"Sir? Sir, are you alright?" Pegeen Vane, undercover as a librarian at City Main Library, stood by Josiah Winter, her leading suspect in the library serial killer murders. He'd dozed off at the computer. He didn't respond.
"Sir?" Pegeen moved his chair slightly. Josiah fell on the floor.
Josiah's wrist was slightly cool under her fingertips and had no pulse. Pegeen called 911, then the Head Librarian, and started to clear the computer room.
Puzzled and curious patrons peered through the windows from the stacks outside the room. Sirens wailed up to the library. The police cleared the library.
Detective Lance Burns said, "Hello, Pegeen. Josiah's not the Book Murderer, or he accidentally killed himself. There should be a book and a note."
Lance put on gloves and inspected the body. Ordinary pocket items. Keys, wallet, license: Josiah Winters, 31, pictures of Josiah with a girl and a dog. She showed off her engagement ring. Pegeen winced. She and Lance were sure Josiah murdered four people, leaving a note in a book the victim had.
Josiah was in the library nearly every day, on the computers, looking for books or reading magazines. The other four victims also used library services, but only Josiah died in the library.
Lance opened a book by the PC Josiah used. He flipped through pages he found a green notepaper with one word, 'GREED," and a call number for a book about greed.
"This is the Book Murderer. We'll wait for the Forensics report.
*
Lance reviewed Forensics' results with Pegeen. "Josiah Winters died of fentanyl opiod overdose, like the others, complicated by dyfenhydramine, which put him to sleep. He succumbed to the drug before he could ask for help. The drugs were in a bottle of expensive hand cream he used." He leaned back in his chair. "I wonder how the victims get the drug?"
"I think they pick it up in the library," said Pegeen. "Josiah must have ingested it here."
"Right. Are you going back to the library tonight?"
"Yeah. I wanted to let you know the University library offered me a full-time job. When I finish this undercover job for you, I'll take it."
"Ahhhh. We'll miss you. You've worked here in research, and now, undercover after the murderer. Did you spot anything suspicious at the library?"
"No," said Pegeen. "The tapes didn't show any person around the victims every time. The most common one was that guy in sweats and a hoodie. Couldn't see his face, but he left the library after Josiah left the stacks."
"Take care. I'll talk to you tomorrow. How's that neighbor of yours working out?"
"Pete? Still has a rotating string of young women, including the twins. Chats me up in the elevator. He's an accountant with the State Tax Bureau and keeps telling me he's going to law school here to be a tax attorney."
"Bragging. Tax attorneys can make a fortune. Maybe he likes you."
"He'd lose me in the shuffle. I've got a librarian bod, adapted to sitting for long stretches of time. See you tomorrow."
*
The announcement that the library would close in thirty minutes played as Pegeen walked the stacks looking for anything that didn't belong. The man in sweats and hoodie bumped into her. He was tall, blond, good-looking, and had a tattoo of a pentagram on his left forearm.
"Scusem," he mumbled and hurried past. She watched him drive away in a red mustang. She'd seen that car often. At the end of her aisle she saw a small gift bag on the books on the other aisle. She walked around to the bag.
Her heart beat a little faster. Maybe this is it, she thought, and hoodie man is the killer. She texted Lance. The contents of the bag were an envelope and a book.
A few minutes later Lance hurried in with techs from Crime Scene. She showed them the bag, sitting on the floor. The techs collected the item and left. "We'll analyze it tonight, Lance," the senior tech said.
*
Lance and Pegeen talked in the staff workroom. The employees had left but for Homer, a high school volunteer waiting for his mom to pick him up.
"Do you have any information about that red mustang?" Lance asked Pegeen.
"I just remember seeing it here off and on."
Homer said, "I saw it from the window lots of times. Sometimes a woman is driving, and would you believe, that homeless guy who comes here drives it."
Lance and Pegeen looked out the window where the car had been, at Homer, and each other.
"What do they look like?" Pegeen asked.
"Tall, blond, but I think the woman wears a wig. Very athletic. Must work out. There's mom. See you, Pegeen."
"G'night." Pegeen nodded. "What's in that bag might give us a clue."
*
The gift bag contents were a birthday card with five twenty-dollar bills and two marijuana cigarettes. A green paper in the book had one word, 'GREED.' The marijuana was laced with fentanil.
"Fentanil in marijuana is too expensive for dealers. Then again, he's not selling," said Lance. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Pegeen nodded. "Yeah. The blond in the red mustang is here. "She--or he, has the same pentagram tattoo."
Pegeen walked to the aisle where the gift bag had been and left with the replacement bag the police provided. The marijuana had been replaced with fentanil-free cigarettes. She sat at the table with the blond whose pentacle tattoo showed on a hairy left wrist below their sleeve.
"Look what I found," Pegeen said. She pocketed the money. "Two roaches."
"You should give the bag to the librarian," said the blond, frowning. "That's stealing. Greed."
"I won't tell if you won't," said Pegeen. "Chill out." She tossed a roach at the blond.
The blond grimaced. "No, no, no," and stood up.
"Sidney Fitch?" Lance asked.
"No, no, I'm Sandra Cooper."
"License and registration, please." Lance said. "That red mustang is registered to Sidney Fitch, wanted for questioning in the Library Book murders."
The blond shoved past Lance, knocking his blond wig off and tried to run. Two police officers caught and cuffed him. Lance said, "You have the right..."
