Date Due: Upon Death (eBook)

An Ava S. Kelly Military Librarian Mystery

Rachel Langlois (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
192 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3178-0122-9 (ISBN)

Infos

Military Librarian, Ava S. Kelly is on the trail of a cold-blooded killer. Using her unique network of librarians and archivists, she slowly unveils the truth. The cost is high, and Ava already struggles with trust but that won't slow her down. Reluctantly, she joins forces with enigmatic Marine Aviator, Jack Lang, to stay ahead of the killer. With no time to lose, Ava must set aside her fears and take a leap of faith, risking everything to expose a murder while revealing the facts that will redefine American history forever.

Rachel Langlois has been a Vet Tech, Corn Detassler, Security Guard, Waitress, and Innkeeper. She studied abroad in Northern Ireland and Poland but obtained her Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of South Carolina. Since the third grade, Rachel has worked in numerous libraries including schools, public, academic, special, military, and private libraries. She shares her home in northwest Wyoming with her husband, two extraordinary German shepherds, and a lifetime collection of books.

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Military librarian Ava S. Kelly has never faced a question she cannot answer. With her unlimited access to a unique network of librarians and archivists, she has everything at her fingertips. When Marine Private First Class Pinckney is brutally murdered, nobody believes that it was anything other than a common street crime. Ava finds herself relying on her research skills, putting them to the ultimate life-or-death test. Seeking the truth, her core beliefs are put on trial as she struggles to find justice while deciding whom she can trust. Drawn into the national capital's top-secret world of high-level political and military intrigue, Ava finds an unlikely ally in Marine Major Jack Lang. He is the one man capable of keeping her safe, but he's a man with secrets of his own. With time running out, Ava must choose her steps carefully since the killer is willing to go to extraordinary lengths to cover his tracks. Ava must set aside her fears and take a leap of faith, risking everything to expose a murder while revealing the facts that will redefine American history forever.

Textauszug

Chapter Three

“You don’t look like the librarians I remember,” he told her.
“We’ve changed. There was a whole press release issued about it, but we didn’t get much media coverage.”

–Susan Mallery, Almost Summer

I awakened to the early morning light filtering in through my bedroom blinds. I burrowed into the covers, warm and languid; I sighed in deep contentment. There was nothing like waking early, your internal alarm clock letting you know it was okay to doze. Wait… what? I flung my arm to the nightstand, my hand scrabbling for the clock. I blinked sleep out of my eyes as I took in the glowing numbers on my vintage Crosley alarm clock. 6:19! My heart tripped. I had been so danged tired; I’d turned off the alarm in my sleep.

Oh. My. Word. I leapt out of bed, slamming my knee on the dresser. “Fudge muffin!” I hissed through clenched teeth, one hand rubbing my kneecap, the other jerking open my dresser drawer. I grabbed some clothes and hobbled into the bathroom. I had to make the 6:56 VRE or I’d miss my ride with Brooklyn at L’Enfant. I stumbled through my morning ritual. No time for a shower, I washed and dried my bangs in 60 seconds, styled my long brunette hair into a ponytail and opted for the five-minute face: powder, mascara, eye shimmer and gloss. Done. I yanked on a pair of dark skinny slacks, a maroon batwing sweater and stuffed my feet into my plush, knee-high Italian leather riding boots. Finally, I popped in my square-cut faux-diamond studs, slapped on my wide, leather cuff and slid on my two favorite silver rings. The left hand bore a Celtic design of beautiful knot work and the right, a silver filigree with an inlaid onyx heart. Chic didn’t require hours when you had the perfect capsule wardrobe. Everything I owned was a practical mix to be swapped with any piece for any occasion, thank you mom.

I ran into the kitchen, glancing at the clock. Merlin’s pants! Food or coffee? Coffee, of course. I prepped my Italian Moka pot and set it to boil, heating the water for my travel mug. I hurried into the living room to see Patrick sprawled on the sofa-bed, his face jammed into the pillow, one hand shoved under his head.

“Patrick,” I whispered, giving him a gentle shake. He mumbled and rolled over, his face toward the sofa.

“Patrick, I’m late but text me later, okay?”

He grumbled into the pillow, one hand yanking the covers high.

Fine. I ran back into the kitchen, poured my coffee, slapped on the lid, and grabbed my Coach leather bag. I snagged my lightweight trench, wrapped my scarf around my neck and headed out the door, locking up tight. I skipped down the stairs and banged out the front, making a beeline for Leon’s diner on the corner.

Leon’s was a mom-and-pop joint left over from the forties. Hard-back wooden booths with yellowing Formica tabletops faced the windows while a traditional chrome-lined soda counter ran the length of the diner. I set my bag on a stool, grabbing my wallet when the diner’s crotchety owner, Leon Coffey, emerged from the back. Without a word, he set a white paper bag in front of me with a grin.

“Leon,” I breathed. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Two egg sandwiches, extra mayo, cheddar cheese,” he growled.

“I think I love you!”

“I think you’re late.”

“Maybe,” I said, my head tipped to one side. “But I got stellar coffee.”

“My coffee’s just fine,” he grumbled.

“Your coffee came with this ancient diner Leon, and everyone knows it.”

“You’re still late,” he glowered.

I nabbed the bag and blew him a kiss. A hint of pink bloomed on his grizzled cheeks, and I laughed as he grumped his way back to the kitchen. My heart lighter, I rushed out the door to catch the northbound VRE.

I loved the quiet car. Not only did I not have to think about driving into DC traffic, but I also didn’t have to talk to anyone either. Bliss. The car was crammed with morning commuters clicking away on computers, napping, sipping coffee and fiddling with iPods. I pulled out my iPad and took advantage of the time to check the reference desk schedule. Thirty minutes later, I’d swapped a few folks around and finished the schedule for the next two weeks. Crossing that off my new to-do list, I gritted my teeth as I opened the email from my boss and clicked the link to the teamwork training. Thank goodness it was virtual. At least there’d be no circles of trust-falls or group sessions where we shared how we felt. Ick. My palms began to sweat just thinking about it. I heaved a sigh and scrolled through the sign-up, finishing the registration as we pulled into L’Enfant. I jabbed a finger at the checkbox of my to-do list, marking that off with glee. Teamwork-shmeemwork. I’d knock this ridonkulous training out in no time.

I shuffled off the train and caught sight of Brooklyn’s Jeep. She leaned over, popped open the door and I clambered in with a huff.

“Ava,” Brooklyn said, eyeing my white bakery bag. “Is that a Leon Coffey egg sandwich?”

“It sure is,” I smiled, handing over the sack and sipping my coffee.

“Oowee! I could kiss Leon right now.”

“I’ll be sure to give him your love,” I chuckled. “I was super late this morning and Leon saw me running. Thank goodness, or we’d be without any breakfast.”

“Wait, I thought you were getting pizza at Roman’s last night,” she mumbled around a ginormous bite of egg sandwich. “Wasn’t there any left for breakfast?”

“Um…well, Patrick helped me finish it off,” I muttered, my eyes sliding right, staring out the window.

“Patrick’s here?” She dropped her sandwich, twisted the steering wheel and tossed me a laser beam glare.

“Yup,” I nodded, my hands gripping my coffee mug.

“Lemme guess, he needs a place to crash…and food to eat…and money to spend all while generally wreaking emotional havoc.”

“Pretty much.”

We bounced into the parking lot of NDU and parked.

“Need me to come over tonight?” asked Brooklyn, as we rolled out of the Jeep and slammed the doors, striding to the entrance.

“Maybe…thanks Brookie. We didn’t really chat last night and I’ve no idea what’s in his head these days, so I’m hoping he’ll come clean tonight.”

“Well, just let me know,” she grinned, bumping me with her hip. “Your family is better than TV,” she smirked.

I smacked her on the arm. “You just wait girl, you’re gonna meet a man like Patrick and he’ll turn your head and then where will you be?”

“Promise?” she laughed.

I shook my head and smiled.

We walked into the hushed interior of the NDU library and saw the reference desk was empty. I craned my neck, scanning the back but saw nobody around.

“Great,” I griped, “just great.”

Brooklyn veered off to Archives. “Toodles,” she sang, giving me a finger wave, her eyes big as she mouthed, ‘good luck.’

I snorted, dropped my bag behind the reference desk and forged my way back to the reference office. A small gaggle of librarians had gathered around the staffing schedule posted to the corkboard.

“Where’s Mandy?” I demanded. The gaggle swiveled around as one.

“Uh…sorry Miss Kelly, stammered Lisa, our current intern. “She uh…well…she called in sick…like… just now.”

Fantastic. A knock sounded behind me and I heard a low drawl.

“Problems, Ava?”

I pivoted on one boot. Swell. My boss.

“Colonel Nix,” I chirped. “So good to see you this morning.”

He raised one brow, taking in the assemblage.

“I see the reference desk is empty and we’re just about to open.”

“Uh… yes, I was about to go out. My apologies, Sir.”

“I thought Mandy was on duty?”

“Yes, well… it seems she’s called in sick…just now.” Drat!

“Indeed…I trust you have things well in hand and given what we last discussed; you may consider delegation to be the ideal solution; I know you’re on the rota already.”

I clenched my teeth.

“Of course, Sir. Great idea.”

“Excellent, carry on then, Miss Kelly.”

I turned back to the gaggle. This teamwork thing was gonna be the death of me.

The day flew by. The incoming students were full of questions, and I was thrilled. The coup de grace came later that afternoon when I received an email from a deployed Marine, stationed in Afghanistan, thanking me for some information I had sent a month prior. The captain had been looking for historic geographical information. Per the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity (MCIA) library briefing just a few months prior, I had discovered the British had made land surveys of Afghanistan in the late 40’s. These reports were priceless, as Marines set up Forward Operating Bases (FOBS) in what is now known as the War on Terror. The captain informed me that landmines had been deactivated and lives had been saved by this information. Now you tell me, does reference work get any better than this?

Riding that high, I almost forgot my teamwork training started...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.5.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3178-0122-9 / 9798317801229