MELODY and MURDER (Melody The Librarian Book 1) by Leslie Leigh Page B
Authors: Leslie Leigh
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provide sheet music or recordings for everything – we could make this work. It’ll be a blast!”
“Would I be able to suggest the odd song, or help with arranging my parts?”
“Absolutely.”
“And which instrument do you play these days, Gary? I remember you used to play guitar and trombone.”
“Trombone and trumpet are my main instruments, but Dad made sure that I tried nearly everything in the store at one time or another. I’m proficient on violin, sax, clarinet and keyboards. Passable on percussion. But if I hook up with someone who’s better than me – like, we have a really great guitarist on some of our gigs, when we can get him – then I just move over to something else and fill in there.”
“Sounds democratic. I like that. I will accept your gracious offer. Oh, is there money to be made?”
“Definitely. You’ll clear $100 to $200 on most gigs. Not bad for a night’s work.”
“Not counting the rehearsal time, drive time, etcetera. Well, that sounds good. My new job pretty much pays slave wages.” I couldn’t resist any longer. “So how long have you had that caterpillar stuck to your upper lip?”
“What, this?” he asked, patting his mustache. “Oh, a couple of years now. Do you like it?”
“Whatever you decide to grow on your face is between you and your mirror,” I replied, noncommittally. “It does make you look older, though, especially the white hairs. A little more like your dad.”
Gary smiled. “That was one reason I grew it. I think the customers get a kick out of Dad and me standing together behind the counter. Sometimes we get some double takes. Oh, well. Hey, this calls for a toast,” Gary smiled, raising his half-full glass. He was still on his first beer. My second round was getting low, but was still sufficient for the task at hand. “To good fortune and fun.”
For some reason, Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” came to mind, reimagined as a bouncy, accordion-driven vehicle. Gary was right; this sounded like a blast.
When I got home at 8:00, Mom looked up expectantly from her crocheting. “Well, how did it go?” she asked, lifting her glasses.
“It was nice,” I said. “We didn’t consummate, but it was fun. I’d like to tell you about it, but I’m tipsy and have an early day. Good night.”
I could see that she was crest-fallen, but I’d just have to keep her in suspense for now.
Chapter 11
Cat’s car pulled up just as I did, and Molly exited, dressed in white corduroys and a jacket. Cat waved to me before taking off. Molly raced up the front steps of the library.
“Nope, not there,” I called out. “When we open the library, we use a secret entrance. Want me to show you?” Molly smiled excitedly and rushed back down the steps. Together, we went around back and I showed her the staff entrance.
“Today, I’ll show you how we get the library all ready for the customers. We call the customers ‘patrons.’ Customers are people who buy things, and people don’t buy things at the library, do they?”
“No, because the library is free.” she responded.
“That’s right, except during special events. So what do we call our customers again?”
“Patrons!” she called out.
“Very good, Molly.” I had her search for every light switch she could find and told her to turn them on while I started the coffee. Very little preparation was necessary; everything had been straightened up before leaving last night. Soon, we unlocked the front entrance and were ready for business. I sat Molly down at a child’s table in the kids’ book section where she was visible from my desk.
People came and went, and Molly amused herself with her books and a coloring book I’d found, but when we were all alone, we’d chat.
“Did you have a good date last night, Miss Melody?”
“It wasn’t a date, Molly.”
“My mom has lots of dates.”
“Lots of ‘em, huh?”
“Yeah, she goes out a lot, but sometimes she doesn’t go
“Would I be able to suggest the odd song, or help with arranging my parts?”
“Absolutely.”
“And which instrument do you play these days, Gary? I remember you used to play guitar and trombone.”
“Trombone and trumpet are my main instruments, but Dad made sure that I tried nearly everything in the store at one time or another. I’m proficient on violin, sax, clarinet and keyboards. Passable on percussion. But if I hook up with someone who’s better than me – like, we have a really great guitarist on some of our gigs, when we can get him – then I just move over to something else and fill in there.”
“Sounds democratic. I like that. I will accept your gracious offer. Oh, is there money to be made?”
“Definitely. You’ll clear $100 to $200 on most gigs. Not bad for a night’s work.”
“Not counting the rehearsal time, drive time, etcetera. Well, that sounds good. My new job pretty much pays slave wages.” I couldn’t resist any longer. “So how long have you had that caterpillar stuck to your upper lip?”
“What, this?” he asked, patting his mustache. “Oh, a couple of years now. Do you like it?”
“Whatever you decide to grow on your face is between you and your mirror,” I replied, noncommittally. “It does make you look older, though, especially the white hairs. A little more like your dad.”
Gary smiled. “That was one reason I grew it. I think the customers get a kick out of Dad and me standing together behind the counter. Sometimes we get some double takes. Oh, well. Hey, this calls for a toast,” Gary smiled, raising his half-full glass. He was still on his first beer. My second round was getting low, but was still sufficient for the task at hand. “To good fortune and fun.”
For some reason, Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” came to mind, reimagined as a bouncy, accordion-driven vehicle. Gary was right; this sounded like a blast.
When I got home at 8:00, Mom looked up expectantly from her crocheting. “Well, how did it go?” she asked, lifting her glasses.
“It was nice,” I said. “We didn’t consummate, but it was fun. I’d like to tell you about it, but I’m tipsy and have an early day. Good night.”
I could see that she was crest-fallen, but I’d just have to keep her in suspense for now.
Chapter 11
Cat’s car pulled up just as I did, and Molly exited, dressed in white corduroys and a jacket. Cat waved to me before taking off. Molly raced up the front steps of the library.
“Nope, not there,” I called out. “When we open the library, we use a secret entrance. Want me to show you?” Molly smiled excitedly and rushed back down the steps. Together, we went around back and I showed her the staff entrance.
“Today, I’ll show you how we get the library all ready for the customers. We call the customers ‘patrons.’ Customers are people who buy things, and people don’t buy things at the library, do they?”
“No, because the library is free.” she responded.
“That’s right, except during special events. So what do we call our customers again?”
“Patrons!” she called out.
“Very good, Molly.” I had her search for every light switch she could find and told her to turn them on while I started the coffee. Very little preparation was necessary; everything had been straightened up before leaving last night. Soon, we unlocked the front entrance and were ready for business. I sat Molly down at a child’s table in the kids’ book section where she was visible from my desk.
People came and went, and Molly amused herself with her books and a coloring book I’d found, but when we were all alone, we’d chat.
“Did you have a good date last night, Miss Melody?”
“It wasn’t a date, Molly.”
“My mom has lots of dates.”
“Lots of ‘em, huh?”
“Yeah, she goes out a lot, but sometimes she doesn’t go
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