Page 31 of June's First Murder
Nana June opened the front door and called out. "Pippi! Come here, girl."
The scruffy dog came trotting from the kitchen, ears bouncing at odd angles, tail wagging with enthusiasm. Her grandmother clipped on her leash while Sara Lee grabbed Mister Smee's special backpack from the hall closet. It was a soft-sided carrier with mesh windows that the cat tolerated with regal dignity.
"You want to go to the library?" Sara Lee asked the wide-eyed cat as she scooped him up. The orange ball offur settled into the backpack without protest, blinking at her solemnly.
"Pippi needs her afternoon walk anyway," June said with practicality. "And Mister Smee loves the library. I have a feeling we might need his particular expertise today."
Sara Lee adjusted the backpack straps across her shoulders, feeling the cat's warm weight against her back. It should have felt ridiculous… a twenty-eight-year-old woman carrying a cat in a backpack. But somehow, with Nana June leading the way and Pippi trotting beside her, it just felt like another day in their increasingly strange investigation.
The library was quiet when they entered. Only a handful of patrons browsed the stacks. A few teenage girls roamed the romance section, and several young mothers with kids in tow were perusing the children’s book area.
But the circulation desk was empty.
Nana June approached one of the volunteers, who was shelving books in the biography section. "Where's Diane today?"
The volunteer looked up, her expression troubled. "She called in sick this morning. Said she wasn't feeling well and needed today off. I assured her that we could cover the library’s needs, even with Tasha out on vacation." She lowered her voice. "Between you and me, Ms. June, she sounded terrible. Very hoarse.”
Sara Lee wondered about Diane, who'd looked so terrified when Raymond confronted her at the festival.Now, she was calling in sick. The hoarse voice could have come from crying.
The volunteer smiled. "So you've got the place mostly to yourself, if you need anything from the back office."
June's expression remained pleasantly neutral, but Sara Lee saw the gleam in her grandmother's eye. "Thank you, dear. We'll just do some research. Let me know if you need any help with those shelves."
They moved toward the back of the library, Pippi's nails clicking on the hardwood floor. Mister Smee peered out from his backpack with alert interest. June led them to her old office… technically, the head librarian, Tasha’s, office now. But June still had keys.
"Nana June," Sara Lee whispered. "We can't just go through personnel files. That's?—"
"Necessary," Nana June finished firmly. She set down her purse and moved to the filing cabinet. "Raymond used the name 'Diana' at the festival… not Diane. That suggests either he knew her from before or he knew something about her identity. If we're going to understand who might have wanted him dead, we need to know who Diane Russo really is."
Sara Lee set the cat backpack on the desk and unzipped it. Mister Smee emerged with a stretch, then immediately jumped down and wandered out of the office, his tail held high. She walked over, then plopped down in a chair. “Honestly, I can’t remember if he called her Diane or Diana. And even if he did, he probably just mispronounced her name. He was slurring his speech by then.”
“Perhaps.” June pulled out a file labeled "Russo, Diane" and spread it open on the desk. Sara Lee moved closer, guilt warring with curiosity as they read.
The application was five years old. Diane Marie Russo. Previous employment at a library in Richmond. References from colleagues there. Education credentials included an associate's library science degree from an online college. Everything looked normal, professional, unremarkable.
From across the office, Mister Smee made a small meow that sounded like a bird. One of his many types of meows. They looked up to see him sitting on a bookshelf just out of the office that held some of Nana June's personal recommendations of mystery novels, his paw resting thoughtfully on the spines, but not pulling any down. He looked at them, blinked his enormous eyes, then returned his attention to the books as if considering his options.
"Looking for the right clue, boy?" her grandmother asked affectionately.
The cat's tail twitched, but he didn't select anything. Just sat there among the mysteries, contemplative and patient.
Nana June returned the personnel file to its proper place and closed the cabinet. "We need to find out more about what Raymond knew. About Diane… Lucy… about Bob's business dealings. All of it. Everyone he insulted.”
They left the office and moved to the research area, settling at one of the long tables. Sara Lee pulled out her laptop while June gathered reference materials,including old newspapers on microfiche, town directories, and public records indexes.
"You mentioned the edge of a newspaper in his pocket," Sara Lee said quietly, glancing around to make sure no one was close enough to overhear. "Do you think the sheriff would tell us what he found?"
Nana June's expression was thoughtful. "Sheriff Gordon is treating this as an accidental death until proven otherwise. He won't share evidence with civilians, even if one of those civilians is trying to help."
Sara Lee couldn't help but smile at that image.
“Raymond could have been threatening someone with an old article. Maybe multiple someones." She lifted her thin shoulders. “But then, that’s purely conjecture at this point.”
“Do you think he was blackmailing someone?”
“Maybe.” Nana June’s brow furrowed as she pondered.
“But he was going to get a lot of money soon from his inheritance,” Sara Lee protested.
