“Think he's worth adding to our suspect list?”Jake asked as they approached their car.
Jenna unlocked the vehicle, considering the question.“Psychological torture in the woods a week before Claudia turns up dead in the same forest?Yeah, I'd say so.”
They slid into the car, and Jenna started the engine, but didn't immediately put the car in drive.
“We should have officers watching him,” she said.“Like we already do for Keir and Grace.”
“I'll call it in.Think Ashton knew Keir Kingsley outside of Claudia's connections to both of them?”
“It's worth looking into.Small town like this, there's bound to be more connections than what we've seen so far.”
“Where to now?Back to the station?”
Jenna shook her head.“I want to check out this book club Claudia belonged to.Leith Walsh is probably at the Dénouement Café right now.”
As they pulled away from the theater, Jenna's thoughts were on Claudia Kingsley—standing masked and afraid in Whispering Pines Forest, surrounded by silent, judging figures, her deepest insecurities whispered back to her like a cruel echo.And then, dead in the nearby woods on her own property.
They reached downtown Trentville, and the Dénouement Café came into view, housed in a converted Victorian with lavender paint and gingerbread trim that resembled melting icicles.On the wrap-around porch, three patrons sat hunched over mismatched wrought iron tables, reading dog-eared paperbacks and sipping on coffee or tea.
Jenna pulled the car to the curb.“Let's see what Leith Walsh can tell us about Claudia Kingsley and her reading habits,” she said, switching off the engine.“Sometimes the books a person chooses reveal more than their words ever do.”
CHAPTER NINE
Jenna stepped inside Dénouement Café, with Jake close behind her.The comforting scent of old books and fresh coffee contrasted sharply with the grim task at hand.She scanned the room, taking in the various chairs and tables scattered like afterthoughts among towering bookshelves.Many of those spaces were occupied by customers, each lost in their own private world of paper and ink.
At the counter, a small woman moved with the erratic energy of a hummingbird.Leith Walsh wore her silver-streaked hair piled atop her head in a precarious knot that seemed to be secured by a pencil.She wore a flowing scarf over a long purple dress and had an apron tied haphazardly around her waist.
“She looks busy,” Jake muttered, his voice low.
“When isn't she?”Jenna replied, moving toward the counter.
Leith glanced up from the espresso machine she was wrestling with, her face brightening when she spotted Jenna.“Sheriff Graves!What a delightful surprise.Are you here for a recommendation?I just finished the most fascinating biography of Eleanor Roosevelt—”
“Actually, Leith,” Jenna cut in gently, “we need to talk to you.Privately, please.”
Leith's smile dimmed a fraction.She wiped her hands on the apron before pulling it off and leaving it on the countertop.
“Of course.Let me just—” She turned to a young woman shelving books nearby.“Melissa, can you man the counter for a bit?The sheriff needs a word.”
The employee set down her stack of paperbacks.Leith reached for the pencil in her hair, taking it as if to make a note.Then she paused mid-motion as an elderly man approached the counter with an empty mug.
“Leith, dear, this Ethiopian blend is divine,” he said, setting the cup down with reverent care.“Reminds me of that little café in Addis Ababa I told you about.”
“Oh, Mr.Pearson!I'm so glad you enjoyed it.”Leith beamed, completely forgetting the waiting officers.“Did I ever tell you about my cousin who worked for the diplomatic corps?She brought back the most extraordinary coffee beans from her posting in—”
“Leith,” Jenna interrupted, not bothering to mask her impatience.“We really need to speak with you.”Every minute mattered in a murder investigation.
“Right!Yes, of course.”Leith said emphatically, but immediately turned back to Mr.Pearson.“Would you like another cup?On the house.I'd love to hear more about your travels.Did you ever make it to that monastery you mentioned?”
Mr.Pearson brightened.“As a matter of fact—”
“Mr.Pearson,” Jake cut in with a smile, “I'm afraid we need to borrow Leith for official business.Perhaps you could continue this fascinating conversation later?”
The old man peered at Jake's badge and nodded solemnly.“Duty calls, then.I'll be at my usual table with my Faulkner when you're done, Leith.”
“Bring him a refill, Melissa,” Leith called to her employee, then finally turned her attention back to Jenna and Jake.“Follow me to the stockroom.It's the only private space we have, unless you count the bathroom, which I absolutely do not recommend for conversations.The echo in there is positively Victorian.Makes me think of—”
“The stockroom is fine,” Jenna said firmly, guiding Leith toward the back of the café with a light touch to her elbow.