I enjoy
going to used book sales. It’s a great opportunity to discover new authors and fill
in the blanks of my collection for some of my favorite writers. Yesterday the local library was having their
sale, so that was one of my early morning stops.
In the past,
they used to pack a room with unmarked shelves. This gave you the chance to
wander the aisles slowly, checking out catchy titles and artwork. I liked it that
way, because you never know what could be propped up next to John Sandford,
Michael Connelly or James Rollins.
But now they’ve
taken to grouping books together by author. Volunteers and staff tack a sign on
the rack to direct you. That’s not to say you won’t still find a stray copy
here and there, but it takes some of the adventure out of the search, as people
young and old shuffle through the books, looking for treasures.
At the end
of an aisle there was a small table with a stack of books by Agatha
Christie. I started to turn away, but
something caught my eye. At that moment,
I have no doubt Dame Agatha was rolling over in her grave with dismay. Because the
sign on her table read:
“Agatha
Christy”.
An older
gentleman happened to be coming towards me. When
I pointed this out to him, he laughed and said “good thing we’re not in a
library where they would know how to spell!”
All they had
to do was simply look at the cover of any of those tales for the proper
spelling. Later I mentioned this error to one of the volunteers. She hurried
away in search of a marker to correct the problem.
As a writer,
it’s important to me to get it right. Details about events, locations and
character names have to be good. Because if you make a lot of little errors, that can be enough
to turn someone off. As a college
professor, I see homework assignments each week that are filled with spelling,
grammar and punctuation errors. I do my best to explain these to students, urging
them to learn from their mistakes and do better next time.
I can only
hope.
Here’s an
example of getting it right. In this
excerpt from “Your Turn to Die”, Sgt. Jefferson Chene has stopped by the victim’s
office to follow up on a lead. Since the widow is unavailable, he turns his
questions to Valerie Mann, a key employee of the operation.
Valerie laced her fingers as if she wanted me to
admire her manicure. It still looked as polished as it had on Monday when we’d
first met. I waited while she drew a breath and let it out slowly.
“I know you have a job to do. It’s just a very
difficult time for all of us.”
“I understand. Are there any concerns about the
business continuing?”
“Why no! Colleen has assured us that we will
maintain operations, just as Kyle would have wanted. Each unit is profitable,
although some more so than others. I doubt she would consider selling.”
I wasn’t convinced. “Are there potential buyers
for the business?”
“There have been a few overtures the last
couple of years. But nothing Kyle took seriously. The movies and the bookstores
are like his children. He’d never sell.”
“I met with the company’s lawyers earlier. Do you
know if Kyle and Colleen have a personal attorney?”
She hesitated. I watched her eyes flick away.
Here it comes.
“I’m sure they must, but I have no idea who
that might be.”
“It’s a bad idea to lie to a cop, Valerie.
Sooner or later, the truth comes back to bite you in the ass.”
Her body jolted as if I’d slapped her. “There
may be something in Kyle’s contact list. He didn’t keep business cards. When
someone gave him one, he’d put the details on his computer.”
“And you have access to that file?”
“Yes. It’s on the network.”
“Let’s take a look.”
I could have had the Cyber Unit scan the files
but there was a chance she’d give me more than just a name and a number.
Valerie turned to the computer and pulled the chair closer to the desk as I
came around beside her.
“Why did you lie to me?”
She shifted her head just enough to look me in
the eye. “I don’t like you.”
“It’s not a popularity contest. I’m trying to
figure out who killed your boss.”
“You’re abrasive.”
I shrugged. “If I have to be.”
“Your mother must be so proud.” Her voice was
dripping with sarcasm.
“I wouldn’t know. I never met her.”
Valerie opened her mouth to say something, but
no words came out. Her cheeks and throat flushed scarlet. She swallowed once
and turned her attention to the computer. I watched as she scrolled through a
list of files and brought up a folder labeled ‘contacts’.
“So there must be some other reason you lied,
other than not liking me.”
“I just don’t see how any of this could help
you find his killer.”
I pointed at the computer monitor. Slowly she
ran through the list of names. Valerie stopped occasionally to jot down the
details for several people listed as attorneys. It was tempting to see if there
were any recent emails between them and Morrissey. I was about to ask but figured
Yekovich and Pinky would be able to tell me. We finished with the list. Valerie
switched off the computer.
“Want to tell me about the lie?”
She let out a ragged breath. “You’re
impossible.”
I rested a hip on the desk. She remained in the
big chair. Self-consciously she crossed her legs, then tugged the hem of her
skirt down toward her knee. It didn’t cover much. “I’m in no hurry.”
“I thought you were trying to catch a killer.”
“I am. But my boss gets pissed if I do a sloppy
job and miss something.”
Valerie folded her hands in her lap. “I have
nothing more to say. Unless you have questions related to Mr. Morrissey’s
business dealings, I’m going to ask you to leave. We have a number of things to
finish up before tomorrow’s services.”
I decided not to push it. She was obviously
holding something back. Whether it was pertinent to the case was anyone’s
guess. Tucking the papers into my pocket, I pushed away from the desk. Valerie
stayed in the chair.
“Good-bye, Sergeant.”
“I’ll see you around, Ms. Mann.”
It obviously wasn’t the response she was hoping
for.
Buy links:
Music this
week comes from John Mellencamp.
https://youtu.be/KF0gsbQKhD8
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