If Hooks Could Kill

CHAPTER 2


“That was a waste of time,” Adele said as we walked into Shedd & Royal. The bookstore seemed abuzz with business and Mrs. Shedd was standing at the front near the cashier station watching the activity with a big smile. Dinah had left us when we passed her house. She was teaching summer school and had to get her things together.

“At least you believe Kelly crochets now,” I said.

Adele rolled her eyes with consternation. “Pink, I just saw some skeins of yarn, which doesn’t prove a thing. I still say she’s a crochet pretender. And she was sure in a rush to get rid of us.”

“She had to pick up her kids and we did arrive unannounced,” I said.

“Watch, if she does come to the meeting tomorrow, she’ll have another excuse.”

It was useless to argue with Adele. Crochet pretender? Adele was too much.

“I hope they stay forever,” Mrs. Shedd said, gesturing toward the crowd in the café and bookstore. I knew the they she was referring to was the L.A. 911 production.

The production had set up shop a little over a week ago and was using the whole area. I’d heard they were filming a number of episodes and would be there for weeks. It looked like Mrs. Shedd was going to get her wish, for a while anyway.

“If it weren’t for my Eric,” Adele said. “Molly might have messed all that up for you. She almost got arrested.” Adele waited a beat before she added “Again.”

There was no use denying it. I did seem to walk into trouble a lot, though it was hardly intentional. Mrs. Shedd gave me a stern look.

“I already heard about the incident,” my boss said. “Molly, please don’t ruffle their feathers. We don’t want to chase their business away.” She watched two people as they headed for the cashier each holding several books. “In fact, we want to do the opposite. We want to make them feel at home.”

Adele mumbled something about spreading the word to the crew. “Everybody knows me, thanks to Eric,” she said before heading to her domain. I watched as she made her way across the bookstore to the kids’ department, greeting people from the production with nods and pointed fingers in what she seemed to think was some sort of hip gesture.

Was I the only one who saw that Adele got puzzled stares in return? “Mrs. Shedd, I promise I’ll be good,” I said before moving on. I know she’d told me I could call her Pamela and Mr. Royal, her partner, Joshua, but it felt too weird to change after all this time of calling them by their last names.

When I glanced toward the entrance of the café, I noticed the actor who’d played the homicide detective I’d tried to save had come in. He was carrying a cup with a fluff of white foam on top. Our eyes met as he got closer and his lips curved into a teasing smile.

“I suppose I should thank you,” he said. “I heard you were trying to save me from him.” He pointed toward the actor who’d had the gun. I barely recognized him now. He’d taken off the hooded sweatshirt and didn’t appear threatening at all as he laughed and talked to one of the extras. It must have been a relief to get out of the jacket. Summers in the Valley always sizzled, but lately it had been hovering around one hundred. It was dry heat, but still one hundred was hot however you looked at it. “I don’t think we’ve met. After what you did, it seems like I ought to know your name. North Adams,” he said, holding out his hand. He was still wearing his costume of a suit and dress shirt, but his demeanor had changed. Gone was the weary cop face, and now he seemed affable and relaxed.

“Molly Pink,” I said, with an embarrassed flutter of my eyes. Of course, I’d recognized him without the introduction. North Adams was a well-known actor who’d been in a number of successful series over the years. I liked the sprinkling of gray in his dark hair and I suspected it was planned by some stylist to make him look serious. When he was younger his features had been almost too even and too handsome. But time had put some character in his face. Still the azure blue eyes were startling in person. His head was slightly too big for the rest of his body, but that seemed common in actors. I guessed that abnormality made them appear better on camera. “I don’t usually go around tackling people. I am truly sorry and I hope it didn’t cause you a lot of delays.” I hadn’t realized that Adele had come out of the kids’ area and was standing directly behind me.

“It was because of what happened to her boyfriend,” Adele said. “Correct that to the person who was her boyfriend.”

I had taken offense at the “boyfriend” title the whole time Barry and I had been involved. It just sounded too sock hopish for a man in his fifties—the same way saying we were dating sounded silly. But now I just let it go. It was irrelevant. I heard Adele begin to tell the story of what happened. Dinah had just offered the broad strokes when she tried to smooth things over at the shoot, but Adele was going into every detail and I really didn’t want to stand there and hear it again.

Without a backward glance I escaped into the yarn department and started straightening the skeins that had been left all over. It was surprising that none of the Hookers were hanging out at the table, but I was just as glad for the peace. I noticed the crowd from the production company begin to thin out, so I was surprised when North Adams walked into the yarn area.

“Now I understand,” he said with sincerity in his voice. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“What exactly did Adele tell you?” I said as he turned to go.

“Everything. Maybe even too many personal details,” he said before he left.