The Unkindness of Ravens by M. Hilliard (fastest ebook reader txt) 📕

“And that’s when you saw the headless ghost out in the hall? Right after the library closed?”

“Not in the hall. Going up the big staircase by the raven room.”

The only meeting related to the jumble sale had been the Friends meeting Tuesday night, which meant Sadie had seen someone go up the stairs after the building had closed and the outside doors were locked. Joanna had attended that meeting, gone up to the attic, and been killed, but I still didn’t know what time. I also didn’t know who else might have been around. From what Sadie said, a few people had lingered.

“You believe me, don’t you Ms. Hogan?”

“Yes, I do.”

She smiled in satisfaction. “Jake didn’t believe me,” she said, referring to her older brother. “He told me I dreamed it. He said people would laugh if I told.”

“Well, lots of people don’t believe in ghosts, and others are scared of them, so maybe you shouldn’t tell anyone else.”

Sadie may have seen a murderer, and the last thing I wanted was for the murderer to know it. I didn’t want to scare her, either, but if she saw it again someone needed to check it out.

“Listen,” I said, “I would really like to see the ghost. It could be an important part of the history of the manor, one we don’t know about.”

“Do you think one of the Ravenscrofts might have been beheaded?” Sadie asked, obviously thrilled at the thought.

“I don’t know, but I’m certainly going to check. Meanwhile, if you see it again, tell me right away. If I’m not here, tell Mrs. Quinn, or Mrs. Hutchinson, or one of your parents. Tell them I said it was important, and they should call me. Stay with them until they do, okay?”

She nodded.

I looked around for Sadie’s mother. She was still deep in conversation. Dory was busy at the Circ desk, but the children’s area was deserted. I recognized everyone in sight, but I still didn’t want to leave Sadie alone, and I’d spent more time talking to her than I’d intended.

“Would you mind helping me out until your mom is ready to go? You can help me pick out books to fill in the displays. We’ll start with the picture books, okay?”

Sadie was delighted. She chattered about all the things she’d read as we worked our way through the stacks. When we got to the kids’ mystery display, the first thing to catch my eye was a reissued Trixie Belden and the Secret of the Mansion.

Ironic, I thought, propping the book on an easel. I started out in Sleepyside, but ended up in Sleepy Hollow.

Chapter Nine

I was on the calendar for the Saturday reference shift, which was fine with me even though it made for a long week. My talk with Sadie had raised a lot of questions and made me fearful on her behalf. I wanted to compare notes with Mary Alice, and alert her to what Sadie had seen. Then I wanted to figure out what Sadie could have seen. After another restless night I had decided to rule out actual ghosts, though if I had the chance to haunt something, Raven Hill Manor would be at the top of my list.

When I arrived at 9:30, Mary Alice was already in. I went over to Circ to check in the DVDs I had picked up from Agnes Jenner. My visit with her had been a bust. She hadn’t noticed anything unusual Tuesday night, but confessed she hadn’t been paying attention. Agnes pointed out she would only register someone going by if it were quite late, since there was a fair amount of traffic on the road when the library was open. She vowed to keep a closer eye on things in the future, but I wasn’t holding out much hope. It had been a long shot to begin with.

I told Mary Alice about my conversation with Sadie Barrett, and asked her what she remembered about Tuesday night.

“Sadie was here late,” Mary Alice said. “Her mother and Darla Van Alstyne had their heads together over something on the table over there,” she pointed to a spot between the two entrances to the reading room, “so I let her stay where she was. We were so busy that afternoon. I had a lot left to do before we closed.”

“Who else was still around?”

“No one I could see. There was the usual clatter when the meeting ended, but I wasn’t paying attention.”

Mary Alice sighed.

“This business with Sadie worries me,” she said. “I tend to think she dozed off, but if she didn’t, she saw something very odd. It could have been one of the volunteers going upstairs carrying something, I guess, but I don’t know.”

“Remember, she saw it twice. The first time was about a month ago, so it could be unrelated to the murder. Which is probably what the police would say, if they believed her at all. I hate asking a kid to keep a secret, but I don’t know who to trust. I don’t want to draw attention to Sadie, and if the police talk to her it will get around.”

“That’s the horror of all this. Whoever killed Joanna is almost certainly someone we know. Still, I could have a quiet word with Sam. He’s a smart man. He’ll grasp all the implications.”

“That would make me feel better, and I think it would be more credible coming from you. You’ve known him for a while.”

“I’ll call him at home. Keep it off the radar.”

“Thank you. Now, do you remember where Sadie was sitting?”

“Beanbag chair. It’s her favorite spot.”

I walked over to the bright yellow beanbag chair. It got moved around a bit during the course of the day, but always remained in the same general location in the children’s area. I plopped into it and looked toward the front entrance to the reading room to see what I could see. The answer was—not much. I was