From what I heard, Randy was finishing up for the day and wanted to make sure the mayor had everything he needed before she left. She knocked on his door but he didn’t answer. Maybe she thought he was taking a nap. For whatever reason…

De Smedt seemed to be in a constant reelection campaign. A lot of folks around town have been upset with the economy and he grabbed a hold of that. People want jobs, they don’t need books, he said. The people who listened to him agreed…

I could tell one of the officers didn’t like the way I was talking about the late mayor. I couldn’t remember if I’d seen him out of uniform somewhere that might help me figure out his angle. I did, however, notice the way he was looking around…

I’m not the only one upset with the mayor. Half the town thinks he’s either taking things too far or not far enough. Then there’s a few regular faces at the mayor’s office. John Yaminsky won’t stop talking about a bear he’s seen snooping around…

The two officers seemed to be satisfied with what I told them, and one of them gave me his card. I asked if I was a suspect. “No ma’am,” he said. They were just looking at the people who had seen him today. I didn’t see him, I wasn’t there…

Finally, I thanked the officers for coming by and told them that I hoped they could find some clues in whatever was left of the scene. I imagined De Smedt at his desk, papers and books scattered, that smirk still on his face, in a pool of his own blood…

Who would poison the mayor? Obviously, anyone at his office that day would have an opportunity, but surely not everyone was a poisoner. I started thinking about the increase in traffic at the library. More and more people were checking out books…

It was after hours at the library and I wasn’t getting anywhere trying to go through the records one at a time. Time. De Smedt’s schedule. That was it. I needed to find out who had meetings with the mayor before he died. I decided to call it a day and…

I told her I had to do something. If the killer had used my library, then I had to make it right. “But it isn’t your library, love,” she told me. “It’s municipal. Books were there before you. There are other libraries out there, too, and plenty of them…

In the morning I snuck out early to find Randy Hollins, the mayor’s aide. She was just the mayor’s type so I figured I’d find her at the gym. I don’t like gyms. They always look really clean but you know they’re filthy with sweat, stink, and…

Randy got off the treadmill and started curling some 15-pound weights. I thought about apologizing and leaving her alone, but I needed to know who was in the mayor’s office. I told her about the police showing up at the library and my whole train of…

I rushed to the library. At my desk, I pulled out a notebook and wrote down my list of suspects. John Yaminsky, general store owner with grievances over De Smedt’s inaction with the local wildlife. Geraldine Phillips, aspiring real-estate mogul…

Alphabetically, Fink was first, so that’s where I started. She didn’t have anything checked out at the moment. She had in her history books Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave by Sojourner Truth, I Know why the Caged Bird Sings…

The next account was Hollins. I braced myself for a list of celebrity profiles and healthy diet books. What I found instead was a short history of exactly four titles: How to Make Friends and Influence People, A Comprehensive Introduction to…

Last on the list was John Yaminsky. John had been for a while an outspoken critic of the mayor. John was a farmer and his account history made sense: books on pest control, wildlife conservation laws, and business. Everyone knew that…

I had gotten some ideas about these suspects, but I still had questions. So I decided I had to pay each of them a visit. Since I already spoke to her, I went first back to Randy Hollins around lunch time. We’re all creatures of habit…

I pressed Randy a little but she pushed back. “If you really really want to,” she said, “I’ll show you my computer so you can see. I didn’t have any time to blow my nose, let alone kill anyone.” I thanked her and apologized before leaving her…

I’d never heard of Citizens for Safe Media before. I figured it was probably just Geraldine trying to involve herself. I started heading over to the Yaminsky farm when Bev called my cell. “What the zsakaka is going on?” Hello to you, too…

Ms. Fink’s office was just down the road from the mayor’s, in an old house converted into office spaces. The town council met on the top floor. Michelle Fink was sitting at her desk. Nothing gave away that she was the council president…

After speaking to the councilwoman I decided to head home. When I got there, Bev was sitting on the couch. Next to her luggage. “It’s not safe here, love. We’ve got to go,” she said. I told her I had to stay. I couldn’t leave this town…

With the apartment to myself, I didn’t have much to do besides continue on. So I called Geraldine Phillips. Her husband, Gomer, answered. I asked if I could speak with Mrs. Phillips regarding a late book return. She wasn’t home but…

“I’m glad the bastard’s dead,” he told me. “He’s done but nothin’ for this town and left my family to die.” I asked him what he meant, and he told me about his son, John Jr. How he was mauled to death by the same bear the mayor refused to address…

The next day I decided to take a walk around town and clear my head. It was lonely in our apartment. I was thinking about calling Bev when I saw John Yaminsky leaving the bank. So I followed him. He stopped by the cafe for coffee. He waved hello…

I rang the doorbell at the Phillips’ house and Gomer answered. “Geraldine’s not home,” he said. He also said I wasn’t welcome to stay and wait for her. I asked him, ever so politely, where she might be. “Well,” he mused, “try the…

When I arrived at the town council office, Geraldine was outside, speaking to a woman cradling a stack of papers and wearing a Citizens for Safe Media button on her red blazer. “Speak of the devil,” Geraldine said. I said hello…

I didn’t understand why Geraldine would try to shut down the library. She checked out that real estate book dozens of times. And the gardening book. She could have just bought them, but she didn’t. And if the library went away…

It was nearly midnight when I snuck over to the Phillips’ house. If Geraldine was hiding something, I thought I might find a clue in the garbage. The trash cans were in the back and between them and me was an old metal gate. Slowly, I…

I dropped the bag and hid in the bushes. Geraldine was in the kitchen. She must have heard me scuffle, because she stepped outside and looked around. My heart was pounding. She saw the trash bags. “Gomer!” she yelled. Gomer, get the gun…

Inside was a hardbound copy of Toxic Plants of North America with a familiar stamp on the title page: “Property of the Larksburg Public Library.” This book had not been checked out. I would have noticed. Geraldine stole it from the library!

The first thing I did in the morning was head to the police station. I requested to speak to the officer who gave me his card and I told him everything I had learned. Geraldine had stolen a book about toxic plants and then ordered poisonous…

The officer agreed and was able to quickly acquire a warrant for Geraldine’s arrest. Geraldine eventually confessed. She had blamed the mayor for her real estate plans falling apart and ruining her financially. The police…

Citizens for Safe Media went quiet and I never heard from them again. I think they left town with their tails between their legs, knowing they were associating with exactly the kind of person they were trying to make me out to be…