“My office is private, Cecelia.” Now she uses my full name. “It’s not appropriate for you to go sneaking around my things.”

Humiliation and adrenaline explode inside me like a nuclear bomb, spreading intense heat throughout my body. “I’m so sorry, Maura, truly. I didn’t know it was off-limits. But I was so curious about your books. What you do.”

“Of course you are, dear!” Maura seems to thaw instantly. “I saw a copy of Killer Queen out of sorts on the shelf. Were you reading it?”

“I was. It’s…really good.” I fumble my way through an apology by way of flattery. I’m surprised she noticed a single book askew, but I suppose she is a mystery writer, after all. “I was going to ask if I could borrow it.”

“Absolutely! You’re welcome to read all of my books. My earliest work is a tad bit embarrassing, but it’s also considered a classic. Stop by my office after dinner, and I’ll set you up with some trade paperbacks.”

I have no idea what a trade paperback is, but I’m happy that Sassy Grandma is back. Disappointed Maura is terrifying.

“Do you think strangulation is overdone?” Maura asks, a chunk of meatloaf dangling off her fork on the way to her mouth. Before I can confirm whether I’ve had a heart attack, Suzanne replies.

“It’s a classic for a reason. Efficient.”

“Yeah, but nowadays they can do all sorts of forensics with that method, which kind of kills the suspense.”

“Is that true?” Suzanne counters.

“I saw it on a Dateline special.”

Suzanne simply shrugs. “Write what you want. You can always fix it later.”

“I don’t pay you to lie to me,” Maura says.

“You also don’t pay me to cook, but…” Suzanne lets it hang, like the green bean speared on fork tongs. Then they both burst out laughing.

“Sorry, dear,” Maura says to me when she recovers. “Look at me, all up in my own head with this stupid book. How was school?”

“Good,” I say. “I actually made friends. And I’m behind, but not as bad as I thought. I already read one of the assigned books for AP English sophomore year, and the AP Gov stuff is entry-level. Also, hey, you have a wing named after you. So that wasn’t weird or anything.”

Maura waves me off. “Technically, it’s an annex. And that silly thing was your grandfather’s idea. ‘You should give back to the town, Maura. Children are the future.’ He was a big ole softie, your granddad. But it did spruce up that dingy little school.”

“All I remember is that he liked coffee ice cream. He didn’t think I’d like it, but I insisted on trying it and then I did.”