“Has Alex told you about her?”
“No, but I heard her on the phone.”
Linda frowned. “Weird. I wonder why he’d keep her a secret from everyone. Maybe she’s really ugly or stupid or something.”
“Linda, you can’t say that! I’m sure she’s beautiful and smart.” June pictured a tall woman with long silky hair and a husky voice, wearing a sexy black dress. She imagined her and Alex together on a date, laughing about that stupid girl in Chalcot who had no friends or life. June stuffed a large forkful of cake in her mouth.
“Oh, well, that’s a shame. Still, there are plenty more fish in the sea. You know my Martin is single again?”
June could feel Linda’s eyes on her; she’d been trying to set June up with her youngest son ever since they were teenagers. June picked up her mug to take a drink so she wouldn’t have to reply. But as she went to take a sip, she caught sight of the logo on the side of the cup. At first glance it looked like a red swirl, but when she looked at it closer, she could see it was two intertwinedC’s. June stared at it, trying to place where she’d seen this image before.
“No!” she said, slamming the mug down.
“What? Martin’s not that bad, is he?”
“This image—is it for this café?”
“Of course. It’s the Cuppa Coffee logo.”
“Cuppa Coffee. Oh my god.”
“What’s wrong, love? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
June pictured the Mrs.Coulter look-alike she’d seen in the library all those months ago. “I’ve seen this logo before, on the clipboard of a woman at the library.”
“So what?” Linda said.
“She was meeting with Marjorie and I thought she was a management consultant, but what if she wasn’t? What if she works for Cuppa Coffee?”
“I’m sorry, love, I’m not following you.”
June looked at Linda, her eyes wide. “I hope I’m wrong, Linda, but I think Cuppa Coffee might be trying to buy ChalcotLibrary.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
When June arrived at the library an hour later, she expected to find the place in an uproar, but it was as calm as ever. There was no sign of Mrs.B or Stanley, and when June checked her phone there was still no reply to the message she’d sent from Matilda. Perhaps they’d not seen it yet?
“About time,” Marjorie said, joining June by the door. “Did you get me those cake trays?”
“I’m so sorry. I forgot.”
“For god’s sake, I asked you to do one simple task...” Marjorie rolled her eyes. “I’ll go and get them now, so you’ll have to close up on your own.”
June watched her march out of the building. Was Marjorie really involved in a plot to close the library? June had spent the whole bus ride back from Winton wondering about this. On the one hand it seemed an absurd idea: Marjorie had worked at the library for thirty years, and however annoying the woman might be, she’d alwaysseemed devoted to the place. But June had seen Marjorie and the Cuppa Coffee woman here together, heard them discussing the building. And she’d overheard Marjorie’s husband talking about bribing county councillors about something. What if Brian and Marjorie were working to get the library closed so a Cuppa Coffee could open here instead? June had said all this in her Twitter messages to FOCL, so why weren’t Mrs.Bransworth and Stanley here now kicking up a fuss?
The rest of the afternoon crept by. June tried to focus on her work, but she couldn’t concentrate and kept checking her phone. At five o’clock, the last of the visitors left, and June was shutting down the computers when she heard the sound of the front door opening.
“I’m sorry, we’re closed,” she called out, but when she turned around, Stanley was standing in the doorway. June was about to blurt out her news about Cuppa Coffee, before remembering that he still had no idea she was Matilda.
“Don’t mind me. You carry on as you are,” Stanley said, and he walked over to his chair and sat down, placing a bag at his feet.
“Um, it’s closing time,” June said. “You need to leave.” Something about the serene expression on Stanley’s face was making her nervous.
“I’m afraid I’m not going anywhere, my dear.”
“What do you mean?”
Stanley glanced around the library. “Is Marjorie here?”
