Beautiful Villain

“Yeah,” she finally says. “It was fast. Everyone thought it was a shotgun wedding, but they didn’t have a kid. He got married a few months after Sammy died.”

“Ted and Sammy were into each other, but their parents did everything they could to keep them apart.”

“But why?” She whispers. Then she shakes her head. “Why wouldn’t they want their kids to be happy?”

“Small town love, my dear. It’s supposed to look a certain way, and when it doesn’t, well…”

“So who killed Sammy?” She whispers.

“I appreciate the

fact you don’t think it was me.”

“I don’t think you’d hurt a fly.”

“I might.”

“Neil?”

“I went into the woods to meet him, but when I got to the mill, someone was already there. They’d driven there. Their car was next to Sammy’s. I was on foot because I had gotten a flat tire that afternoon and didn’t have a spare or a donut. My house wasn’t too far, so I just walked.”

“Who was there with him?”

“His father,” I say. “He was yelling at Sammy about Ted. Turns out, good ol’ dad had discovered that Sammy wasn’t sweet or innocent. His dad didn’t want him dating at all – not men, not women. He definitely didn’t want Sammy sneaking around with Ted. His dad said they’d be the talk of the town.”

“Are you trying to tell me that his dad shot him?” She whispers, paling. She looks like she’s going to start shaking, and I reach for her, desperate to calm her anxiety.

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“The sheriff…I’ve been around him so many times. He comes into the library and gets books, and I always help him, and I…”

“Finley, it wasn’t his dad. The sheriff is a total prick, and he didn’t like Sammy’s lifestyle, but he didn’t kill him.”

“So who did it?” She whispers.

“I don’t know,” I tell her honestly, and it’s like a weight has lifted off my chest. “But I own the land the old mill is on, and I’m going to find out.”

Chapter Five

Finley

A lot of care goes into running a library. You have to order new books when people want them. You have to keep up on all of the latest trends. Any good librarian has to have a solid understanding of what’s popular and what people are reading because part of this job means offering book suggestions.

Then there’s the library itself. Are there enough computers? Are the chairs comfortable? Is every mouse working well? Are any of the books damaged? Do they need to be repaired? The main draw of a library has historically been books, but there are other things now, too.

People come to the library for a lot of reasons. They want to read, and they want to check their email, and they want to look at magazines. They want DVDs and they want audio books and sometimes, they just want a safe place to sit.

Despite everything I have to do today – get people set up with computers, check in books, and reshelf unwanted items – I can’t seem to get Neil off of my mind.

When I left him at my house this morning, I wasn’t scared or nervous. I’m not under any impression that he’s going to hurt Echo or that he’s going to destroy my property. I left him with a laptop and free reign so hopefully, he’ll be able to start the research that he needs to do.

Neil has almost nothing to his name. Honestly, I’m not even sure how he managed to make a real estate purchase. I should probably pry into that a little more. I’m certain he has a friend who helped him, or maybe even his attorney. Either way, I feel both relieved and scared that he’s going to try to find out what really happened to his friend.

Sammy was a good person. We all liked Sammy. In our tiny little town, Sammy was one of the most popular boys. He was a great student and he ran track, so everyone thought he was quite the star.

When he died, it was like part of the town’s heart died with it. Nobody wanted to accept that he was gone. Nobody wanted to believe that something like that could happen in our town. No way.

The bells above the library door jingle and I look up to see Ted coming in. The sheriff’s son is tall and muscular. He used to be very attractive: one of the most popular kids at school. He and Sammy really were good friends. Whether they ever were actually involved romantically or not, I have no idea. Ted doesn’t often come into the library, so I’m not sure why he’s here now.