“I don’t think that’s the case,” Amie said soothingly, though Grayson seemed more eager than scared by the prospect of being targeted by a bibliophobic serial killer.
“If anything,” Grayson continued, “it’d probably be Raina, then me.”
Amie was struggling to follow him through the conversation. “Sorry?”
“Order of death,” Grayson explained. “If we’re talking chain of command. Though, if the murderer had asked me, I would’ve told them to start from the bottom and work their way up. Me, then Raina, then Savannah. Builds suspense more that way.”
“Bet you’re glad they didn’t ask you, then,” Amie said weakly.
Grayson laughed. “Yeah, imagine.”
They pressed their backs to the books as a couple of women squeezed by. Once they’d passed, Amie had finished processing what Grayson had said.
“What about the rest of the employees?” she asked. “Aren’t there other people working here?”
“Nope, just me. Others got laid off.”
Surprised, Amie asked, “When?”
Grayson looked up, doing the mental math. “Three weeks ago? A month? Something like that. Savannah kept me on because I’ve been working here the longest.”
“Why’d the rest get laid off?”
Grayson rubbed his thumb against his pointer and middle fingers. “Why else? Store’s been struggling as long as I’ve worked here. I felt kind of bad for the others, but it means I can more easily pick up extra hours when I need the cash, so I’m not complaining.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Amie saw Raina emerge from the back room with a jug of iced tea. She gave Amie a small smile as she passed them.
“Did Raina complain?” Amie asked, lowering her voice. Through the shelves, she saw the store’s manager veer down the next aisle, away from the empty pitcher she’d been on her way to fill. Benny was still standing by the refreshments, appearing to have single-handedly eaten half of the crackers.
“About Savannah laying off the other part-timers?” Grayson asked. “Nah, she was cool with it. Raina always goes along with whatever Savannah says. She’s probably gonna take over the store once Savannah retires.”
He winced, scratching the back of his head. “I mean, she was. Maybe not anymore.”
Amie’s heart picked up speed. “Raina wanted to take over the store?”
Grayson nodded. “She wants to own it one day, I think.” Then, apparently catching on to Amie’s train of thought, hastily added, “But she wouldn’t have, like,killedfor it. She loved Savannah. Or, at least, she dealt with her better than most people. Raina’s been working here forever, but Savannah was probably only a few more years out from retirement. She wouldn’t have killed Savannah just because she was taking too long to retire. Raina’s, like, one of the most patient people in the world.”
“I’d imagine you’d have to be, to work that much with Savannah,” Amie said.
“You got that right.”
“Didyouget along with Savannah?”
Grayson snorted. “No onegot alongwith Savannah. You’d either let her walk all over you, or get chewed up, spit out, andthenwalked all over. I usually opted for the first. I honestly wouldn’t have minded getting laid off. I’m pretty sure the guys who did get the boot didn’t care much.”
He shrugged. “But it’s just a job. I clock in, I take a super long lunch break, I clock out. Try not to take things too seriously. Plus I get an employee discount, so, not the worst use of my time.”
“Savannah was killed here in the store, right?” Amie asked, wracking her brain for more questions to ask while she had such a willing subject.
“In the back room, yeah. Heard it happened after closing. Wasn’t told much else.”
“Was it a break-in?”
Grayson shook his head. “Not from what I saw. No broken windows or busted doors. It can get really stuffy in the back, so sometimes we prop the door open to get fresh air. My guess is Savannah forgot to close it, and they came in through there.”
“Were you here when the store closed?” Amie asked.
“Nah, I worked open to three.”
