Copycat Killing

Epilogue

The sun was warm, the sky was an endless, deep blue overhead and the faintest breeze blew through the open windows of the library on the afternoon of the building’s one-hundredth birthday celebration. Everett and I cut the ceremonial red ribbon at the front door as most of the town gathered below. Then everyone streamed into the building.

Two of Oren’s father’s sculptures commanded the computer area. Oren stood by the windows overlooking the garden—with the new gazebo he’d finished the week earlier—his face glowing with pride. I walked over to join him.

“My father would have loved this, Kathleen,” he said. “Thank you.”

I smiled back at him. “Thank you for letting me bring these pieces down here.” I looked up at the beautiful metal eagle that seemed to be poised in midflight in the room. “I’m glad he’s getting the recognition he deserves.”

Harry Junior had found a way to suspend Maggie’s collage panels from the ceiling and they followed the curve of the windows. Rebecca and Mary were standing by the panel that told the story of The Ladies Knitting Circle, smiling and answering questions. Rebecca had insisted the women’s story be told when Everett had wavered and she’d worked closely with Abigail and Maggie. When the centennial celebrations were over, the panels would be moved over to the reading area where they were staying on permanent display.

Rebecca caught sight of me, smiled and waved. The light caught the sparkling diamond on her left hand. Everett had proposed a couple of days ago and they were both as giddy as a couple of teenagers.

Roma tapped me on the shoulder. “Hi,” she said. She looked around. “This is wonderful. I don’t know where to look first.”

“Where’s Eddie?” I asked.

“In the parking lot discussing the best way to plank a salmon with Eric.”

“Oh, don’t tell me he cooks too?” I said.

She nodded and grinned.

Roma had had a very simple graveside service for her father. Putting his remains to rest seemed to have put the past to rest for her as well. Today she had the cat that swallowed the funky chicken air about her.

“What’s up with you?” I asked.

“Later,” she said. “This is your day.”

“This is the library’s day,” I said, pulling her aside. “What is it?”

“I bought Wisteria Hill.” The words came out in a rush.

I stared at her and I think my mouth fell open. “What?”

“I bought Wisteria Hill.” She said it a little more slowly this time.

“That’s…that’s wonderful!” I didn’t know what else to say so I hugged her.

I studied her face for a moment when I let go and I could see how happy she was. “How did this happen?” I asked.

“I’ve been thinking about it for weeks. I love the place. And Everett doesn’t want to live out there. So I asked him.” She grinned. “He said yes.” She twisted the heavy silver ring she wore around her finger. “The place needs work, but it’s livable for now and what Eddie can’t fix I’ll get Oren to do.”

I shook my head. “He fixes things too? That boy is practically perfect.”

She nodded. “Yes he is.” She looked around. “Have you seen Maggie?”

“She’s around somewhere with a cute, stubbled bartender who is in reality only a part-time bartender and a full time PhD candidate in psychology.”

“Which she found where?”

“Remember me telling you about Maggie and me doing a little bar crawl last winter when we were trying to figure out what happened to Agatha Shepherd?”

She nodded.

“He was the bartender at Barry’s Hat. He took one look at Maggie and pretty much forgot how to tie his shoes. I guess I’m the only one still uncoupled now.”

Roma was already starting to grin. I shook a finger at her. “Don’t you start! Maggie is bad enough. I don’t need another matchmaker.”

She held up her hands as though she were surrendering. “Okay, but there’s someone tall, dark and handsome watching you from across the room.”

I could see Marcus out of the corner of my eye. “Go away,” I said. “I’m quite happy with Owen and Hercules.”

She laughed and went off to look for Maggie.

I walked around for a while myself, answering a few questions and hearing a lot of congratulations. I was proud of the library. The building was beautiful and usage was up and staying there. I saw Everett coming from the reading area where Abigail and Susan had set up a display of banned books. I walked over to him.

“Kathleen, this is a wonderful celebration,” he said. Like Roma, he seemed to be at peace now with the past.

“Thank you,” I said. “It wouldn’t be happening without you.”

“Or you,” he said.

Susan was trying to get my attention, standing by one of the magazine carrels, holding a twin by each hand. “Excuse me,” I said to Everett. “I think Susan needs me.”

He touched my arm. “Come see me tomorrow. We should talk about the future.”

“I will,” I promised.

“Can you keep an eye on things here?” Susan asked, as I walked up to her. She blew a loose strand of hair out of her face. It looked like she had a piece of bamboo in her topknot. “I need to take these two monkeys out to my mother.”

“Hi Kathleen,” the boys said in unison. They were the pictures of blue-eyed innocence.

“Hi guys,” I said, crossing my eyes, which always sent them into a fit of giggles. I made a shooing gesture at Susan. “Go,” I said.

She was back in a couple of minutes. “The boys are barbecuing,” she said.

“Is that bamboo in your hair?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yeah. It’s good luck.” She headed across the room to join Abigail.

I wandered back out into the main part of the library in time to see Harrison Taylor, aka Old Harry, come through the library entrance with his sons…and his daughter. I blinked away the prickle of tears. Harry’s daughter, the result of a relationship he’d had while his wife was dying, had been placed for adoption at birth. I’d been lucky enough to have found some papers that had helped the old man find her. It had been worth almost getting blown up.

I walked over to them. Harry smiled when he caught sight of me. I took the hand he held out and leaned in to kiss his cheek. “I’m so glad you’re here,” I told him.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he said. He turned to the young woman beside him. “Kathleen, this is my daughter, Elizabeth.”

“Elizabeth, I’m so happy to finally meet you,” I said. She had her father’s smile.

“I’m happy to meet you too,” she said. “Harrison told me that without your help we might never have found each other. Thank you.” She looked up at him and I could see affection in her gaze.

I had to swallow away a lump in my throat before I could speak. “I did very little,” I said. “But you’re welcome.”

Harry Senior looked around. “Where did you put Karl Kenyon’s sculptures? I’d like to show them to Elizabeth.”

“Over in the computer room,” I said.

“Go ahead,” Harry Junior said. “I’ll be right there.”

Larry Taylor leaned sideways as he passed me. “It looks great, Kathleen,” he whispered.

“Thanks for helping with the extra lights,” I said.

“Anytime,” he said with a smile.

His big brother stood beside me and we watched the three of them make their way across the floor. “How’s it going?” I asked.

“Better than I hoped,” Harry said.

“What’s she like?”

“Stubborn, opinionated, like Boris with a bone when she thinks she’s right.”

“In other words she fits right in,” I said.

He laughed. “Yes, she does.”

I patted his shoulder and walked outside. There was a tent set up in the parking lot and Eric was working at a large grill. Eddie was beside him with one of the twins on his shoulders. I couldn’t see the other, which I hoped wasn’t a bad thing.

I made my way around the side of the building to the new gazebo in the reading garden. It was a little larger than the one in Rebecca’s backyard; Oren had built it using Harrison Taylor’s original design. Like everything both men were involved with, it was beautiful.

“Oren does nice work.”

I turned to smile at Marcus standing behind me. “Yes, he does. Have you seen his father’s sculptures?”

“I’d swear that eagle had feathers.”

I nodded. “I had the same reaction the first time I saw it.”

Marcus looked back at the building. “You’ve probably been wondering why I don’t have a library card.”

“It’s not really any of my business,” I said, but I could feel my cheeks getting pink.

His eyebrows went up.

“All right, yes, I’m curious,” I admitted. “Why don’t you have a library card?”

We walked across the grass to the retaining wall overlooking the water. “I couldn’t read until I was almost ten,” he said.

“Dyslexia?” I asked.

“Yes.” He looked out across the lake. “For a long time the library was just about my least favorite place in the world. School was right up there too.”

I thought about all the times I’d complained to Maggie about Marcus not having a library card and I was ashamed of my narrow-minded attitude. “I can see why,” I said quietly.

“I started building my own library, that way no one would know how long it took me to read a book.” He turned to face me. “I’d love to show you my books sometime.”

“I’d like that,” I said. He was so close I could smell the unique warmth of his skin.

He hesitated, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Could I make you dinner Saturday night?”

“I’d like that too,” I said.

For a moment I thought he was going to kiss me, but he didn’t. He just smiled that gorgeous smile at me.

My heart started doing the cha-cha in my chest because I knew that if—when Marcus Gordon kissed me, I was definitely going to kiss him back.