Tales From the Black Chamber Read Online Free PDF Page B

that’s awful.”
    â€œI know.” Anne stabbed at her food distractedly. “And I forgot all about it over the weekend—I just made partner, so I was kind of, you know, wrapped up in myself—and by the time I called Mildred on Monday, she might already have been dead. I’m really, really worried that this guy did it, and that I inadvertently helped him.” She sniffled and wiped at an eye. “I’m sorry. Too much wine.”
    â€œNot in the least. Look, don’t feel the least bit guilty. If this guy was involved, there was no way you could know he was a murderer, for God’s sake. You did everything a reasonable person would to hinder him, anyway. Mildred always thought of you as a good friend, a real up-and-coming expert, and, I don’t know, but I always got the sense that she thought of you a little like the granddaughter she never had.”
    â€œNow you’re really going to make me cry.”
    â€œI’m sorry. Can I buy you dessert to make up for it?”
    â€œAs long as it’s chocolate.”

4
    A week later, Anne was back into the swing of work. She had a pile of furniture catalogs sitting on the corner of her desk, the sole sign that she’d made partner, but the sight was enough to make her smile. When John Ashton called, she was excited to hear from him. Not only did it mean he was serious when he’d said the Coolidge Foundation would continue to use H&E for esoterica purchases (and potentially sales), but maybe, she thought, he enjoyed dinner as much as she had. They’d gotten along very, very well, talking about books (professional), books (for entertainment), movies (he liked monster movies too!), and even waded a little into politics. He was a Republican, apparently, which gave her pause, but he clearly seemed to be a sane one, so, she’d decided, she was willing to overlook that blemish on his résumé if he ever decided to ask her out.
    â€œHow are you holding up, Anne?” Sincere concern!
    â€œI’m well, thanks, John. It catches up with me a little when I think about Mrs. Garrett, but honestly, it’s so crazy at the moment with having made partner and working on the firm’s annual general auction, personal thoughts just haven’t really been getting much time. Except at home—and I’m not there much. You?”
    â€œAbout the same. There’s the grief, and I’m still shocked and appalled. The police really don’t seem to have any leads on the ‘who,’ yet, other than there were two sets of men’s footprints in the carpet. Near as they can tell, the bad guys were in the library, Mildred surprised them, and they shot her. They were cagey on the details, but I think something about how she was shot—the gun, the bullets, or something—makes them think the killers were professionals. Anyway, because the ‘who’ is giving them fits, they’ve moved on to the ‘why,’ and so they keep asking me about the breviary you sold us. I keep telling them that it was an interesting but not uncommon book that Mildred took a fancy to. But, you know, the more I think about it, the more I wonder if maybe it was the reason she was killed.”
    â€œReally, why?”
    â€œWell, nothing else was taken. Mildred had an inventory of all her personal books on that computer on the library desk. All present and accounted for. There’s no sign they touched her jewelry—of which she had a lot—or any of the silver or other valuables she had out in plain sight.”
    â€œMaybe they got scared and ran?”
    â€œMaybe, I don’t know. But as I said, for some reason the police seemed to think these were very cool characters. And the neighbors didn’t hear a thing. So maybe they used a silencer.… Then again, the walls in those old houses are incredibly thick. It’d be hard to hear much from next door.”
    â€œSo you think they found