Played to Death by Meg Perry Page B

you can text me or something.”
    I grinned. Scott’s curiosity had overcome his hesitation to maintain contact. “Sure, I’ll let you know.”

 
    Scott
    As Scott walked away from the library, he blew out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.
    That didn’t go so badly.
    His phone rang as he reached his car, and he glanced at it. Wiley . Scott sighed and answered. “Hi, Wiley.”
    “Scott. My God.” Wiley’s voice was subdued. “I can’t believe what happened to Elena.”
    “No shit. I had to identify her body.”
    Wiley sucked in a breath. “I am so sorry.”
    “It’s not your fault. There’s nothing you could have done.”
    “Have you talked to the police?”
    Wiley said, “Of course. A couple of times.”
    “Do they have any ideas about what might have happened?”
    Scott snorted. “If they do, they haven’t shared them with me. I know one of the detectives on the case, though. Used to date his brother. He’ll find the killer.”
    “Which one?”
    “Detective Brodie. The bigger, blonder one.”
    “Oh. The other one did most of the talking.”
    “You were interviewed in person? You’re back from Portland already?”
    “Yeah, late last night. My wife is staying for a few more days. The cops came to see me this morning.” Wiley sighed. “I need to see Elena’s parents - to apologize - but I don’t… What if they blame me?”
    “Wiley, how could they blame you? You were hundreds of miles away.”
    “I know, I know. But I’m the one who put her on the quartet. If she hadn’t been there…”
    Scott sighed. He felt bad for Wiley, but the guy was wallowing. Scott didn’t have much patience for wallowing. “If she hadn’t been there, she would have been killed someplace else. Whoever did this was after Elena for some reason, not a random violinist. It’s not your fault, Wiley.”
    Wiley took a deep shuddering breath. “I know, you’re right. Listen - Elena’s memorial service is Thursday afternoon. Would you come to it? With me?”
    Scott couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do less than attend a funeral for a teenager. “Why? I barely knew the girl.”
    “But you were there . You’re one of the last people to see her alive. And - I have to go, and I don’t want to face that alone.”
    “What about someone else from the college? Or your wife?”
    “The college will send a representative but not anyone who really knew her. And my wife will still be in Portland. Please, Scott? As a favor to me?”
    Scott tried to think of an excuse and couldn’t. Shit . “Okay, fine. But you owe me. Again.”
    “I know, and I’ll make it up to you. I promise.” Wiley sounded pathetically grateful.
    Scott got the address for the church and said goodbye. He put his keys in the ignition but sat there for a minute, shaking his head.
    He really needed to learn how to say no to Wiley.

 
    Jamie
    Over dinner, I filled Pete in on the theft and my conversation with Scott. Pete said, “How hard is it to steal something from the library?”
    “Not as hard as it should be. We have security gates that are supposed to sound an alarm when an item is removed without being checked out. But they don’t always work like they’re supposed to. I’ve also known cases where someone removed the pages with the barcodes on them and walked out with the book.”
    “What about a rare piece of music like that? Shouldn’t it have been better secured?”
    “It should. I’m going to the music library tomorrow to see what their setup is. I’d think a piece like that would at least be in the reference section, not the circulating collection.”
    “I remember when we went to your Special Collections area to look at the copy of the Book of Kells . It was like getting screened at the airport.”
    “Yeah. The things that are in there are truly rare and highly valuable. It’s nearly impossible to steal something.”
    Pete said, “It makes me think it might be an inside job.”
    “That’s what