Murder in the Paperback Parlor (22 page)

“Heartfire is a great place to work,” Lily said brightly. “I love my job. I get to read some of the best books in the business, travel to incredible places, and spend evenings dancing with male cover models. My coworkers are like family and I never get tired of calling an author to congratulate her on a new publication, for winning an award, or making a bestseller list.” She paused for breath. “As you said, you handled much of Ms. York's communication. You probably knew her better than any of us, so forgive me for asking, but I have to know if Rosamund had any work in progress saved on her computer or in a desk drawer at home. Outlines, unfinished manuscripts, ideas for future series. Anything.”

“I think she did,” Taylor said carefully.

Lily shifted in her seat again. “I realize it seems terribly insensitive of me to be asking, but my job is to help produce fabulous novels and to get those novels into the hands of hungry readers. It's very rewarding when a Heartfire author acquires a large following. And Rosamund's following is huge, as you well know. I imagine you served as Rosamund's voice and were responsible for managing her fan mail and social media presence. Am I right?”

“I actually did much more than that. I also helped Ms. York with plot ideas and served as a beta reader. She valued my feedback and used all of my recommendations.”

“Is that so?” Lily sounded impressed. “That's great to hear. This might be premature, because I don't even know if you're interested in a career in publishing, but do you think you could complete any of Rosamund's unfinished projects? You've already been her voice in many ways.”

Jane expected Taylor to leap at the chance, but the young woman was wily. “Would I be considered an author-for-hire or an employee of Heartfire? Because I'd prefer to join the team. My skill set could be useful to a publishing house. Having worked for Ms. York, I already have editing and marketing experience.”

“Hm.” Lily fell silent and Jane pictured her furrowing her brows in mock consideration. “I'm afraid I can't offer you a position without proof that you have something to bring to the table. Heartfire has over a hundred applicants for the opening on our editorial staff. The only way you could rise above the more experienced candidates would be to net us a sure winner. A Rosamund York novel.”

Now it was Taylor's turn for silent contemplation. “I could e-mail you when I get home. Ms. York had a number of projects going, and I have several on my desktop. We were, well, I guess I don't have to keep it a secret anymore, but Rosamund and I were collaborating on the next Venus Dares book.”

“How marvelous!” Lily clapped her hands in excitement. “The fate of that novel is in your hands, Ms. Birch. I expect the next Heartfire team member will be hired by the end of today. That someone could be you. If you could give me something concrete, I'd make a call to the powers-that-be. You could be in New York by Monday, starting a whole new chapter in your life.” She laughed. “I know that phrase is a cliché, but I think it's fair to use book-related clichés in our line of work, don't you?”

Brilliant,
Jane thought.
You're already making Taylor feel included.

“I . . .” Taylor trailed off. “So let me get this straight. If I show you Rosamund's files, you'll guarantee me a job at Heartfire?”

“In a word, yes. I can change your life today, Ms. Birch.”

Taylor exhaled slowly, as though she suddenly realized that her wildest dreams were about to come true. “I could go to New York. I could be in publishing.” Jane could hear the lift in Taylor's voice. She'd fallen for Lily's ruse. However, she still had to fetch Nigel's computer in order for
Jane's plan to succeed. “I have just what you're looking for on my laptop,” Taylor said after another a painful hesitation. “I forgot that I had copies of Ms. York's files with me. Do you mind waiting while I get my computer?”

“Not at all. It'll give me the chance to finish this article about Rosamund.” Lily shook the paper. “They're saying she ingested castor seeds, which are poisonous, but I'm not buying it. A person would have to eat dozens for them to be fatal.”

“Actually, it would only take four. They're extremely potent if chewed,” Taylor said in a confident tone.

“Really? I had no idea.” There was a smile in Lily's voice as she said, “Smart and talented. I'm going to like working with you.”

Jane listened to the sound of Taylor's hurried steps and met the sheriff's eyes. He put his fingers to his lips, but Jane saw a smile playing about the corners of his mouth. He was clearly pleased with Lily's work thus far.

No one spoke for a full minute. Finally, Lily whispered, “How am I doing?”

“You'd make an excellent spy, Ms. Jamison.” The sheriff leaned over his recording device and, satisfied that it was functioning properly, patted his gun holster. “Just don't push Ms. Birch too far. If she killed Mr. Poindexter in a fit of rage, she's just as likely to strike out at you if she sees through this charade.”

“I feel like the heroine in a Linda Howard or Sandra Brown novel,” Lily said. “But I'd better get back to my fake reading. She could walk in at any second.”

They didn't have to wait long. When Taylor returned, she was breathing hard. She practically ran to the chair she'd recently occupied.

“I can show you the outline for the next Venus Dares book,” Taylor said, sounding like a young girl in her excitement. “I came up with the title. What do you think of
The Shameless Sovereign
? In this installment, Venus Dares tangles with a king.”

“Splendid!” Lily exclaimed and Jane didn't think her enthusiasm was feigned. “Readers will love it. Can you show me the file?”

Hearing the soft clicks of Taylor's nails striking computer keys, Jane wanted to jump up and cheer. Nigel's missing laptop was in the room. Taylor
had
taken it from Nigel after hitting him on the back of the head. Her possession of the computer, along with the castor seed in her room, gave Sheriff Evans cause to arrest her on suspicion of murder.

Jane wished she could see Taylor's face when the sheriff appeared from behind the screen. After all, the young woman had murdered at least one person in the name of ambition. Not only that, but she'd done her best to ruin Storyton Hall's first romance convention. Jane had never been so eager to see a person apprehended.

Suddenly, Lily gasped and Jane focused on the conversation on the other side of the screen again. “This is a complete outline for
The Shameless Sovereign
. Did Rosamund start the manuscript? Please tell me that she wrote a few chapters.”

“The book is two-thirds done,” Taylor said. “I can have the novel completely finished by the end of June.”

“If not, we can always hire another author. You'll still get the credit for acquiring the next Venus Dares novel,” Lily assured Taylor. “Are there more outlines?”

“Two.
The Playful Prince
and
The
Reckless Regent
.”

“You have a treasure trove on your laptop. May I?” Lily asked and then let out a little cry. “It's cold to the touch. Where were you keeping it?”

“I had to hide it. After what happened to Mr. Poindexter, I didn't want to take any chances. People would kill to get their hands on these files.”

Lily murmured in agreement. “When we're finished here, I should help you get Rosamund's things together. Though she and her mother weren't close, her mother should have her effects. Especially any jewelry or custom-made dresses. Did Rosamund order one of those stunning hooded cloaks?”

“I . . . I don't remember.”

“Well, I'll ask Ms. Steward for a key to the Romance and Roses suite. Of course, the sheriff might not let me in. Do you have a key?”

“Yes, but . . .”

Lily didn't give her a chance to finish. “Oh, here's a synopsis for the next Eros book. And what's this? A list of proposed changes for
Eros Steals the Bride
.” There was a short silence before Lily said, “I don't understand. This was written
after
Rosamund's death.”

“I wrote that,” Taylor lied. “I'm sorry to say this, but when I saw how badly the advanced reader copy was received by the fans, I decided to make suggestions on how to fix the book.”

“I admire your initiative,” Lily said. “What's this file?”

“Please don't open anything else!” Taylor cried sharply. “I have copies of some of Ms. York's personal files and I wouldn't feel right letting others see them. She wouldn't have liked that. She was a very private person.”

Lily was quick to apologize. “I didn't mean to intrude. May I take a moment to read through the recommendations you made concerning
Eros Steals the Bride
?”

Taylor must have given some kind of wordless permission because the room was slowly enveloped in a gentle silence—the kind that surrounds an intent reader.

As the minutes passed, Jane focused on keeping still, but when she heard the rustle of the newspaper again, she abruptly stiffened. If Taylor scanned that paper, she wouldn't find an article mentioning castor beans and she'd know that Lily had been lying to her.

Across the table, Sheriff Evans shot Jane an alarmed glance. Clearly, he'd been thinking the same thing.

“This is excellent, Taylor. I can't wait to show this to the Heartfire team,” Lily said. “If you don't mind, I'm going to use your e-mail program to forward this to my . . .” she trailed off. “Why are all the e-mails in this Inbox addressed to Nigel Poindexter?”

“Give me that!” Taylor snapped and Jane assumed she'd made a grab for the laptop. What followed were the grunts and scuffles indicating a struggle and Sheriff Evans leapt to his feet, his gun drawn.

He left his hiding place behind the screen just as a woman's terrified shriek pierced the air.

“Don't move, Sheriff,” Taylor said in a near-growl. “I'll cut her, I swear it. She
tricked
me. She
lied
to my face!”

There was another whimper and Jane could imagine the tip of a blade digging into the tender flesh of Lily's throat.

“Put the knife down, Ms. Birch. It's over.” The sheriff sounded remarkably calm. “If you hurt a hair on Ms. Jamison's head, you'll only make things harder for yourself.”

Taylor laughed a shrill, maniacal laugh. “
Harder?
What do I have to lose? Everything I've done this week—all the risks I've taken—it's all for nothing!”

“It sounds like you were a strong candidate to enter the publishing field because of your experience working with Ms. York,” Sheriff Evans said. “Why did you feel it was necessary to break the law?”

“Because I didn't want to wait anymore. I spent months being treated like a servant by that woman and she didn't even write the books!” Taylor shouted. “Do you know how I found out? I was supposed to be doing one of my millions of menial tasks—this time, it was unpacking Rosamund's bags—when I heard her cell phone buzz. Her highness was in the bathroom, so I read all the texts Nigel had sent over the past few days. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but it sank in quickly enough.”

“And you decided to act on your discovery,” Sheriff Evans said.

Taylor grunted. “That's for damned sure. I took Nigel aside soon after he arrived at Storyton and threatened to expose him if he didn't pay me. The loser didn't have any money, but he told me how he planned to get it from Rosamund.”

There was a soft “Please” from Lily and Taylor muttered a low, angry reply that Jane couldn't hear.

“I demanded to see the castor beans, so he brought some to my room. Since I knew how he added them into the truffles, it was no trouble for me to squeeze in a few more. Rosamund predictably threw a tantrum after her lunch with Nigel, so I suggested she rest while I got her a soothing cup of tea. I went back to my room, chopped up the extra castor seeds Nigel had given me, and added them to the truffles.
They didn't look that great, but I pretended that I'd put them too close to the hot teapot. Rosamund didn't care. She ate every piece, gorging on that poisoned chocolate like the spoiled brat she was.”

Nigel told the truth
, Jane thought, aghast.
He used just enough castor seeds to make Rosamund sick. Taylor added the lethal dose.

“Showing mercy to Ms. Jamison could go a long way when it comes time for your sentencing,” the sheriff said. His heavy tread on the carpet indicated that he'd moved forward by several paces.

“Stop right there!” Taylor's voice was a dangerous snarl. “Look at me, Sheriff. I
will
cut her. See?” A whimper of pain echoed across the room. Jane longed to lash out at Taylor, but there was little she could do from behind the screen.

“Put your gun down or I'll do it again,” Taylor said.

There was a soft thud as the sheriff laid his gun on the rug.

Jane surveyed her little corner of the room. She needed a weapon. Fortunately, the bookcase behind her was full of them. Unfortunately, most were African antiques. Jane didn't think the Boa sword or curved Ngala knife would be of much use. And even if she could wriggle the Ngbandi spear out of its case without alerting Taylor, she'd never used one before. She had no experience with the throwing blades either. Feeling frantic, her gaze fell on a plaque reading, “Bow and Arrow of the Chokwe.”

Jane opened the cabinet door as carefully and quietly as possible and removed the bow and solitary arrow from the display. She froze when the bow scraped against the glass cabinet door, but Taylor starting shouting something at Lily and Jane feared that Taylor was heading for the hall.

Jane tested the tension of the bowstring. It felt nothing like the bow she used on the Robin Hood Range, but when she nocked the arrow and pulled back on the string, she believed there was enough resistance to release the arrow with force.