With everything that was going on, I’d forgotten that Maggie had the books for me. She must have returned from her buying trip and dropped them off. I made a mental note to call her and thank her as I opened the door and pushed the box inside.

Glaring at the bottle of vodka on the counter, I rummaged in the fridge for supper. I didn’t have much, but managed to dig up a jar of jalapeños, shredded cheese and spaghetti sauce. I piled them on top of a toasted English muffin and then set it under the broiler to melt the cheese while I filled Pandora’s bowl.

I pulled the muffin out from under the broiler before I caught the house on fire and settled at the kitchen table to eat it. My leg had started aching again. I grabbed some Iced Fire and rubbed it in while I waited for the muffin to cool.

Pandora sniffed in my direction, made a sour face, then trotted over to the box of books where the smell must have been more to her liking, judging by the way her nose was getting familiar with it.

I took a bite of the muffin, savoring the contrast of the creamy melted cheese and the spicy hot jalapeño. The muffin was toasted perfectly to add just the right amount of crunch.

I thought about my clues and suspects as I ate, my spirits sinking as I realized I didn’t really have much of a list.

The killer had worn a cape or loose coat and had a big ring and gray hair.

A long, black car had been seen racing out of town that morning.

Valuable bronzes were in the library, so the motive could have been financial.

Who needed financial help? Maybe that was the best place to start. But the killer also had to have had means, motive and opportunity.

I hated to suspect my old friends, but Bing and Josiah both knew the value of those bronzes. Bing had said he didn’t remember they were in the library, but he had been acting suspicious and it was weird that I’d seen him driving so strangely when I was going to Barry’s. Once again, I wondered if Barry’s passing out had anything to do with this case.

Both Bing and Josiah had gray hair. Bing wore a large ring. I didn’t know if Josiah or Bing had a navy blue cape, but Bing certainly had lots of capes he used for his magician act.

I knew they were both in the area that morning because I’d seen them at my shop. Could one of them have killed Lavinia and then been so cold as to join the rest of us for coffee only an hour later?

I sighed in frustration. I hated the thought it could be one of them, but I had to explore all the angles.