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  “You ended up at the library before it closed the night you killed Ellie. Was that planned between the two of you? Or did you show up there?” asked Burton.

  Tara took another deep, shuddering breath. “It wasn’t planned. I wanted to see if anyone was at the library before I went in there. Obviously, I wanted Ellie alone.”

  “So you drove over there during your shift, apparently. Because you were working.”

  Tara said quickly, “I just walked there and back. I didn’t want anyone to see my car gone. I taped a sign to the coffeehouse door and said I’d be back soon, but nobody came by, apparently. I hurried over there. It was very dark.”

  “When you got to the library, what did you see?”

  Tara said, “Well, I saw Pris dropping off Ellie’s car. I waited for her to leave and she did—she hurried out of the parking lot and set off down the street like she was walking home. I guessed that was where she was going, anyway.”

  “What time was this?” I asked.

  “It was about 8:30. Pris obviously wanted to get the car there and get back home before Ellie left work.” Tara shrugged. “At least, that’s what I figured. She looked really furtive like she didn’t want anyone to see her. I guessed she’d borrowed the car without permission or something.”

  Burton asked grimly, “What happened when you went inside the library?”

  Tara said, “Ellie assumed I was there to pay up. I told her again that I didn’t have any money, but she wasn’t going to stop. I gave her another chance to give me a break—I asked again to just drop the whole thing. But she laughed and turned her back on me to shelve books. She just kept running her mouth, talking about how I was going to end up in jail. I walked around to the other side of the shelves.”

  Burton raised his eyebrows. “And she didn’t see you.”

  “She was too busy trying to make digs at me. Plus, she was on the end of the shelving and I was in the center, so I wasn’t directly in front of her. I shoved.” Tara’s voice became quieter. “That was it.”

  “That was a huge bookshelf to topple,” said Burton.

  Tara shrugged again. “I was furious.”

  This made me shiver. It must have been an explosive anger indeed to fuel Tara into shoving down that shelving.

  Burton jotted down a few notes into the small notebook he carried. Then he said, “Tell us about Frank.”

  Tara said, “When I left the library, there was no one around. But when I was driving out of the parking lot, I saw another car going by. I didn’t know who was driving it and didn’t think it was a big deal until Frank came by the coffee shop one morning and told me he knew what I’d done.” Her voice was steely.

  “He’d been the one who saw you leave,” I said.

  “He planned to blackmail me.” Tara gave a short laugh and shook her head. “Frank didn’t realize this was exactly why I’d had to kill Ellie. I couldn’t seem to get away from low-life scum in this town. I told him the same thing—I didn’t have the money. He said he’d just go to the police, then.” She held out her hands. “All I’ve been trying to do is to turn my life around and start back on the right path. I never asked for any of this to happen.”

  “So what happened next?” asked Burton.

  “I told Frank I had information on him, too. That I knew he’d been responsible for his wife’s death. That if he went to the police then I’d head to the police, too.” She shook her head. “But he said the only thing I had on him was hearsay and wouldn’t be taken seriously by the police. Ellie was dead and she was the one who’d spoken directly to his wife.”

  “He wasn’t going to drop it,” I said.

  “Exactly,” said Tara. “So I told him not to go to the police, that I would be able to come up with some sort of payment for him. He asked me to meet him out at the lake. When I got there, I killed him.” She swallowed. “But do you see how I didn’t really have a choice?” Her voice was pleading.

  Burton didn’t answer her. “Why did you attack Ann?”

  Tara sighed, looking down at the floor. “I didn’t want to. Like I said, I didn’t have a choice. She’d figured it out—found out about me selling pills. I didn’t want to hurt her.”

  Burton nodded, making a few last notes before standing up. “Tara, it’s time for us to head to the station.”

  I walked out behind them and met up with Grayson.

  “Remember,” called Burton behind him to Grayson. “None of this goes into the paper yet. I’ll call you later to give you a statement for tomorrow’s edition, okay?”

  “Sounds good,” said Grayson.

  We watched as Tara was loaded into the backseat of the police cruiser and Burton drove away.

  Grayson looked at me with concern. “Ann, are you okay?”

  I gave a shaky chuckle. “Let’s just say I don’t think I’m up for that run after all.”

  “Of course you’re not. Do I need to call anybody for you? A friend? It looks like Connor won’t be available.” Grayson’s mouth twisted when he said Connor’s name, as if it tasted bad in his mouth.

  “No. No, I think I’ll be just fine here with you,” I said.

  “I’m guessing you don’t want to go somewhere else for a coffee, but how about breakfast?” Grayson asked, still looking at me worriedly.

  I shook my head. “No, thanks. I think I’d rather be at home.” I took a deep breath and took the plunge. “Would you like to come over? I actually have some pretty decent coffee there. Maybe I can round up a little food in the fridge. I think I have eggs.”

  Grayson looked surprised, then pleased. “Me? Sure, that sounds great—thanks.”

  We headed towards our cars and our eyes met one final time. His gaze lingered, and he cracked another smile. A real one. Despite the chaos of the last few minutes, for one bliss-filled moment, it felt like we were the only two people around.

  About the Author:

  Elizabeth writes the Southern Quilting mysteries and Memphis Barbeque mysteries for Penguin Random House and the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink and independently. She blogs at ElizabethSpannCraig.com/blog, named by Writer’s Digest as one of the 101 Best Websites for Writers. Elizabeth makes her home in Matthews, North Carolina, with her husband. She’s the mother of two.

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  I love hearing from my readers. You can find me on Facebook as Elizabeth Spann Craig Author, on Twitter as elizabethscraig, on my website at elizabethspanncraig.com, and by email at [email protected].

  A special thanks to John DeMeo and Karen Young for their support!

  Thanks so much for reading my book...I appreciate it. If you enjoyed the story, would you please leave a short review on the site where you purchased it? Just a few words would be great. Not only do I feel encouraged reading them, but they also help other readers discover my books. Thank you!

  Did you know my books are available in print and ebook formats? Most of the Myrtle Clover series is available in audio and some of the Southern Quilting mysteries are. Find the audiobooks here.

  Please follow me on BookBub for my reading recommendations and release notifications.

  I have Myrtle Clover tote bags, charms, magnets, and other goodies at my Café Press shop: https://www.cafepress.com/cozymystery

  If you'd like an autographed book for yourself or a friend, please visit my Etsy page.

  I’d also like to thank some folks who helped me put this book together. Thanks to my cover designer, Karri Klawiter, for her awesome covers. Thanks to Freddy Moyano for the concept! Thanks to my editor, Judy Beatty for her help. Thanks to beta readers Amanda Arrieta and Dan Harris for all of their helpful suggestions and careful reading. Thanks to my ARC readers for helping to spread the word. Thanks, as always, to my family and readers.

  Other Works by Elizabeth:

  Myrtle Clover Series in Order (be sure to look for the Myrtle series in
audio, ebook, and print):

  Pretty is as Pretty Dies

  Progressive Dinner Deadly

  A Dyeing Shame

  A Body in the Backyard

  Death at a Drop-In

  A Body at Book Club

  Death Pays a Visit

  A Body at Bunco

  Murder on Opening Night

  Cruising for Murder

  Cooking is Murder

  A Body in the Trunk

  Cleaning is Murder

  Edit to Death

  Hushed Up

  A Body in the Attic

  Murder on the Ballot

  Death of a Suitor (2021)

  Southern Quilting Mysteries in Order:

  Quilt or Innocence

  Knot What it Seams

  Quilt Trip

  Shear Trouble

  Tying the Knot

  Patch of Trouble

  Fall to Pieces

  Rest in Pieces

  On Pins and Needles

  Fit to be Tied

  Embroidering the Truth

  Knot a Clue

  Quilt-Ridden (2021)

  The Village Library Mysteries in Order (Debuting 2019):

  Checked Out

  Overdue

  Borrowed Time

  Hush-Hush

  Where There's a Will (2021)

  Memphis Barbeque Mysteries in Order (Written as Riley Adams):

  Delicious and Suspicious

  Finger Lickin’ Dead

  Hickory Smoked Homicide

  Rubbed Out

  And a standalone “cozy zombie” novel: Race to Refuge, written as Liz Craig