Chapter Eight
For whatever reason, Sam had a tough time sleeping that night.It was hard to imagine because it had been a huge day, starting with the discovery of poor Margaret, progressing through speaking with a couple of different suspects, then ending up at Aiden’s.She’d given up on sleep around 2 a.m.and spent the rest of the night readingMiddlemarchinstead.The book was both an escape and homework.It was pages and pages of Victorian society, complex relationships, and buried secrets.She was on page 414 now, her purple pen busy in the margins.She’d marked passages about Dorothea’s idealistic naivety with yellow tabs.
Arlo, giving an exasperated huff, jumped off the bed and headed off to a corner of the room for a more restful sleep.Later, when she’d gotten up, her morning exercise was sloppy at best, and she cut quite a few corners.Then, when she looked in her fridge, she found her breakfast options uninspiring.It hadn’t been the best day so far.She felt like she needed to hit the reset button and turn it back around again.
“I think I’m going to run out to the coffeehouse,” she announced to Arlo.He gave her a hopeful look.“Sorry, they don’t allow dogs there, which is very short-sighted of them.I’ll be back soon, love.”
Sam remembered on the way over that she’d seen Sofia Smith from book club work at the coffee shop sometimes.Or maybe that was the underlying reason why she found herself on her way over there.She wondered if Sofia was working today or if it was one of the days she was in her grad classes.Of course, the problem was that it was morning, and she’d likely be busy even if she was working.
Mountain Perk Coffee Shop occupied a narrow storefront on Main Street with exposed brick walls, mismatched vintage furniture, and the rich aroma of freshly ground beans.Local art hung salon-style near a community bulletin board cluttered with flyers and business cards.
Sam found herself lucky on two counts; Sofia was working, and the shop wasn’t busy at all.Sofia was behind the counter, wiping down the espresso machine.She looked exhausted, her eyes red-rimmed.She tensed slightly when she saw Sam, then gave her a tight smile.“Hi,” Sofia said.“Sam, isn’t it?From book club?”
Sam nodded.“That’s right.You’re Sofia?”
The young woman nodded.“What can I get for you today?”
Sam ordered an espresso, feeling like she needed the extra caffeine.Then, instead of taking a seat, she stood there to wait.
Sofia said quietly, “What did you think of book club?”Her hands were shaking slightly as she made the espresso.
“I thought everybody’s opinions on the books really gave me a lot more insight into the story than I got on my own,” said Sam truthfully.
Sofia nodded.“You’re planning on coming back next month?I mean considering everything?I guess you heard what happened.”Her voice caught slightly on the last words.
“I did.I was really sorry about Margaret.”
An expression Sam couldn’t really read passed across Sofia’s features.“I was too.Although we might have been the only ones.”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s true.It sounded to me like Margaret contributed a lot to the discussions.It’s always good to have dissenting views.”
“She definitely had those,” said Sofia.
“You must really love reading.I’m sure you’re probably swamped with stuff you have to read for your graduate studies.”
Their conversation was interrupted as a customer came in.Sofia seemed almost relieved by the interruption.Sofia said to them, “The usual?”The customer nodded, and Sofia said, “I’ll get it for you in just a minute.”
