Ink and Shadows(Secret, Book, & Scone Society #4)(32)

Celeste sank to the floor. Pulling her knees to her chest, she began to rock back and forth.

Nora was beside her in an instant. She put her arm around Celeste’s shoulders and tried to calm her. But Celeste wouldn’t stop rocking. Her eyes had taken on that faraway look again.

“Do you know who did this?” Nora whispered to her. “Was it the man with the tattooed arm?” She glanced back at her friends and was relieved to see that Hester had her phone pressed to her ear. She was calling Andrews. Good. Help would soon be on the way.

Nora rubbed Celeste’s back and told her that it would be okay. But as she took in the carnage that was Bren’s bedroom, she wondered how anything could ever be okay for Celeste again.

Because someone had broken into Bren’s house. Someone had torn Bren’s belongings to shreds.

Had that person found what they’d been looking for? Nora didn’t think so. From the look of things, that person had tracked down Bren instead.

Had she failed to provide the item’s location? And had that failure cost her her life?

Staring at the gutted remains of a teddy bear, Nora was afraid to discover the answer to that question.

The rage that created this carnage was still present in the house. It lingered like a foul odor or a bad memory. Nora could see a knife slicing through the suitcase lining and sofa cushions. She could imagine hands ripping and smashing. She could hear glass breaking and wood splintering.

This was no ordinary anger. This wasn’t a teenage prank or an ex-boyfriend seeking revenge. This was a unique kind of rage.

A killer’s rage.





Chapter 8


Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art . . .

It has no survival value; rather it is one of those

things that give value to survival.

—CS Lewis





Nora was among the first customers at a multi-house yard sale that Sunday. There were great finds at the sale, and she came away with two boxloads of vintage books. It was a random assortment. There were nursery rhymes, literary classics, detective novels, and obscure children’s titles, but every book was illustrated and in fine condition. Nora also bought two coffee table books on Scottish tartans and clans, which would end up on the display table she’d organize in time for next weekend’s festival, the Highland Games.

Not only did Nora get lucky with her purchases, but one of her regular customers was also at the yard sale. Wyatt, a fan of historical mysteries, contemporary thrillers, and graphic novels, offered to cart Nora’s books back to town.

“I can leave them on your deck,” he said, pointing up at the sky. “There’s talk of rain, but I don’t think it’ll hit until this afternoon.”

After gratefully accepting his offer, Nora made a mental note to give Wyatt a free copy of The Silent Patient the next time he stopped by Miracle Books.

“You’re a lifesaver,” said Nora. “If you have time, come see me this week. One of last year’s biggest thrillers is coming out in paperback on Tuesday. This book is right up your alley.”

She gave Wyatt a spoiler-free teaser as they loaded her boxes into his trunk.

“I have twenty unread books at home, but I need that book now,” Wyatt said. “Suddenly, Tuesday seems very far away.”

Laughing, he got into his car and drove away.

By lunchtime, Nora had purchased the best wares from five yard sales and the flea market. Sheldon would be delighted by the pile of treasures in the bookshop’s stockroom. There’s nothing he liked more than cleaning, tagging, and arranging shelf enhancers. Several items like the cast-iron truck carrying miniature wood pumpkins, the vintage ceramic owl family, the acorn cookie jar, and the wicker squirrel-shaped basket would sell quickly. Nora could jack up the price and they’d still move, but she wanted her customers to return again and again. The best way to earn their loyalty was to treat them fairly.

Nora should have been pleased with her morning’s work, but she hadn’t slept well again last night and was starting to drag. Until now, she’d been too focused on replenishing her inventory to think about Bren’s wrecked house. But in the quiet of her own house, images of the destruction crowded her thoughts.

Even worse than these was the memory of Celeste, sitting on the bedroom floor and hugging herself as she rocked back and forth. Nora couldn’t stop seeing that moment. She started a load of laundry and dusted the living room, but these chores failed to distract her. Finally, she decided to get out of the house.

Nora walked to the grocery store, telling herself that a little exercise was better than nothing. She was far too sleep-deprived to hike. All she wanted to do was spend the rest of the afternoon with a cup of tea and a book. She wanted to escape reality for a few hours. Was that too much to ask?

Apparently, it was. Because Sheriff Grant McCabe was standing outside the grocery store, watching her approach.

At the sight of him, the knot that had formed in Nora’s chest the night she’d found Bren’s body loosened a little. McCabe fixed things. He balanced the scales. He made things better.

“You’re back.” She smiled in relief, but also because she was glad to see him.

McCabe reached out and cupped Nora’s shoulder. “I hear you’ve had a tough couple of days.”

“Not as tough as Celeste’s.”