“Both of you. How nice.”
Roz couldn’t mistake Craig’s sarcastic tone as he greeted Roz and Alden in Bean Me Up. He sat at the long, tall table in front of the windows that let guests watch the street as they sipped. Or worked, as Craig was apparently doing, given the laptop open in front of him. Alden had left his computer in his car, but Roz had hers, just in case.
Craig had shed his bow tie but still wore his wire-rimmed spectacles, and the afternoon light shone gently off his mostly bald head.
“Thanks for seeing us,” Alden said cheerfully. Roz hid her smile. Alden was so great at swaggering into a situation no matter how hostile it was. “We’ll order a coffee, and then we’ll be right with you.”
“Not a problem.” Craig turned back to his keyboard as if they weren’t there, so Alden and Roz ordered their regular brews from Lily. They went back to the table to wait, taking seats on the stools opposite Craig, spoiling his view of Main Street.
“Working on anything interesting?” Roz asked, pulling a pen and notebook from her bag.
“Research for Enolia’s next novel,” Craig said.
“Ooo, what about?” Alden was keen and friendly.
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” Craig closed the computer to emphasize it was none of their business. Not that Roz had X-ray eyes like the guy in that movie Blake mentioned. “And no, I would never put that phrase in a book. It’s too much of a cliché.”
“Do you write?” Alden asked. “I mean, besides research?”
Craig’s nose twitched. “I do. Fiction. Screenplays.”
The next question was obvious. “Were you working with Wayne Vandershell, too?” Roz asked.
Craig sipped his half-finished coffee. It looked foamy. Latte, maybe? “He asked to see my work, but I felt it was a conflict of interest since I work for Enolia. My job is to ensure her work is perfect.”
Now that was an interesting statement. Wasn’t making the work perfect the superstar writer’s job? But maybe this was how Craig made himself feel important.
“Do you edit Enolia’s books?” Roz asked.
“I—no. Her agent and editors at her publisher do that. I have early input on her work.”
“Research,” Alden said, repeating what Craig had told them.
“Yes, research,” Craig replied, though his mouth twitched as if he wanted to say more.
Then Alden looked up and smiled at Lily, their cute blond barista, who appeared at that moment to deliver his black coffee and Roz’s mocha.
“Thanks, Lily.” Roz took the warm paper cup and set it down as she waited for it to cool to non-lava levels.
“No problem.” Lily took in their coffee klatch with a curious gaze, but she headed back to the counter.
“How did Enolia find you?” Roz asked Craig.
“I worked at the library near her home in Upstate New York.”
“So you trained as a librarian?” Alden asked.
“Trained, yes, once I decided computer science wasn’t for me. I didn’t have the full library sciences degree. But she found me at the research desk nine years ago. I loved her books, and I helped her so much, I turned out to be indispensable.” Craig smiled. This guy loved his job.
“What book did she first have you do research on?” Alden asked.
Craig looked out the window for a few seconds. “Was it The Wentletrap or—” He turned back to Alden. “No, it was The Calico Killer.”
“Like the Calico Cat?” Roz asked.
Craig gave her a disdainful look. “Like a calico scallop shell. There are shells in all her titles. At least all the beach thrillers.”
“Oh.” So The Murex Murder was named for a murex shell. She should’ve known. “Clever.”
