File M for Murder (2 page)

The man’s pretentiousness evidently knew no bounds. He even told me he was named for Flannery O’Connor, but that he had dropped the
O’
from his name because it sounded too artsy-fartsy.

“Are you looking for old issues of the local paper? We have access to a number of newspaper archives online, but the
Athena Daily Register
hasn’t been digitized yet. At least, not prior to 1998.”

“Local, at least for now.” Lawton stared at me and frowned.

“If you’ll follow me, then,” I said as I headed around the desk to the open space in front, “I’ll show you where the microfilm is.”

“Whatever.” Lawton moved closer and pointed to a spot behind me. “Does the cat have to come with us?”

“Yes, he does,” I said as I glanced back at Diesel. “If he wants to, that is.”

Diesel, his gaze intent on my face, chirped a couple of times before he turned and walked back behind the desk to sit with Lizzie Hayes, one of the circulation staffers.
Good choice, Diesel. Lizzie is much nicer.

“Follow me,” I repeated as I turned and walked away. I heard Lawton mutter something from close behind me.

We walked down a hall near the desk, and I showed the playwright into a small room with filing cabinets, a couple of small tables, and two microfilm-reading machines.

I paused by the cabinets. “The films for the
Athena Daily Register
are here. The dates are on the cards on each drawer. When you finish with a roll, please put it in that basket on top of the cabinet.” I stopped a moment to clear my throat. “Have you used microfilm readers like these before?”

Lawton nodded as he approached me. I moved aside to let him peer at the labels on the drawers. He squatted, pulled out one of the drawers, and examined its contents.

“Then, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to the desk.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Lawton said.

“You’re welcome,” I said, surprised. This was the first time he had uttered the word
thanks
in my hearing, despite the other times I had helped him.

I glanced at my watch on the way back to the reference-circulation desk. A quarter to three. Only fifteen minutes more on the desk, and then Diesel and I could go home. I looked forward to some quiet time. This had been a long, hot week, and a brief nap before I cooked dinner sounded appealing.

As I mulled possible menus, I resumed my seat behind the desk. Diesel left Lizzie and came back to me. I scratched his head as he rubbed against my right leg. He was an affectionate creature and didn’t often stray far from my side—except to spend time with one of his many human friends. He was popular with the library’s patrons, and he enjoyed them—as long as they didn’t have small hands that wanted to pull cat hair, that is.

I helped two more people with their reference questions, and when I consulted my watch again, the quarter hour was down to three minutes.

The library’s newest employee, Bronwyn Forster, offered a sweet smile as she neared me, ready to take my place. “Afternoon, Charlie. Has it been busy?”

“About the usual,” I said. “When school starts next week, things will pick up.”

Bronwyn nodded as she rubbed Diesel’s head. She cooed at him for a moment, and Diesel warbled back at her. I knew Diesel would agree with me that Bronwyn, with
never an unkind word for anyone, made a pleasant change from Anita Milhaus, the obnoxious woman she replaced two months ago.

I waited until Bronwyn finished petting the cat, and then Diesel and I bade her and Lizzie good-bye. I retrieved my briefcase from the office I shared with one of the full-time librarians on the Fridays that I volunteered. I put Diesel into his harness, attached the leash, and we were ready.

The hot August air slapped us both as Diesel and I left the library for my car. I opened the doors to let the heat out, then got in to crank the car and get the air conditioner going. In the meantime, Diesel hopped onto the floorboard on the front passenger side of the car. I detached his leash and stuck it in my briefcase.

On the way home, I thought longingly about a cool shower. I felt sticky from the heat despite the cold blast of air from the car vents.

I pulled into the driveway and hit the garage door opener. As the door rose, I saw Sean’s car in its slot. I smiled, glad he was home from whatever mysterious errand he said he had to run today. I pulled my car in beside my son’s, and I thought about the change in our relationship over the past five months. We were getting along much better now, and I enjoyed having him with me.

Diesel hopped out of the car and made it to the kitchen door ahead of me. I watched, grinning, as he opened the door. Earlier in the year he had learned how to do it by twisting the knob with his front paws, and I still got a kick out of watching him. I suspected my boarder, Justin Wardlaw, taught him the trick, although Diesel was smart enough to have figured it out for himself.

I followed my cat into the kitchen and closed the door behind us. Diesel loped off to the utility room, home to his litter box and food and water bowls. I followed his example
and poured myself a glass of water. As I drank I heard laughter from the direction of the living room. I recognized the baritone rumble of Sean’s voice, but there was a second voice. A female voice, and it sounded oddly familiar.

“It can’t be,” I said as I shook my head. My heart beat faster, and I set the glass on the counter.

Moments later I paused in the living room doorway and stared at the two people on the couch—my son, Sean, and my daughter, Laura.

She caught sight of me and jumped up. “Surprise, Dad!” She grinned as she ran to give me a hug.

I threw my arms around her and held her tight. “What a wonderful surprise.” I glanced over at Sean, still on the sofa. He grinned broadly.

“Look at my movie star daughter.” I released Laura and stepped back. I hadn’t seen her since Christmas, and I was thrilled to have her here. Her visits home were all too infrequent. “You and Sean really put one over on me.”

“Not a movie star yet, Dad, but I’m working on it.” Laura laughed as she posed for me. Even dressed in jeans and an old linen man’s shirt she was still beautiful and looked several years younger than her age, twenty-four. Like her brother she had curly black hair and expressive eyes. She had the gamine grace of Audrey Hepburn despite the fact that she was five-ten in her bare feet.

“I had a hard time not telling you on Wednesday when you called me.” Laura laughed again. “I knew Sean would kill me, though, because we wanted it to be a real surprise.” She took my hand and led me to the couch.

I sat with a child on either side of me. “So your mysterious errand was going to the airport in Memphis.” I smiled at Sean, and he grinned.

I turned back to Laura. “How long can you stay? At least a week, I hope.”

Laura exchanged a sly glance with her brother. “Actually, I can stay longer than that, if you can stand having me.”

“Of course,” I said, delighted.

“I’ll be here through Christmas.” Laura giggled at my stunned expression.

“That’s wonderful,” I said, somewhat bewildered. “But can you afford to be away from Los Angeles that long? Career-wise, I mean?”

Laura shrugged. “I guess I’ll find out. But in the meantime I’ve got a pretty good gig here.”

“What kind of gig do you have in Athena?” I couldn’t imagine what kind of acting job she had found here that would last several months.

Before Laura could respond, my thirty-six-pound cat jumped into her lap, startling all of us.

“Diesel. You rascal.” Laura hugged the cat as he warbled at her. Diesel adored my daughter, and the feeling was mutual. Last Christmas Laura threatened to catnap Diesel and take him back to California with her.

After a minute or so of loving attention to the cat, Laura focused again on me and Sean. “I’m going to be filling in at the college for a professor on maternity leave this fall. The person who was originally hired to do it got a full-time job and backed out, and I’m the last-minute replacement.”

“That’s wonderful,” I said. “So you’ll teach acting?”

Laura nodded. “A couple of basic courses, plus I’ll be helping with the fall productions of the Theater Department. Should be fun.”

A cell phone ring interrupted our conversation. Laura frowned as she pulled the phone from the pocket of her shirt. “Sorry about that.” She glanced at the display, then stuck the phone back in her pocket. “I am
so
not in the mood for
him
right now.” She grimaced.

“Him who?” I had to ask. Was some guy bothering her?

A guilty expression flashed across her face. “Oh, it’s just my former boyfriend. He’s always having some kind of crisis. But what can you expect from a playwright?” She wrinkled her nose and frowned.

Playwright?
Dismay hit me.
No, surely not
.
Not him
.

“I thought you dumped him,” Sean said. “For what, the third time now?” He quirked an eyebrow at his sister.

Laura grimaced. “Second time. But I’ve got to put up with him this semester. He helped me get the gig, after all.”

“Are you talking about Connor Lawton?” I tried to keep my distaste for the man from coloring my voice.

Laura nodded. “Have you met him?”

“Several times,” I said. “He’s been in the library every Friday that I’ve worked the past month.” I paused. “I don’t remember you mentioning him before, although it sounds like you told Sean about him. Have you known him long?”

“Eight months, I guess.” Laura glanced down at Diesel, still lying across her lap. She stroked his head, and he purred in response. His tail flopped up and down across my legs. “I met him right after Christmas when I was cast in one of his plays. I told you about that. You know, the one where I played the waitress who thought Elvis had possessed her husband’s body?”

Sean snorted with laughter, and I had to smile. Laura was a huge Elvis fan, and I imagined she had had great fun with the part.

“I remember that much, but you neglected to tell me you were dating the playwright.”
Or anything about him
, I added to myself.

“Sorry about that, Dad.” Laura shrugged. “The only reason Sean knew about him was because he spent a weekend in LA with me and saw the play back in February. I wasn’t dating Connor then, though he’d already asked me out a few times.”

“He came to Laura’s dressing room after the play.” Sean met my gaze as I turned to look at him. “He seemed okay, though he sure has a healthy opinion of himself. He spent probably fifteen minutes quoting reviews of his plays.” Sean shook his head in obvious amusement.

Laura snickered. “That’s Connor.
Self-absorbed
ought to be his middle name. I told him that once, and he took it as a compliment.”

“Why would you date someone like that?” I asked, puzzled by what I was learning about my daughter. “I can’t see the attraction myself.”
Not for someone as independent and strong-minded as you
, I added silently.

“He can be charming and sweet when he makes an effort. And he really is an awesome writer. His plays are amazing.” Laura ran a hand through her curls. Diesel warbled, and she rubbed his head again. “But he’s also exhausting.
High maintenance
could be his other middle name.”

“Are you together now?” Sean asked.

“No, just friends at the moment,” Laura said. “And that’s all we’ll ever be, trust me.”

“I hope it stays that way,” I said. I didn’t fancy the idea of Connor Lawton as a potential son-in-law. “You can do a lot better, no matter how gifted he is.”

“You don’t think anyone’s good enough for me.” Laura poked my arm with a finger. “Admit it.”

“True,” I said, treating her to a mock-severe frown. Then I grinned. “Probably no one ever will be, though I’m willing to be convinced at some point.”

“Maybe there’s a prince somewhere willing to marry a commoner.” Sean smirked. “Dad can recruit him for you, little sister.”

“And maybe he’ll have a sister for my
big brother
,” Laura said in a sweet tone. “That is, if she’s willing to kiss a frog.” She stuck her tongue out at Sean.

I laughed but decided to shift the conversation back to Connor Lawton. “Will it be awkward for you, having to be around him all semester?”

Laura shrugged. “I’m going to be way too busy to think much about him. Besides, we get along fine as friends.”

“The less you have to be around him, the better,” I said.

Laura shook her head at me. “Dad, don’t worry. I’ve dealt with bigger pains than Connor, believe me.”

I was probably better off not following up on that statement, I decided. I worried enough about Laura on her own in Hollywood as it was. “I’ll try. What say we go to the kitchen and figure out something for dinner?”

“Sounds good to me,” Laura said. “I’m starving. All I had for lunch was a few pretzels on the plane.” Diesel hopped from her lap to the floor and rubbed his head against her leg.

I smiled down at the cat. “Diesel is hoping you’ll drop him some tidbits like you did the last time you were here. Just don’t overdo it.”

Laura and Diesel came with me to the kitchen. Sean disappeared upstairs, saying he’d be down later.