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Screaming children ran around the festival grounds, filled with energy and sugar from the age-segregated egg hunts. Rarity thought they must be starting with the elementary school–age kids because the last group of moms in the booth had kids that had all been preschool age. They had almost swept that area of the bookshelves clean, again.

Shirley opened the last box of books she’d brought over this morning. Well, Terrance had done the heavy lifting with several trips with the handcart to carry over the boxes of books. Then he’d disappeared after taking a donut from the box that Katie had brought from Flagstaff.

“I probably should have brought more over,” Shirley fussed as she arranged the meager offerings of picture books and early readers. “We’ll have to restock that section at the booksto re next week.”

“It’s not a bad problem to have.” Rarity folded the box and tucked it under the table. “We can bring more over tomorrow, just not a lot. Sundays are a little quiet in normal festivals, at least for the buying stage. People tend to overspend on Friday and Saturday.”

“I’m not sure that’s going to hold for this festival. The Easter Bunny is taking pictures with kids through the close of the festival tomorrow. Several of my moms are coming in after church since the kids will already be dressed up.” Shirley stood and adjusted her pink capris. “I always loved getting the kids ready for Easter. Then we’d take pictures and the next thing I knew, the dress would be covered in mud or blood. Kathy was a little tomboy. She was always following Tommy up a tree, then slipping or falling. We spent several holidays in the hospital getting one or the other stitched up. It was our fami ly tradition.”

“Some folks make ham for dinner. Your family did vending machines in the ER.” Rarity sat down behind the table. “I didn’t know Terrance was helping you move books. If you felt uncomfortable, you could have called me or Archer.”

“It’s okay. Terrance and I are talking again. I needed some time to get over the shock of his friendship with George. They would have been friends before too. I mean, before George fell ill.” Shirley focused on straightening books on a table. “Drew says that George threatened that Jully man because he was flirtin g with Lizzy.”

“Lizzy told me she was getting married.” Rarity didn’t want to hurt Shirley, but maybe she knew something, and she didn’t realize it wou ld help George.

“You don’t think she meant George, do you?” Now Shirley turned to s tare at Rarity.

“She called him Billy. But honestly, I don’t know. I mean, she’s not the most trustworthy narrator of her own life.” Rarity thought about the nurse she’d talked to earlier. Maybe she should go see if she was at the booth now. She checked the time. It was still too early for anyone to be there except for Cindi. “I don’t understand how George could have pulled the murder off. The night supervising nurse didn’t think it was possible. Not with George ’s condition.”

“That’s what I keep telling Drew, but he says he must have real evidence to clear him. And even if he does, we both know who the next suspect on his list will be.” Shirley flopped into a chair. “God is having a chuckle a t my expense.”

“I don’t think that’s true. But we need to find out more about who Lizzy thinks she’s marrying. And more about William Jully. I think the answer is there. Who else wanted him dead or out of the way and why?” Rarity stood to help a woman who had grabbed a stack of best-sellers. “You look like you’ve got some free time o n your hands.”

“The kids are leaving with their grandparents for spring break tomorrow, and I have a full week of no school drop-offs or pickups, no making lunches or even dinner unless I want to cook.” The woman grinned. “I’m curling up in my pajamas when I get home and reading until I fall asleep. It’ s mommy time!”

“Well, I’ve read several of these, and you’ll love them.” Rarity rang up the purchase and gave the woman back he r credit card.

“They may be going to Disneyland, but I’ll have my own fantasy world right here in my living room. I feel guilty for being so happy about it.” She tucked the books into her tote. “It’s such a blessing you opened your store here. The kids love coming into the store and picki ng out books.”

Rarity hadn’t recognized the woman, but she greeted Katie and Shirley by name as she left the tent. “We live to serve,” she said after the w oman had left.

“I hear that comment from a lot of people. They used to go into Flagstaff or order online, but now they can pop into our bookstore. Sedona has a lot of readers.” Katie finished straightening the last table and came to sit with them.

“We’re about to get hit by the next wave of egg hunters, so if you need to do anything, you should go now.” Shirley glanced at her watch.

“I’ll be right back.” Katie dashed ou t of the tent.

Rarity looked at Shirley. “Are you good? I should take Killer out for a minute.”

“I can wait. I’m going to grab me a slushy at the booth across the way in a few minutes. Do you need one?”

“Of course I do.” Rarity clicked the leash on Killer. “I’ll take him with me and then I’ll hit the restroom after he does his business. If you leave before I get back, take the money for the slushies out of the cash drawer. And get one f or Katie too.”

“Raspberry?” Shirley asked.

“Is there any other kind?” Rarity grinned as she stepped out from the tent int o the hot sun.

The spring festival was in full bloom. Booths were busy with people wandering through and checking out the merchandise up and down the rows. Sam’s crystal booth was on the other side of the park, and Rarity headed over to see how she was doing. As she did, she passed by Archer’s hiking tour booth. Jack, Archer’s assistant, was leaning on the table, talking with a couple as he spread out a map of the area. Archer wasn’ t in the booth.

Jack looked up and waved at her. She waved back but kept walking. She didn’t need Jack telling Archer that she’d been looking for him. They were almost okay after last night’s walk home. He still had something he wasn’t telling her, but according to him, it didn’t have anything to do with them as a couple. Maybe their future, but for right now, they were fine. That’s what she’d told him last night, that she understood. Now she had to act like it.

Another woman was manning the Sedona Memory Care booth and Killer went toward the booth, following a smell. It was a sign. At least Rarity was treatin g it that way.

“What a cute little Yorkie!” the woman exclaimed as she came around her table to lean down to greet Killer. She held out the back of her hand, and when Killer licked it, she took that as his okay for her to pet him. “Wha t’s his name?”

“Killer.” Rarity laughed when the woman jerked her hand away. “It’s fine. I’m not sure why his first owner decided to name him that, but he’s a sweetheart. So you work at the nursing home?”

“Memory care center. Don’t let Sally hear you call it a nursing home. She gets touchy about that.” The woman stood and held out her hand. “Marsha Graves, I’m the s ocial worker.”

“Oh, so you do admissions and discharges,” Rarity said. She’d been chatting with Shirley about the entry process at the facility. “I’m Rarity Cole. You must know my friend Shir ley Prescott.”

“Shirley’s a sweetheart. I’ve been trying to get her to come to my spouse support group, but she tells me she’s got something on Tuesday nights.” Marsha scanned the crowd. “I’m not sure this is a good crowd for the booth, but you can’t tell Cindi anything about marketing. The girl thinks she knows everything. Then she called in today, sick. I think she was out drinking with her Flagstaff friends. What did they use to call it? Brown bottle flu? It’s not like Sally isn’t loading me up with the reports that William was supposed to be doing.”

Rarity laughed at the joke. Of all the people she’d met who worked at the memory care center, she liked Marsha the best. “I shouldn’t laugh. I was sorry to hear about Mr. Jully’s death. I’d only met him once when we brought in the pet therapy dogs. He didn’t seem happy abo ut the event.”

“Believe me, William Jully wasn’t happy about anything. It wasn’t the cute, adorable puppies that got him worked up into a dither either. Anything that interrupted his quiet evenings was a problem. He tried to get me to move my support group off-site. He said it disrupted the patients’ evening routine since members would stop in to see their loved ones before they left. And from the piles of reports I’m having to do now, it’s not like he was using his quiet time to work.” She shook her head. “But here I am, gossiping about a dead guy. Sorry, I shouldn’t take my frustrations out on you. Are you here wi th your kids?”

“Actually, no. I’m single and childless. I run the Next Chapter, the local bookstore. We have a booth here.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I should have recognized the name. I’ve stopped by on my days off, before. I’m never off in time to visit after work and the only day you’re open late is Tuesday.” Marsha’s eyes widened. “And that’s why Shirley’s not available for my family support group. Some sort of book club, right?”

Rarity smiled and pulled Killer back from his wandering. He was ready to continue their stroll. “Yes. It started as a breast cancer survivors’ book club, but now, we have a lot of different people. We read mostly mysteries and some best-sellers. The conversation i s always fun.”

Marsha narrowed her eyes. “I hear you guys get involved in the local murder mysteries too. Are you investigating J ully’s death?”

Rarity didn’t see the point in lying, so she nodded. “We’ve been looking into it. Of course, we’re not law enforcement, so there are limitations, but sometimes we figure out the motive and the culprit.”

“William Jully was a fast talker and, in my opinion, lied on his resume. He hadn’t worked in the long-term care industry long. When I first used the term ‘census,’ he had no idea I was talking about the residents and when we count our patients. We have to report that to the state agency that monitors long-term care. This is one of the reports we’re way behind on so I’m picking up the slack. If he hadn’t died, he would have been fired soon. I’m sure of it.” A couple stopped at the table and was looking at the flyers. “Sorry, I’ve got to go. Stop by the facility and I’ll buy yo u some coffee.”

Rarity thought that she might bring coffee. According to Shirley, the coffee the home served was decaf. Mostly to keep the residents from getting the real thing accidentally. She finished her walk and then headed back to the tent. The number of people milling about had increased around her, which meant that the bookstore was probably busy as well.

The line was snaking around the tent when she got back. This time, the middle-grade and young adult table was quickly being cleared. Both Katie and Shirley were checking customers out.

“I can help the next person with cash,” Shirley called out, waving two boys and a frazzled mom over to her side of the table.

Rarity tied Killer to the table where he could reach his water and his bed and stood in between Katie and Shirley. “I’ll b ag the books.”

The system worked well until Shirley ran out of people paying cash. Rarity pulled up her phone to the app they used for taking payments and traded pl aces with her.

By the time they were done with the rush, the tent had cleared out. Rarity glanced at her watch. “It’s almost noon. Everyone went to grab food.”

“Well, I’m hanging around, then. I don’t want to waste my time standing in line in the heat.” Katie grabbed a bottle of water. “I can’t believe how many books w e’re selling.”

“Me either. But we didn’t do this festival last year. It’s going on the must-do list as soon as I get back to the office. And I’ve already decided that next year we’re bringing in children and middle-grade authors to sign. Either at the festival or at the bookstore maybe on the days around it.” Rarity unclipped Killer’s leash and put on his longer lead. He didn’t even raise his head from where he’d been sleeping . He was tired.

“Well, don’t worry about lunch, we’ve got you covered.” Jonathon, Edith, and what had to be Drew’s sister came into the tent with bags from a local Mexican restaurant. They set the food on the table behind the one they’d used for the cash register.

Joanna Torres came and hugged Rarity. “My mom and dad talk about you all the time. Manuel’s cousin runs Tequila and Lime out on the highway, so we thought we’d bring over a selection of their menu. I hope you like Tex-Mex.”

“Are you kidding? I love it.” Rarity took a deep breath and groaned. A bark came from under the table. “And the smell woke up Killer too. Don’t worry, buddy, I’ll find something to feed you.”

“Savannah finished her egg race this morning and got three eggs.” Edith took the baby out of the stroller that they’d parked by the side of the tent out of the way. “I bet tomorrow she’ll double that since she knows wha t’s going on.”

“I’m glad she didn’t push that one boy away from the green one she went after last before the bell rang. She’s ruthless.” Jonathon rubbed under Savannah’s chin. “I think she’ll carry on the family tradition of going into law enforcement.”

“He’s already bought her a sheriff star and cowboy hat,” Joanna complained with a smile. “I want her to go into the arts. Maybe become a famous author or painter. Maybe you can keep Dad busy here in Sedona while I take her to finger pai nting classes?”

Edith bounced the baby. “Savannah will do what she wants to do, no matter what you two think. It’s amazing how fast babies show their personality, ri ght, Shirley?”

“What they like now is not usually their final choice. I swear, Kathy changed her major ten times before she even started college.” Shirley held out her hands for the baby. “Ca n I hold her?”

“Of course,” Joanna said before Edith could respond.

Edith and Rarity went over to the table and started unpacking the food. “I wanted to tell you how happy we are that you’re finding Marilyn’s books to get back to the kids. It was such a loss when they were stolen. Not only financially. Caleb went a little crazy with grief. His mom used to read him those storie s at bedtime.”

“I’m sure Archer’s dad is happy to have at least two books back.” Rarity’s stomach growled as the smell of the food hit her. She set out the plates and opened all the containers. “ Ready to eat?”

The look on Edith’s face stopped Rarity from moving. “W hat did I say?”

“I doubt that anyone has told him. Archer’s dad isn’t well. I’m surprised Archer hasn’t mentioned this to you. The kids are trying to care for Caleb at home—Archer and Dana, I mean. June, that’s Archer’s mom, washed her hands of the man years ago. He’s not doing well, I hear.” Edith turned back to the group. “Food is ready. Shirley and Katie, you two get up here with Rarity. You need to eat before you get hit with another wave of customers. Although I hear Jonathon’s been helping out at t he bookstore.”

“I’m a pro as long as they give me cash.” Jonathon grabbed a chair and sat down at the register. “You kids eat, and I’ll get whatever is left. But save me some ch ips and guac.”

“I’ll get you a bowl to tide you over. I know you’re starving to death,” Edith teased as she patted her husband o n the stomach.

Rarity quickly got food and then stood by Edith. She wanted to continue this conversation. “Who else knows about Archer’s dad?”

Edith handed Jonathon his chips and then turned back to Rarity. “I suspect the whole town knows by now. Joni Martin over at Carole’s Diner has a contribution jar up at the diner. I hear she’s doing one of those GoFundMe pages where anyone can contribute. They’re trying to make sure that the medical bills and funeral costs are covered.”

Rarity sat and ate her lunch, but she kept going back to why the books were left at her store. She’d seen and even put money into the contribution jar, but she hadn’t read the flyer taped on the jar. It was something she did as part of the community. She finished eating and, before Edith left, went over to talk to her again. “Can you ask Drew if you can look at the security tapes from my shop? I’d like to know if you recognize anyone. We don’t know who is dropping these books off. They must know about my connection to Ar cher, though.”

Edith glanced at Jonathon. “We’re heading home now so that Savannah can nap. We’re going to Flagstaff this evening for dinner. I’m sure I can talk Drew into letting me see the video. I’ll call you after I d o either way.”

Rarity couldn’t help Archer with his dad’s condition, but maybe she’d found a way to help Drew find Marilyn Ender’s killer. Or at least a clue for the cold case.