me? What do you have planned for me?” Addie touched her cell phone in her front pocket.
“You? Well, I’m aware that you know the tunnel hasn’t been used for years. When they find your body down there, it will be put down to you getting in over your head in proving your innocence. You must have gotten trapped down there and met your demise when you were attacked and eaten by a rat or a few hundred. Now give me your cell phone.”
“It’s in my bag. I’ll have to dig through it to find it.”
He dragged Vera over to Addie. “Hurry up, then, and no tricks, or I’ll have to make new honeymoon plans. Perhaps with the lovely Maggie.”
Vera screeched; her fingers clawed wildly at his arm.
“Stop squirming, woman,” Art snapped, and smacked the side of her head with the umbrella handle. Addie eyed the distance between her and Art. She leaned on one hip, fussing with both hands in her bag as she inched her way along the desk until she was within arm’s reach of him.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and give me that damn phone!”
“Sorry, I can’t seem to find it.” With two hands in her bag, Addie grabbed what she hoped was the decanter and swung unseeing, clipping Art on the side of the head. He stumbled to the floor, pulling Vera with him. Addie pushed Vera out of the way, and dropped, legs straddled over his writhing body.
She dug her phone out of her jeans pocket and pushed it across the floor to Vera. “Call nine-one-one.”
Addie looked at what she held in her hands. It wasn’t the decanter. “How fitting.” She chuckled. “You’ve just been taken down by the very book you saw as collateral damage.”
Art shifted his body under her and raised his head. Addie whacked him again. “Do you know why Sir Arthur named the book A Study in Scarlet?”
Art groaned, trying to raise his shoulders.
Addie brought the book back down on his head. “Well, let me tell you the story.” She dug her knees into his shoulders to still him. “There’s a scene where Holmes tells a friend that he thought of his murder investigation as his study in scarlet because ‘there’s the scarlet thread of murder running through the colorless skein of life, and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it.’ Rather fitting, wouldn’t you say, Art?”
The library doors flew open, and Marc appeared, gun drawn. His gaze darted between Addie and the man she had pinned beneath her.
“That was fast. I think Vera just hung up.”
“I was on my way here,” Marc said. “Martha called when you didn’t return after dropping Paige off. She said your sandwich board was still on the street, but your CLOSED sign was on the door. One of my officers spotted your car out front, and I headed over. That’s when Vera’s call came in. What happened?” He eyed the book Addie brandished like an ax.
“Marc, I’d like you to meet Hill Road House’s resident ghost, Tobias Gallagher.” Tobias lifted his head and moaned. Addie thwacked him once more with the book for good measure, but then a sound behind her caused her to jerk. She glanced over her shoulder just in time to witness the portrait over the mantel crash to the floor, the frame splintering into pieces on the stone hearth. “Or at least one of them,” she said, her voice barely audible.
Chapter 33
“Phew,” Addie puffed, flipped the deadbolt on the shop door, and turned the sign to CLOSED. “Catherine, I’m not sure I could have survived this day without you. If you ever change your mind about going back to work, even part-time, let me know. I’ll hire you in a heartbeat.” Addie glanced at her friend hopefully. “With this increase in foot traffic, I know I need to hire someone to help Paige out, and I would love it to be you.” The corners of her mouth fought against her exhaustion as she managed a grin.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m far too busy with my volunteer work and event planning at the hospital now to even think about taking on another commitment.”
“I know, but keep it in mind. Even if it’s only as long as cruise season lasts, because if today was any indication of what lies ahead, I’m going to need more help.”
Catherine replaced a book she’d been paying particular attention to on the sale rack. “If the other shops