Read on Arrival by Nora Page

Author:Nora Page
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Chapter Seventeen

Rain dove down the gutters and flew over the awning. The weatherman had predicted a chance sprinkle, convincing Cleo to leave her umbrella at home.

“It’s a gully washer,” Cleo said, huddling with Henry under the awning of the Spoonbread Bakery. Two nights had passed, with more threats discovered each of the following mornings, coffin notes left in the park, on the street, on doorsteps, and in mailboxes. Cleo’s tiny town was on edge. Cleo felt it too.

To lift her spirits, she’d met up with Henry at the bakery for a Friday breakfast treat of warm scones and too many coffee refills. Cleo buzzed from caffeine and plans for a busy morning ahead. She’d added a break to her bookmobile schedule and planned to use it at the library. She wanted to get as many renovations finalized as possible before Belle could wedge her way in. Cleo mentally ticked off the to-do list, from final touches to party planning. Anxiety pinged through her core. Who would want to celebrate if a murderer was still among them?

“For once, I’m glad I’m not driving,” Cleo said, looking out on the soaked scenery. “The road is a river.”

“Mr. Chaucer will be feeling smug he stayed home.” Henry zipped up his oilskin raincoat. He adjusted his hat, felt and brimmed. “Ready to make a run for it?”

Cleo assumed they wouldn’t be actually running. Chivalrous Henry had offered an umbrella escort to the library. They dodged little rivers in the street and massive puddles in the park. Raindrops gathered force high in the trees and landed like water balloons on the umbrella.

“Still think rainy weather is nice?” Henry asked, as they sidestepped a night crawler the size of a snake. Spanish moss hung like bedraggled Rapunzel locks.

“I do,” Cleo said. She’d confessed over breakfast about how she enjoyed a rainy day. Rain saturated the colors in the garden. Rainy days were also the best for staying inside and reading, not that she had time for that. They pushed on, the wind puffing spritz at their cheeks. Henry held the umbrella low and tilted, blocking their view until they nearly reached their destination.

Cleo, being shorter, spotted the trouble first. She stopped abruptly. Henry kept going a few steps. When he realized he’d lost Cleo, he backed up in a hurry. A raindrop rolled down the umbrella and onto Cleo’s nose. She took no notice. She stood at the walkway to the Catalpa Springs Public Library, where two things were definitely not right.

One was Lilliput. Belle’s mini-horse mascot wore a red slicker. The coat had slipped upside down and billowed under his dappled belly, brushing the grass. A long, thick lead tethered him to the garden’s new planting, the slender redbud, now bent to reclining. Although standing in lush grass, the little horse strained at his lead, grasping for the blades just beyond his reach.

Then there were the lights. The library glowed. It would be an inviting scene on a wet autumn day, except no one was supposed to be there.

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