Arsenic And Old Books

The mayor shook her head. “No, thank you, Mr. Harris.” She turned to Kanesha. “I’ll do my best, but it really was a brief conversation.” She paused for a moment, her brow wrinkled. “It was around ten thirty, I think. To be honest, I was a bit irritated with her for calling so late, because I was getting ready for bed after a long and tiring day.”

“Did she want something in particular?” Kanesha asked when the mayor paused.

“I was so tired by then I could hardly concentrate,” the mayor said. “Marie had a habit of jabbering away without giving a person time to think, much less get a word in edgewise. When she slowed down a bit, I could finally figure out what she was talking about.” She shook her head. “She kept asking me if I thought the diaries were worth as much as fifty thousand dollars. I told her I had no idea, and then I asked her why she wanted to know.”

“What did she say?” Kanesha asked.

“She just kept going on about a reward, and how that might get them back. You can afford it, Lucinda. She must have said that ten times. Surely they’re worth that much to your husband and son. She also said that several times. She sounded excited, and I got tired of listening to her. I didn’t even get a chance to tell her we’d found another volume of the diary.” She sighed heavily. “I finally told her I’d think about it. I had to hang up on her, because then she started on about maybe the diaries being worth even more than fifty thousand.”

I knew Marie Steverton had pinned her hopes of tenure on the diaries and was no doubt desperate to get them back. How—and why—did she come up with such a crack-brained scheme? I couldn’t imagine that the thief took them in hopes of extorting a reward for returning them. That was crack-brained as well.

Then another thought struck me. What if Marie had stolen the diaries and then hit on the plan to extort money from the Longs?

I glanced at Kanesha, but as usual I couldn’t read her expression. I felt diffident about mentioning the idea in front of the mayor. I would broach the subject to Kanesha later in private, if she didn’t bring it up first with the mayor now.

“Did you think more about the idea of a reward?” Kanesha asked.

“Frankly, no,” the mayor said. “I think Marie was drinking when she called me. That fast talking was usually a sign of it. She would go on these binges sometimes when she was upset or worried and start calling people. When she sobered up she didn’t often remember making the calls.” She shook her head. “So I figured she would have forgotten about such a foolish idea this morning.”

“Do you think it was possible she took the diaries herself?” Kanesha asked. “Do you have any idea whether she needed money badly?”

Mrs. Long stared at the handbag in her lap for a few moments. When she raised her head, she said, “I suppose it’s possible. But I find it hard to believe Marie would do such a thing. As to whether she needed money badly, I really have no idea. She never approached me for money before.” She focused on her handbag again.

“I have to consider all possibilities,” Kanesha said. “Can you think of anyone who had a grudge against Dr. Steverton? Someone who intended her harm?”

Mrs. Long shook her head. “The good Lord only knows how Marie could rile people up. She never learned the value of tact and diplomacy. That cost her a number of jobs, I’m afraid. But I can’t see anyone being angry enough with her to run her down in a car.” The mayor looked wan again.

I couldn’t blame her. I found that mental image unsettling myself. Poor Marie Steverton, I thought. A painful way to die.

“Thank you for your time, Your Honor,” Kanesha said. “Now, about the diaries that have been returned.”

“That is just as hard to believe as someone wanting to kill Marie,” the mayor said. “Why take them and then bring them back less than twenty-four hours later? It doesn’t make sense.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Kanesha said. “Until we find out who took them and who returned them, we won’t know what the motivation was. The problem at the moment is, I need to take them as evidence. They’ll need to be examined for anything that could answer our questions. Obviously, Mr. Harris here wants them safely back in the archive as soon as possible. I wondered whether you could talk to some of your contacts and see if the state crime lab can make them a priority.”

The mayor looked troubled. “I hate to see the diaries go anywhere, but obviously I understand the need to have them examined. I know a couple of people in Jackson who might be able to help.” She stood. “I’ll see what I can do. For now, at least, Mr. Harris can work on the fifth volume.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, Your Honor, where did you find it?” I thought it odd that all five volumes weren’t together when she made the first discovery.