“That’s all right, honey.” Tabitha smiled. “I just wanted to thank you in person. I’m sure you talked to so many people in that position you just plumb forgot. I stopped at the city offices yesterday, and they said you’d moved on. I was sorry to hear that. It seemed like such a good job for you.”

Ariella put her phone down and glared. “Those idiots. I was set, working there. The finance director was going to retire in two years, and I would have taken over.”

“You poor dear,” Tabitha crooned. “I’m sure they’re recognizing their mistake already.”

“I wouldn’t go back there if they came begging. Not after what they did to me.” She harrumphed. “Give me a story about having to let me go because of budget cuts, and then what do they do? Buy a whole bunch of new stuff for the sewer department.”

I’d spent enough time reading newspapers and working on budgets to know that funding sources for general city operations and sewer operations were completely different. And, since she’d worked in the Finance Department, Ariella should have known that, too. Either she didn’t know as much as she thought she did, or she didn’t care about the facts.

“That sounds awful,” Tabitha said.

“Yeah. They were out to get me, I know it. They just used any old excuse to get me out of there. They said I didn’t have any customer service skills. I mean, seriously, what did they want, me to be sticky-sweet fake nice to everybody? You just can’t. Especially when that someone—” She suddenly stopped. “Well,” she said, getting to her feet. “I have to go back to work.”

And she left, without saying good-bye, and leaving the empty pizza box on the picnic table.

I looked at Tabitha. “‘Plumb forgot’? Seriously?”

Tabitha smiled contentedly. “Maybe a tad excessive, but it worked. We learned a lot, didn’t we?”

We had indeed. That Ariella was one of those people who would dig for the prize at the bottom of the cereal box without bothering to eat any of the cereal. That she was nursing a grudge against the city of Chilson for her termination. And that she’d almost named someone who’d sounded like an enemy.

Had it been a city employee? Had it been Brown? And if so, had there been enough ill will between them to incite murder?

*   *   *

I needed to get back to the library, so Tabitha and I agreed to talk strategy at a time and place to be arranged later.

“Soon!” I called, waving at her and walking backward down the sidewalk. “Tomorrow at the latest!”

“Yes, but—”

“Text you later, okay!” I said, still walking.

“Minnie, you’re—”

“Stop!” thundered a male voice.