Her problems would have to wait another day because at the end of her shift at the library on Saturday she had to head home to prepare for the book club meeting. Since she didn’t have a closing shift at the library, she didn’t need to rush.
Still, she wanted to make sure everything was ready for when the other ladies arrived so she could jump into all the information she had to share. That would still give them time to discuss the book afterward—technically the main reason for the book club.
On the back deck, Harper rearranged the teak furniture into a circle for the meeting. Then she set up the outdoor bar cart with the two bottles of wine she had, along with wine glasses for all of them. She brought out her copy of the murder mystery novel and set it on a chair so it would be ready for their discussion.
Inside, she went to the fridge and pulled out the key lime pie she’d made last night after her little chat on the beach with Rosie. Swiping a finger through the cream on top, Harper smiled at the taste. Sweet and tart went hand-in-hand and she was grateful her grandmother passed on the family recipe.
On the little side table outside, she arranged plates, napkins, and cutlery in neat groups. All she had to do now was wait for the others.
One by one, the ladies showed up with their contribution to the dinner. When they first met, they just had a little snack tray but their discussions became longer—less like formal meetings and more like friends hanging out—so it turned into a potluck of sorts.
Once everyone was there, they poured the wine and piled their plates with food before they settled on the teak furniture and began their evening.
“Okay, what do we know?” Sasha asked.
“We know Liam had beef with Lucas,” said Bernie.
“So did most everyone in town in one way or another. When I talked with Liam, he said they tried to prove it was Lucas who sabotaged the fishermen but that he was never caught,” Harper said.
“That’s a good motive for murder,” Kat said.
“Except that the sabotage stopped after the fishermen put up security cameras. That was over a year ago. So if they wanted revenge, why would they wait until now and kill Lucas at the library?” Harper asked.
“Good point. Does that mean Liam is off the suspect list?” Libby asked.
Harper nodded. “I think so. But he mentioned something interesting about Adam, so I looked into that and guess what? Adam is going ahead with the casino project.”
“What?” Bernie demanded, shock making her voice rise higher than normal.
Harper explained how she found him outside the library with the architect, how he implied something about the newspaper article, and then how he left when she insinuated he was a suspect.
“Is he still a good suspect?” Dana asked.
Harper nodded and said, “Definitely. I saw him and Sybil getting a little too cozy, if you know what I mean.”
“I heard you were getting a little cozy with that Viking detective, too,” Bernie teased, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
“I was not.”
“You got coffee together,” Dana pointed out.
“We were both at Bouncing Beans. Should I have left just because he was there?” Harper asked.
“We also saw Sybil at Bouncing Beans,” Libby interrupted, saving Harper for the time being. “She appeared every inch the grieving widow until she saw Adam and went outside to talk to him. They were very friendly.”
“So maybe they’re having an affair,” Sasha said.
“Oh, I think that’s absolutely true,” Harper said and told them what she saw the other night when she walked home.
“So they’re having an affair and stealing money?” Kat asked, eyebrows wrinkling in confusion.
“I’m pretty sure about the affair, but not about the money part,” Harper said.
“Too bad we don’t know where this USB drive is,” Dana said and snapped her fingers. “I bet that would give us a lot of answers.”
“That’s what I’ve been thinking, but it’s not like it’s going to appear out of thin air.”
Bernie nodded and then turned her gaze on Harper. “Have you found out who the newspaper source is yet?”
Harper huffed. “No. I think that maybe Lucas or Adam planted the story to ruin the library, but I have no proof of that.”
“What if it was both of them?” Kat suggested.
“It could be. If they were going to work on this casino project together, then it would benefit both of them to get the library out of the way. It makes sense but there’s no proof.”
“What about Sybil? If she was cheating on Lucas, then would she kill him to get more of his money?” Dana asked.
“It’s possible. She also sounded really frantic about the missing USB drive,” Harper said.
“So we’ve cleared Liam of suspicion but there are several counts against both Adam and Sybil as suspects. Is there anyone else?” Libby asked, looking around the group to see if anyone had further ideas or information.
“What about Rosie? Why isn’t she a suspect?” Kat asked, leaning forward.
“Rosie? She hasn’t worked for Lucas in months, and she’s moving to the mainland,” Harper said.
Kat nodded. “That’s true, but secretaries know everything. She could have found out and decided to take revenge after Lucas fired her.”
“That’s a good point!” Bernie said, nodding emphatically.
Harper tilted her head as she considered that. “I don’t know. Whenever I talk to her about leaving, she seems genuinely happy to start over. It doesn’t seem like she has revenge on her mind.”
“I have to agree with Kat,” said Sasha. “Sure, Rosie isn’t the best suspect like Adam or Sybil, but she does have a good motive.”
“Okay, so we have two really good suspects and a possible third suspect. What would Ms. Agatha Christie do in this situation?” Harper asked, bringing the discussion back around to their monthly book club pick.
“Oh, nice segue,” Libby said, grinning at her.
Harper held out her glass to clink it against Libby’s in a cheer while the others laughed.
“I think Agatha Christie would say to follow the evidence,” Sasha said.
“Which is what?” Harper asked.
“We know Lucas and Adam wanted the library ruined so the casino could be built. We also know someone left a scandalous photo at the library—something that Lucas may have planned to plant there before he died,” Sasha said.
“Which is just downright odd, isn’t it? Why would he be killed at the library?” Bernie demanded, slapping the arm of her chair.
“What if someone was trying to stop him?” Kat suggested.
“Or they wanted to clear all traces of the plan from the crime scene to misdirect attention,” Libby offered.
“I think the evidence clearly points to some sort of a money scam and a target on the library, which means that whoever killed Lucas at the library must benefit in some way,” Harper said.
“Both Sybil and Adam are good suspects for that. Sybil would inherit everything from her husband and Adam would receive a greater profit from the casino without Lucas around,” Dana said.
“But Rosie wouldn’t benefit at all,” Kat said, nodding like a light bulb just went off above her head.
“So the killer must be either Sybil or Adam,” Libby said.
“All we need is to follow the trail of evidence to them,” Bernie said.
“Follow the money,” Harper said, smiling. “Now we just have to find the USB drive.”
They still had two weeks left to finish reading and discussing Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. Maybe by the end of the book they would also solve the murder.