Death Overdue (Librarian Mysteries) Read Online Free Page B

catch in his voice that revealed he knew this was not the case.
    “A long sleep,” Caldwell said.
    *
    When the paramedics arrived, two young men took over. I told them what I had done and they asked us to step out of the room, but we stayed in the doorway, watching how they would handle it.
    Both of them were in very good physical shape, and somehow this reassured me—like if anyone could bring her back to life, they could. They took out the paddles and tried to shock her back, but the lifeless body made no response. They gave her a shot of what I guessed was adrenaline. No movement.
    Finally they both stood up, and one of them called the time. Four eighteen in the morning.
    I heard a sniffle and turned around to see Penelope crying. Her sister had just died, even if they weren’t on the best of terms.
    Alfredo was clearing his throat and wiping his eyes. Brenda ran down the stairs, weeping.
    I looked over at Caldwell, and he was just staring at the floor, no expression at all on his face.
    I reached out and took his hand. He squeezed mine, but didn’t look at me. I wondered how he felt right now. I remembered how I felt when my ex-boyfriend died, like someone had cut a small chunk of flesh out of my body. Quite small but still painful. You can’t be close to someone for that amount of time and not feel pain at their demise. Their death takes away a time in your life.
    “What happened here?” the tall paramedic asked.
    We all waited for Caldwell to answer.
    He cleared his throat and said, “I would say that it appears the bookcase fell over on top of her.”
    “In the middle of the night?”
    “Yes.”
    “What was she doing in here?”
    Caldwell shook his head. “I have no idea. I usually keep the door locked. And Sally . . . I barely know her anymore.”
    “Was anyone with her? Did anyone see it happen?”
    We all shook our heads and looked at Alfredo.
    Alfredo said, “I was too much sleeping. We had been drinking. I did not know she had gone.”
    “Who’s closest of kin?” the paramedic asked.
    Alfredo raised his hand. “I was her fiancé. But I don’t know what is this closest of kin.”
    Then Penelope stepped forward, giving Alfredo a sharp look. “I believe I’m actually her closest of kin. I’m her sister. What do I need to do?”
    “Well, nothing at the moment. Under the circumstances, we will be calling in the police, and they will tell you what will happen.”
    “The police?” Penelope asked.
    Caldwell added, “But surely this is an accident.”
    “This looks like an accidental death, but that’s not for us to determine.”
    “Calling in the police seems too much,” Penelope said.
    The young, burly paramedic looked down at the lovely woman in a nearly see-through negligee. “Maybe so, but that’s the next step. To determine the cause of death. It’s procedure.”

SEVEN

Watching the Detectives
    T he library turned into a crime scene. We were all asked to go downstairs and wait for the detectives to come.
    Penelope flopped onto the couch and curled into a ball. Alfredo sat on the other end of the couch, leaned back, and closed his eyes. Brenda had gone to her room, and we could hear her still crying behind the door. Bruce sat in a chair next to a bookcase and started examining the books.
    That left Caldwell and me to worry and stew.
    “You have no idea why Sally was in the library?” I asked him.
    “None whatsoever. I don’t know why the door was evenopen. You know I usually keep it locked. There are some very expensive books in there.”
    I gave a short gasp as I thought back to the afternoon. “I think it was my fault. I was working on cataloging and arranging the books when Sally arrived and, I guess, in all the excitement, I forgot to go back and lock the room. But even if I had, she probably knows where you keep the keys.”
    He nodded. “Yes, right where they’ve always been. Never occurred to me to change them.”
    I asked him a question that had been bothering me since