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“ALL ABOARD FOR THE Sinful Express!” Madigan pressed the button on her toy train, signaling the start of day two of the Sinful Express Book Club. Word had it that that little train whistle and chugga-chugga-chugga were the only noises above a whisper that Lucy, the head librarian, would allow in her library.
The reading group members filed in, picking out whatever pastries appealed to them before taking their seats. Queen Celia stood until one of her minions pulled out her throne before sitting. The seat next to hers, where Anna had been sitting yesterday, remained empty.
“Anna will be in shortly,” Celia announced to the group.
While everyone got settled with their coffee, tea and pastries, I read the day’s announcements.
“Lucy would like to remind everyone that books and chewing gum don’t mix. Oh, and apparently someone left her dentures in the book drop again.”
“Mama!” Delphine screamed into her mother’s ear. “Did you put your dentures inside Miss Lucy’s book drop again?”
Cookie howled. I noticed her mouth was toothless. “That’s not funny!” Delphine said, shaking her finger at her. “You know it scares the crap out of Miss Lucy to put her hand in there and feel your teeth.”
I reached into the Lost and Found box Lucy had given me and pulled out a plastic bag with a set of dentures inside. I slid the bag across the desk to Cookie, who slipped the dentures inside her mouth.
Anna finally straggled in, looking fatigued and haggard. Her eyelids drooping, she gave a slight wave with her hand before grabbing at her stomach as she took her seat. “I’m sorry I’m late. I had to use the ladies’ room.”
“She looks like crap!” Cookie yelled.
Delphine shushed her mother.
“I have to say, I think she’s right.” Mindy got up from her seat next to Anna and moved to an empty chair further away. “I hope you’re not coming down with something.”
“Do you feel alright?” Celia asked, feeling Anna’s forehead with the back of her hand.
“I’ll be fine,” she said, grimacing as she once again clutched at her stomach. “I just stayed up late formulating my theories for the second fifty pages, so I didn’t get much sleep. Please, let’s start.”
We dove right into the book
I posed the first question. “On page sixty-seven Officer Cody discovers a blue thread on the staircase where the Widow Jenkins was killed. Any ideas where that blue thread might have come from?”
“What?” Cookie shouted.
“Where’d the blue thread come from?” Delphine shouted back into her mother’s ear.
“Blue bread?” Cookie asked. “Sounds nasty. I’d throw it away.”
“Thread!” Delphine shouted. “Blue thread! Where did the blue thread come from? Would you please turn up your hearing aid?”
“It was Connie!” Cookie shouted. “She had a blue dress on. She did it. Shot that Brian dead!”
“Miss Cookie, there was no Connie or Brian in this book,” Gertie said.
Madigan leaned in toward us and whispered, “Miss Cookie is notorious for cheating and reading ahead, so Delphine gives her a different book to read. We all just nod our heads when she says stuff.” Madigan looked at Cookie and nodded her head. “Good for you, Miss Cookie. Connie’s a good choice.”
Madigan turned back to me. “If I may, I have a theory. I remember Jenna wearing one of Cody’s shirts after she was at his house for dinner and spilled wine on her own blouse. That shirt was blue. I think that thread came from her.”
A “Hmmmm” slipped out of Anna’s mouth. “But she has um...” Anna tried to snap her fingers, which fell short of connecting. “Um... you know.” Her speech was garbled. She yawned. “That thing, what’s the word?”
“An alibi?” Edilia asked.
Anna nodded. “Yes, that,” she said weakly. “She was nowhere near the Widow’s house when she was pushed down the... the...” Anna had a hard time moving her mouth as she stared at her mug.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Celia asked.
Mindy shook her head. “I don’t need to tell everyone what sustained sleep loss can do in terms of our health, do I?”
“Please don’t,” Ida Belle said.
“Maybe you just need to drink more coffee,” Gertie said.
Bea stood. “I’ll get it for you.” She took Anna’s mug and left the room.
“Where were we?” Mindy asked. “Oh yes, the alibi. I have to agree with Anna on that point.”
“But maybe the alibi’s not solid,” Madigan said. “I don’t trust Jenna.”
“You just don’t trust Jenna because for some reason you don’t think she belongs with Cody,” Ida Belle said. She glanced at me. “I think she’s a perfect match for Cody.”
“That’s not it,” Madigan said, her neck beginning to flush. “Just because I think Jenna is an interloper and Mona, Palm Springs born and bred, is a better fit for Carter is not the reason I think she left the blue thread.”
“Cody!” several of the women said.
Madigan’s face turned a beet red. “I said Cody.”
Celia shook her head. “You said Carter. Didn’t she, Anna?” She glanced at Anna, whose face was draining of color. “Anna? You don’t look so healthy.”
Anna moaned and stood up on shaky legs, which gave way, sending her face forward into the table. Coffee sloshed over mugs. Several women screamed. Others stared at her, paralyzed to act.
Ida Belle, Gertie and I rushed over and gently pulled Anna up from the table. I felt for a pulse. It was weak, but she did have one.
“Probably just crashed from lack of sleep,” Ida Belle said.
But I could read Ida Belle’s face. I didn’t think this was ordinary sleep deprivation and neither did she.
“I’ll call an ambulance,” Gertie whispered to me. “This looks serious. You two get her to the employee lounge.”
I scanned the worried faces. “We’re going to take old sleepyhead here to the staff lounge so she can get more shuteye. Why don’t you all write your thoughts about the second fifty pages in your notebooks? We’ll continue the discussion later.”
Celia stood. “There’s no way I’m trusting her to you three. I’m coming with you.”