It’s lovely to meet you both.”

“Thank you, lass. So did you find the bodies?”

I’d hoped to steer them away from that. I was determined to be the soul of discretion. Well, except for telling our closest friends.

I nodded. “Unfortunately.”

“Poor man,” Aileen said. “And bless your soul. Is it true he was murdered? And that you’ll be using it for one of your books.”

“No, I’ll stick with fictional stories, and I’m so glad you enjoy them,” I said.

“’Tis so exciting to learn about the behind-the-scenes,” Aileen said. “And to sit next to an author we’ve admired for so long. We love all of your books.”

My cheeks heated with warmth. I’d learned long ago not to base my self-worth on what others thought of me or my work, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy the kind comments that came my way.

It was a few hours later before the room started to clear out. I’d fielded a couple of questions about James, but most people wanted to discuss my books. Talking with those who were passionate about novels made time pass quickly. And it was funny how the fans recalled small details I’d long forgotten.

I was exhausted, but also excited to get back to writing. Hearing how much someone enjoyed one’s work never got old.

“This is the last call,” Lolly said. “We will ask the attendees to exit. Authors, please stay behind.”

As the room emptied, I looked for my sister. She was nowhere to be found. Nor were any of my neighbors, except for Lolly.

Where was everyone?

I pulled my phone from my pocket.

She’d never answered me.

My twin instincts kicked in, and my stomach plummeted.

Something was very wrong.