Publishable by Death by ACF Bookens

Author:ACF Bookens
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Andi Cumbo-Floyd

I spent the next morning arranging the new books on the front table. New release day was quickly becoming my favorite day of the week. I loved all those new covers, and the smell – all fresh wood and ink. It always took me back to the construction sites in my childhood neighborhood. Ours was one of the first houses built, but soon, new homes were going up everywhere. I spent many an afternoon climbing around on second floors that just had the studs up for walls and savoring the smell of all that fresh timber.

Cate and Henri, the weaver from the co-op, came by mid-day and brought the most amazing curry soup – sweet potatoes, coconut milk, and just enough heat to make my nose tingle. I ate three bowls. We sat on stools behind the register and gobbled down the goodness. Henri had just started a catering business, and she had asked Cate to help her find people to sample her wares. I told the stellar cook that if everything was this good, I’d sample anything . . . and use her to cater bookstore events once I had more cash flow.

“I’d love that,” Henri said. “Plus, I know Rocky and her mom Phoebe from church. Maybe we could coordinate together – they do the sweets, I do the savories.”

“I’m getting hungry all over again at just the thought.”

“Alright, back to work with me. Thanks for being a taste tester, Harvey.”

“Thank you. Come by anytime, especially if you bring snacks.” Henri waved as she headed out.

Cate helped me clean up the lunch trash and said, “I have to admit, I had another motive for stopping by.”

“You’re looking for the friends and family bookstore discount?” I looked at her out of the corner of my eye as we tucked our stools back against the counter.

“Well, no, but let’s come back to that,” she chuckled. “Actually, it’s about the murders.”

“Ah,” I said. “Most things are these days. What’s up?”

“Well, I was in Elle Heron’s stand the other day to pick up some roses Lucas needed for a museum event. Elle had gone into the back to get the flowers, and I was just standing around by the counter. I happened to notice a stack of newspapers, so I picked up the top one. It was from a few years ago, which I thought was odd. Who keeps old newspapers?”

I nodded. I knew a few people, but their houses kind of looked like those mazes they force mice to run through in laboratories.

“I got curious, so I rifled through the rest of the papers. All of them were old, some of them from a decade ago. I couldn’t stop myself, and I flipped through a few of the papers. You won’t believe what I found?”

“A baby otter? No, wait, the secret for turning lead into gold? No, wait, this has to be it – articles?”

Cate snickered. “Alright, smarty pants. Yes, articles. But the interesting part was which ones were highlighted.”

Ah, now I was interested.

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