Chapter 23
SARA LEE
Sara Lee and Nana June were finally ready to head to the library… if no other visitors came. Pippi came trotting over, eager for the outing.
"Hello, girl," Sara Lee greeted, bending to rub the dog's head. "Where's your companion?"
Walking to the study door, she peeked in and laughed.
Mister Smee had claimed another sunspot on one of the bookshelves and was sleeping with the quality cats achieve when truly relaxed.
One white paw dangled over the edge of the shelf.
Curious, Sara Lee walked over, with Nana June right behind her.
"What do you have for us today?" her grandmother asked the sleepy cat, who slowly blinked his enormous eyes open, clearly annoyed at being disturbed.
There were several books scattered under his body, as though he'd rearranged the shelf to suit his comfort. Sara Lee carefully extracted the books while Mister Smee watched with regal disdain.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Gone Girl. The Talented Mr. Ripley.
She held them up for both to see, frowning slightly. "These are all mysteries, but I don't see how they connect to what we're investigating."
Nana June took the books, examining each cover thoughtfully. Then her expression shifted, that sharp look Sara Lee had come to recognize when her grandmother made a connection. "They're about false identities. People who aren't who they claim to be."
Sara Lee looked at the books again, understanding dawning. Each protagonist had recreated themselves, hidden their true nature behind carefully constructed facades. “Much like The Count of Monte Cristo.”
"Yes… someone is not who they say they are," Nana June murmured, running her finger along the spine of The Talented Mr. Ripley. "Thank you, Mister Smee."
The cat yawned, showing all his teeth, then jumped down from the bookshelf and padded on soft feet to his carrier. Sara Lee zipped him inside, then looked at her grandmother, remembering their conversation. "But we know everyone."
"Only those born and raised here, my dear." Nana June carefully set the books aside. "Anyone else could be someone other than who they say they are. Helena, Jerry. Diane.” Her expression remained serious. "We have to consider all possibilities."
Sara Lee wanted to argue more, but the logic was sound. They couldn't let personal feelings cloud their judgment, even when those feelings involved someone she cared about.
"Come on," Nana June said, gathering Pippi's leash. "Let's go to the library. We still need to talk to Diane.”
"Why didn't you say anything about Lucy, Helena, or Diane to Sheriff Gordon?"
"Because there is nothing to tell right now. We can be fairly sure Lucy is innocent, and the sheriff isn't looking into her anyway. As far as Diane, there is nothing that points to her at this time other than she was at the clinic."
"But—"
Her question was cut off by Pippi’s dancing in anticipation of a walk.
“Let’s go before Pippi has a conniption,” June encouraged.
Sara Lee hoisted the backpack carrier onto her back as her grandmother snapped on Pippi's leash. The walk to the library took only a few minutes, but Sara Lee had a hard time appreciating the beautiful day.
When they arrived, the volunteer at the front desk looked up from her work and smiled. "June! Sara Lee! And the whole menagerie, I see."
"Hello," Nana June said warmly. "Is Diane in today?"
"Oh, yes. She's in the office doing some cataloging." The volunteer’s smile faltered slightly. "She's been keeping to herself quite a bit lately. I hope she’s not getting sick."
They thanked her, then walked to the library's back research area, both smiling at Diane in the office. After saying hello, they moved to the tables that were tucked away from the main floor.
As soon as they let Pippi off her leash and Mister Smee out of his carrier, both animals raced past the table and around the corner of one of the tall bookshelves as though they'd spotted something fascinating.
"Pippi! Mister Smee!" Sara Lee called, but neither animal reappeared.
"Let them explore." Nana June settled into one of the wooden chairs. "They won't go far." She pulled out her notebook and opened it to a fresh page. "Now, what are we looking for?"
"I don't know," Sara Lee admitted, pulling out her laptop. "Where do we even start?"
Her grandmother leaned closer and whispered. "We don't have any information on Diane before she came to Meadowlark Creek to work in the library. So, let's see if we can find anything on someone named Diana that was incarcerated about the same time as Helena, since that was the name Raymond used."
"If she was going to change her identity, going from Diana to Diane isn't a very good disguise," Sara Lee protested as she opened her laptop and waited for it to boot up.
Nana June shrugged, then said quietly, "Sometimes simplicity is the best. But we only have thoughts and conjectures at this point. So, let's see what we can find."
With no last name to guide them, searching the database for arrests with just the name Diana was ponderous. There were a number of hits, but the ages were all wrong… too young, too old, or the timing didn't line up with when Helena was arrested.
Finally, just when she was ready to give up, her gaze snagged on a line of information. She looked over at her grandmother, who was perusing old Richmond newspapers. "I might have something," she whispered, no longer sure if Diane was still in the library or if she'd left. "But it's not good news."
Nana June immediately scooted her chair over, abandoning the microfiche. "What did you find?"
"Diana Rosetti," Sara Lee said quietly, turning the laptop so June could see the screen. "Arrested seven years ago. She was found guilty of embezzlement. She served three years. That would have put her in the system the same time that Helena was in jail for the two weeks before she was released."
"And what can you find on Diana Rosetti since she was released?" Nana June leaned closer to read.
"She did one year of parole, and then I can't find anything on her."
"When was that?"
"Three years ago." Sara Lee met her grandmother's eyes. "When Diane appeared and got a job as a library assistant here."
"Remember her address history," June said, her finger tracing down the page. "She lived in Richmond for six years before coming here. Before that..." She paused. "Nothing. No previous addresses listed."
"That's odd, isn't it?" Sara Lee asked. "Most people have a paper trail. Previous jobs, previous addresses."
"Very odd. And remember her references? All from the library in Richmond. All from people who'd known her recently." June made a note in her small notebook. "It's as if Diane didn't exist before then."
Sara Lee thought about the terror on Diane's face, the way she asked about murder, the way she fled down the sidewalk. "So Diana becomes Diane. Then moves here for a quieter life. Why?"
"Running from something," June murmured. "Or someone. And Raymond recognized her or knew about her new identity."
Sara Lee felt her stomach drop. Turning to Nana June, she asked, "What do we do?"
"We go talk to Diane."