Arsenic with Austen by Katherine Bolger Hyde Page A

with a volume of Machiavelli. I’d never have pegged him for a history buff.”
    â€œNor would I.” Why would a small-town mayor want to read about the most famous family of poisoners in history? What else could he want it for but professional advice?
    Ben’s eyes took on a wistful look. “You’ve got a great library up there at Windy Corner. I don’t suppose you’d be interested in selling any of it?”
    â€œI doubt it. That library is the most precious part of my whole inheritance to me. But if I do run across anything I know I’ll never read, I promise you’ll be the first to know.”
    A smile lit up his face. “Thanks. You just made my day.” He put a bookmark in her book and slid it into a paper bag. “So, how are you liking Stony Beach?”
    â€œI think I’m going to love it. I’ve only been here a few days, but I’ve met a lot of interesting people.”
    â€œHave you met Beanie yet? In the yarn shop?”
    â€œI was in there yesterday. She’s a hoot.”
    Ben sighed, looking wistful again. Emily didn’t probe, but filed the information away for future reference: Ben was pining after Beanie. Perhaps he was too conservative for her taste—or maybe just too shy to make a move.
    Emily paid for her book and said a reluctant farewell.
    â€œThanks for coming in,” Ben said. “And thanks for not asking me if I play basketball.”
    Emily grimaced. “You get that a lot, huh?”
    â€œAll the time. I haven’t shot a hoop since high school PE, but in most people’s minds, tall black man equals basketball player. Even if he’s running a bookshop.”
    Emily’s next stop was the Friendly Fluke coffee shop—a welcome respite for her parched throat and sore feet. With some trepidation she ordered a cappuccino and biscotti, unsure whether Stony Beach could produce a proper espresso drink. But the waitress came back with a steaming mug on top of which a whale’s fluke design floated in a layer of fine foam—worthy of her favorite coffee place in Portland.
    Emily introduced herself again, glad of an opportunity to talk to an employee rather than a business owner. The waitress’s name tag read JESSICA , and she looked about eighteen.
    â€œHow’s the job market in Stony Beach?” Emily asked. The café was empty of other customers, so with a gesture she invited Jessica to sit down.
    â€œNot bad, at least in the summer. Winters, I haven’t even tried. I’ll be going off to Oregon State in the fall.”
    â€œWhat about your parents? What do they do?”
    â€œMy dad’s a fisherman. Mom’s a teacher in Tillamook. Summers she works in the kitchen here.” Jessica indicated the back room with her chin.
    â€œDo a lot of people work in Tillamook, then?”
    â€œYeah, pretty much. Stony Beach kind of closes down in the winter.”
    Emily sipped her cappuccino. Its taste lived up to the promise of its presentation. “Have you heard about the whole development thing?”
    Jessica rolled her eyes. “Who hasn’t?”
    â€œWhat do you think? Would it make life better for the people here?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t see how. There’d be more summer jobs, I guess, but it wouldn’t change anything the rest of the year. We already have all the fishermen the place can support, and there’s nothing else here but the tourist industry. Probably get a bunch of students coming in to work summers, taking jobs away from people who live here. I don’t see the point.”
    Emily nodded. Jessica had just confirmed her own thoughts on the matter. “Thank you, Jessica. That’s very helpful.”
    â€œSure thing.” The girl went back to her station.
    Emily savored her cappuccino and biscotti, then went to the counter to pay. “Boss says it’s on the house,” Jessica told her. “Seeing you’re