MBDD excerpt 3.4

       I'm relaxing in the afterglow of Stargates. Here's an excerpt for you. I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Excerpt 3.4 from Murder by Dewey Decimal
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

      "I can't find any of them, Bernard," Millie said, handing Bernard the shipping invoice that he had picked up off the ground yesterday before finding Agatha's body.
      "They have to be here somewhere," Bernard said. "We couldn't have lost an entire box of books."
      "Maybe they're in -- there." Millie pointed at Agatha's office. "Can I go see?" she asked eagerly.
      Bernard looked pointedly at her. "You're just dying to look inside there, aren't you?"
      "No, of course not," Millie said, looking wistfully at the office door. "I just thought I'd offer. After all, she always unpacked the books."
      "True enough," Bernard said. "I guess it won't hurt if we look inside. We'll just stand at the door."
      Millie followed him eagerly to the door. A yellow banner that read 'Police Line: Do Not Cross' hung across the door.
      Bernard unlocked and opened the door. Millie leaned forward and gasped.
      "Wow, it's really trashed," Millie said. "Are those brown places her blood?"
      "Yes," Bernard said. "Quite a little ghoul, aren't you?"
      "I've never seen where anyone was murdered before," she said. "You know, this is just like something off of The Shadow Seekers. Do you watch it?"
      "I don't watch soap operas very often," Bernard said.
      "Oh, you should," Millie said. "Right now, Joshua has developed an evil second personality. And it's driving Kristin crazy -- that's his wife -- 'cause she's attracted to them both."
      "I'll have to try to catch it sometime," Bernard said. "Well, I don't see any boxes in here."
      "No, unless there's one behind the desk. Should I go look?"
      "That won't be necessary," Bernard said dryly. "It's sitting too close to the wall; the box we want wouldn't fit behind it."
      "Oh," Millie said, disappointed.
      Bernard closed the door. A night's sleep had lessened the shock, and looking in her office hadn't bothered him. Maybe the shock of it had finally undone what the shock of his father’s death had done. And that’s our pop psychology for today, he thought.
      "Is it okay if I go to lunch now instead of one?" Millie asked as they walked over the circulation desk. "I'm supposed to meet my mother at the Fashion Hutch and try on clothes. I'll be back in an hour."
      Agatha had always been a stickler on lunch times for the help. Bernard went at twelve and returned at one, Millie went at one and got back at two, and Agatha went at eleven and came back when she was ready. But Agatha was gone, and Bernard was in charge, at least for a while.
      "Sure," Bernard said. "After lunch, I want us to get caught up on our shelving. Since we're closed today, it'll be a good time. And maybe we'll run across those books."
      Millie grabbed her purse and hurried out of the library. Bernard locked the door behind her. He didn't want anyone wandering in for a look, and Millie had keys. In his office, he picked up the phone, dialed the hospital, and asked for Lisa’s room. A woman who identified herself as Rita answered the phone and told her that Lisa was sleeping, but had been awake earlier and complaining about the hospital food. Bernard told Rita to tell Lisa that he had called and hung up. He looked at the shipping invoice again. It was dated a week ago and listed thirty hardcover books, including at least four bestsellers that he had wanted Agatha to order for the library. Where could they be? he wondered. Could she have taken them home?
      He began to consider Agatha's procedure on checking in books. She had always insisted all deliveries be brought unopened to her office where she could open them at her leisure. Sometimes books would remain in her office for one or two weeks before she gave them to Millie or Bernard to be checked in and cataloged. Bernard had simply put it down as another of her eccentricities.
      Could there have been something else besides books in the missing box? Something that someone would kill for? Oh, man, I have completely lost it, Bernard thought disgustedly. Next thing you know I'll be making Agatha into a druglord.
      "Enough," he said, mentally shaking himself. "Time to get to work."
      The book cart wasn't behind the desk. He looked around and then remembered he hadn't brought it back down after he found Agatha. He walked up the marble stairs. A yellow police banner was pinned across the aisle where he found Agatha's body. He looked at the white tape on the floor that outlined where her body had been. The book cart wasn't there but was pushed all the way back down the next aisle. He pushed it out and picked up a book: “The Joys of Kite Flying” by Webster Bennings. He looked at its spine to read its Dewey Decimal number which was 796.15a BEN.
      He carried it to the 790's and was about to place it on the shelf when a thought occurred to him: What did the 'a' in the number mean? The 796.15 placed the book in The Arts classification under the subdivision of Recreation. The 'BEN' was the first three letters of the author's name.
      Bernard pulled another book out of the shelves. No 'a' on its number, but there it was on the next book. He began to randomly check books. Most had a small 'a' after the number. He moved to the 200's; nearly all had the letter also. He checked other shelves. The 'a' showed up on nearly all newer books and quite a few of the older ones.
      Could the 'a' stand for nonfiction? He went downstairs and began to check the fiction shelves. The fiction books were grouped by authors, and their classification was simply the first three letters of the authors' names. Most also showed a small 'a' either at the top or bottom of the spine.
      He went to the juvenile section. He knew a small 'j' marked all the juvenile books. Perhaps the 'a' stood for adult. He quickly discovered he was wrong as several of the books he looked at were marked with both letters.
      Thinking over the past few months, he remembered that he had noticed the 'a' before and had meant to ask Millie or Agatha about it but just hadn't done so. If I'm going to be in charge for a while, I should know how we classify books, he thought.
      He heard a noise up front. Millie must have returned. But as he walked around the staircase, he saw a tall, well-built man in a blue sports jacket opening the door to Agatha's office.
      Bernard stopped. Could this be the murderer? His heart raced. "What are you doing?" he demanded.
      The man jumped, tried to turn, and stumbled to the floor. He swore and got up. "You about gave me a heart attack, you know that," he said, brushing off his clothes.
      "I'm sorry," Bernard said, not moving any closer. "Who are you? What are you doing here? Why were you looking in that office?"
      "I'm Neal Gibson," the man said, walking toward Bernard and extending his hand. "You must be Mr. Worthington."
      Bernard backed away. "You haven't told me what you're doing here, and I think I'd rather you didn't get any closer."
      Gibson looked baffled. "I don't understand."
      "Someone was murdered here," Bernard said. "If I'm overreacting, I'm sorry, but I'd like to know what you're doing here."
      "Jumpy, aren't you," Gibson said. "'Course I guess I can't blame you. I own Skyways Real Estate. Mrs. Ryton-Storer asked me to do an appraisal of the library." He pulled a sheaf of papers from his coat pocket. "Here it is. She didn't tell me if it was for her or the library, and so I thought I would stop in and see if someone knew. I haven't been paid for it."
      "Why were you looking in her office?" Bernard asked, indicating the yellow police banner.
      Gibson looked abashed. "Well, I was just curious. I didn't go inside."
      Bernard relaxed. Gibson seemed harmless. He also realized that the real estate agent must think he was a paranoid nutcase. "I'm sorry about my behavior." He walked over to Gibson and put out his hand. "I'm afraid that the murder has left me edgy."
      Gibson shook Bernard's hand. "It's okay. Actually I was feeling a little awkward myself. I mean, I don't want to seem uncaring about about Mrs. Ryton-Storer, but if the library needs the appraisal, I need the money for doing it. I have the bill for it." He fumbled in his pocket.
      "I'm afraid I don't know anything about an appraisal," Bernard said. "She didn't say why she wanted it?"
      "No," Gibson said, looking disappointed. "I was hoping it was for the library."
      "Not as far as I know," Bernard said. "I could call the city and see if they know anything about it."
      "Thanks."
      Bernard phoned the city offices but couldn't find anyone who knew why Agatha would want an appraisal.
      "Well, I guess I just lost out," Gibson said. "Thanks for checking. Here's my card. If you should find out anything about it, I'd appreciate a call."
      "When did she order it?" Bernard asked.
      "Last week," Gibson said. "I came by Wednesday night and looked over the inside and looked over the outside Thursday. I had to check on a few things and was supposed to get back with her today. Of course, she was killed yesterday."
      "Millie and one of our part-time helpers work late on Wednesdays instead of me, or I would have recognized you," Bernard said. "I'm sorry I couldn't be more help."
      Gibson nodded and left, passing Millie who smiled and spoke to him cheerfully.
      "You know him?" Bernard asked Millie as she dropped her purse and some shopping bags behind the counter.
      "Oh, yes, I've known Mr. Gibson for years," she said. "I went to school with his daughter, Georgia. She's married to Mike Carter now. Mr. Gibson owns Skyways Real Estate and, I think, some businesses in the city. He used to have lots of money, but when his wife left him, she took a big chunk of it. Or so I've heard. Boy, his daughter sure was a cow, I mean, a real heifer. And stuck up. I never did like--"
      "Thanks," Bernard said hastily. "I've got some errands to run. Why don't you get started on the shelving, and I'll be back about two."
      Bernard left the library, wondering why Agatha would want an appraisal and whether he should tell the chief about it.

End excerpt. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.