Read Online "A Murder In Milburn", Book 3: Death In The Library by Nancy McGovern - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Nancy McGovern
Tags: cozy mystery
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tonight, remember?”
*****
Chapter 11
She had to talk to Harvey sooner or later, Nora knew that. He had this habit of internalizing things. Bursting out randomly, and then never speaking of it again. The problem was, so did she. Everything was easier when it could be swept under the carpet. Bringing emotions out into the open was a risky business.
Dinner with Mayor Almand and May was the last thing Nora wanted to be doing, but she knew it was important to Harvey, and she was very willing to at least pretend to like them both. Personally, she thought May was a little too sharp for her tastes, and Brett was a little too pompous. Still, the restaurant they were visiting was supposed to have the best lasagna in Wyoming. That would compensate a little bit.
She didn’t have much time to change, so she opted for the classics. A dark navy dress, a wide belt to emphasize her waist, tan pumps and a beige cardigan on top. She turned this way and that, making sure everything was alright, before finally putting on a pair of mock-sapphire earrings.
The doorbell rang, and there Harvey stood unsmiling, leaning against the doorpost. He ran his eyes over her, and a smile brightened his face.
“How do you manage to look so gorgeous all the time?”
“How do you manage to be so smooth?” Nora laughed, and kissed him on the cheek.
He wrapped his hands around her, his eyes looking deep into her. “I’m not being smooth,” he said, “Never am with you. Just honest.”
She felt a blush crawl up her neck, and looked away. He gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, and then the nose. “Shall we go?”
“Hang on, let me see if Mrs. Mullally is all set. I’ll tell her to not wait up for me.”
“How is your landlady now?”
“She’s fine, thankfully,” Nora said. “We had to call Dr. Neil again last week. She had a bit of a problem breathing. But it’s nothing serious, he promised us. Still, I’m making sure she’s well rested. She has a tendency to be hyperactive.”
Half an hour later, they were at the restaurant. Mayor Almand, Nora and Harvey were talking politics, including the new policies of a recently elected governor, while May sat quietly beside them.
Trying to draw her out, Nora asked, “Well, I’ve never seen you so quiet, May. Did your meeting with the sheriff go well?”
May blinked, as if she were emerging from deep thought. “My meeting with Sean? I didn’t have a meeting with Sean.”
“But I saw you today. In the parking lot?”
“Oh. That.” May bit her lip. “Yes. Grant and I were only there to ask him about the memorial.”
“So is it all set? Tomorrow?”
“Sam and Tina said they’d prefer it day after. They plan to have her funeral tomorrow now that the body’s been released,” May said. “So we adjusted that, of course. Grant said it might be a good idea to have someone do a reading from one of her books. A suitable passage.”
“Sounds like a wonderful idea.” What was wrong with May? Nora wondered. She’d never seen the Mayor’s wife look like this. Her eyes were almost haunted.
“What about the sheriff elections you were discussing the other day?” Harvey asked. “Any opposers to our very own Sean yet?”
“I’m a little too busy these days,” May said. “The Arts Council was planning to put up a series of plays in the park this summer, and with Selena gone, it’s up to me to supervise the content.”
“I remember that,” Mayor Almand said. “She had some crazy idea about putting up stories from the town’s history as part of the play, didn’t she?”
“That was never going to work,” May snapped. “I told her it was better to stick with classic authors like George Bernard Shaw or Tennessee Williams. Honestly, I thought it was a little unethical of her to try and allocate town funds to stories she was writing.”
“That’s funny,” Nora said. “Had she finished the play? I thought Selena only worked on novels.”
“Oh she did,
*****
Chapter 11
She had to talk to Harvey sooner or later, Nora knew that. He had this habit of internalizing things. Bursting out randomly, and then never speaking of it again. The problem was, so did she. Everything was easier when it could be swept under the carpet. Bringing emotions out into the open was a risky business.
Dinner with Mayor Almand and May was the last thing Nora wanted to be doing, but she knew it was important to Harvey, and she was very willing to at least pretend to like them both. Personally, she thought May was a little too sharp for her tastes, and Brett was a little too pompous. Still, the restaurant they were visiting was supposed to have the best lasagna in Wyoming. That would compensate a little bit.
She didn’t have much time to change, so she opted for the classics. A dark navy dress, a wide belt to emphasize her waist, tan pumps and a beige cardigan on top. She turned this way and that, making sure everything was alright, before finally putting on a pair of mock-sapphire earrings.
The doorbell rang, and there Harvey stood unsmiling, leaning against the doorpost. He ran his eyes over her, and a smile brightened his face.
“How do you manage to look so gorgeous all the time?”
“How do you manage to be so smooth?” Nora laughed, and kissed him on the cheek.
He wrapped his hands around her, his eyes looking deep into her. “I’m not being smooth,” he said, “Never am with you. Just honest.”
She felt a blush crawl up her neck, and looked away. He gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, and then the nose. “Shall we go?”
“Hang on, let me see if Mrs. Mullally is all set. I’ll tell her to not wait up for me.”
“How is your landlady now?”
“She’s fine, thankfully,” Nora said. “We had to call Dr. Neil again last week. She had a bit of a problem breathing. But it’s nothing serious, he promised us. Still, I’m making sure she’s well rested. She has a tendency to be hyperactive.”
Half an hour later, they were at the restaurant. Mayor Almand, Nora and Harvey were talking politics, including the new policies of a recently elected governor, while May sat quietly beside them.
Trying to draw her out, Nora asked, “Well, I’ve never seen you so quiet, May. Did your meeting with the sheriff go well?”
May blinked, as if she were emerging from deep thought. “My meeting with Sean? I didn’t have a meeting with Sean.”
“But I saw you today. In the parking lot?”
“Oh. That.” May bit her lip. “Yes. Grant and I were only there to ask him about the memorial.”
“So is it all set? Tomorrow?”
“Sam and Tina said they’d prefer it day after. They plan to have her funeral tomorrow now that the body’s been released,” May said. “So we adjusted that, of course. Grant said it might be a good idea to have someone do a reading from one of her books. A suitable passage.”
“Sounds like a wonderful idea.” What was wrong with May? Nora wondered. She’d never seen the Mayor’s wife look like this. Her eyes were almost haunted.
“What about the sheriff elections you were discussing the other day?” Harvey asked. “Any opposers to our very own Sean yet?”
“I’m a little too busy these days,” May said. “The Arts Council was planning to put up a series of plays in the park this summer, and with Selena gone, it’s up to me to supervise the content.”
“I remember that,” Mayor Almand said. “She had some crazy idea about putting up stories from the town’s history as part of the play, didn’t she?”
“That was never going to work,” May snapped. “I told her it was better to stick with classic authors like George Bernard Shaw or Tennessee Williams. Honestly, I thought it was a little unethical of her to try and allocate town funds to stories she was writing.”
“That’s funny,” Nora said. “Had she finished the play? I thought Selena only worked on novels.”
“Oh she did,
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