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Back The Silence of the Library
Chapters (50)
  1. COVER
  2. PRAISE FOR TITLES BY MIRANDA JAMES
  3. ALSO BY MIRANDA JAMES
  4. TITLE PAGE
  5. COPYRIGHT
  6. DEDICATION
  7. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  8. ONE
  9. TWO
  10. THREE
  11. FOUR
  12. FIVE
  13. SIX
  14. SEVEN
  15. EIGHT
  16. NINE
  17. TEN
  18. ELEVEN
  19. TWELVE
  20. THIRTEEN
  21. FOURTEEN
  22. FIFTEEN
  23. SIXTEEN
  24. SEVENTEEN
  25. EIGHTEEN
  26. NINETEEN
  27. TWENTY
  28. TWENTY-ONE
  29. TWENTY-TWO
  30. TWENTY-THREE
  31. TWENTY-FOUR
  32. TWENTY-FIVE
  33. TWENTY-SIX
  34. TWENTY-SEVEN
  35. TWENTY-EIGHT
  36. TWENTY-NINE
  37. THIRTY
  38. THIRTY-ONE
  39. THIRTY-TWO
  40. THIRTY-THREE
  41. THIRTY-FOUR
  42. THIRTY-FIVE
  43. THIRTY-SIX
  44. THIRTY-SEVEN
  45. THIRTY-EIGHT
  46. THIRTY-NINE
  47. FORTY
  48. AFTERWORD
  49. LETTER TO THE READER
  50. SPECIAL EXCERPT FROM BLESS HER DEAD LITTLE HEART

She nodded and let me lift her up as Diesel moved out of her lap. I put my arm around her, and she leaned heavily against me as we walked down the hall to her kitchen at the back of the house. Diesel meowed anxiously as he followed us.

The windows over the sink faced east, and the morning sun streamed in. I settled Melba in a chair at the elderly oaken table, and Diesel sat beside her, his head in her lap. She stroked his head and sighed. “I’m feeling a little better.”

“Good. Now, which would you rather have, tea or coffee?” I glanced at the counter by the sink and spotted a coffeemaker, its pot empty.

“I’d rather have a few shots of bourbon.” Melba spoke with a vestige of her usual spirit. “But it’s too early for that. Coffee will be fine. It’s in the canister there behind the coffeemaker.”

I got the coffee going, and in the meantime let Diesel work his therapeutic magic with her. By the time the coffee was ready a few minutes later, she was looking much less distressed, almost calm.

“Thanks.” She raised her mug, with its heavy dollop of cream and three sugars, and sipped several times. “Ah, that is better. I’m beginning to feel warm again.” She set the mug down.

“I’m really sorry about Carrie Taylor,” I said. “I didn’t know her all that well, but she seemed like a sweet, decent person.”

Melba nodded. “She was about ten years ahead of us in high school, so there was no reason you would have known her, I guess. I only got to know her myself about fifteen years ago, but she was probably my best friend.” For a moment she appeared as if the tears would start up again, but she drew a deep breath to steady herself. “She’d never in a million years hurt anyone, and I can’t imagine why someone would kill her. It just doesn’t make any sense.”

“I know, it never does,” I said. “I guess Kanesha Berry has already talked to you?”

Melba shook her head. “No, I haven’t heard a word from her. It was Carrie’s neighbor, Thelma Crocker, who called. She’s a busybody like you wouldn’t believe, but at least she’s taking care of Carrie’s poor little dog.” She paused. “I guess I’ll take him. Thelma isn’t that good with animals.”