Double Diamond

“I think it was a pretty good day, don’t you?” Gail understated. She leaned back in the green recliner and put her feet up on a coffee table. It, like all the other tables in the Reading Room coffee shop was still covered with discarded coffee cups, napkins and empty or half filled answer cards. She picked up one of the latter and studied the answers scribbled on it. “Any idea how many prizes you’ll be giving away for the contests?” She yawned hugely and flung the card back onto the table.

  Michael looked up from where he and Casey were busy going over the day’s entries. “I’ve checked 50 so far and have one winner in each category. But I have at least that many left in my pile. How about you, Case.”

  Casey looked dazed. “I’ve got two winners so far in the picture contest, nothing in the quotes though. There must be over 300 entries here.” Her voice was shocked. That many people in one day! It was impossible, but it had happened. She had left advertising to Michael and wherever he had advertised, it had certainly been successful. “At this rate we’ll be here all night.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s nearly eleven already. How ‘bout we have one more cup of coffee and call it a night.” She stretched her arms out over her head. “I can finish compiling these tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good to me. I’ll get the coffee.” Gail jumped up and trotted over to the coffee maker. Grabbing the pot, she poured each of them a steaming cup of the tasty brew.

  “When you’ve finished that, maybe you could clean up some of the mugs left lying around in here.” Casey’s tone was slightly reproachful. Gail was supposed to have been cleaning since they closed up the bookstore. She tried not to be too harsh, they were all tired; but the sooner it was done the sooner they could all leave.

  “Oh yeah, sure, no sweat.” Gail bounced back and handed Casey and Michael their coffee. “So what did you think of my find today?” She leaned against the back of one of the chairs and regarded Casey with interest.

  “It was definitely the find of the week and will probably save us after the incredible sales today.” Casey smiled. Gail’s ‘find’ consisted of 42 boxes of second hand books, everything from mystery to romance to literature and arts and non-fiction.

  “How on earth did you get all those for nothing anyway?” Casey was incredulous. In all her years at the bookstore, she had never seen anything like it.

  “This old lady was having a yard sale, getting rid of everything to go into a home.” Gail shrugged, took a sip of her coffee and made herself comfortable once more in the easy chair.

  So much for cleaning, Casey thought ruefully.

  “So how did you get them for nothing?” Michael, business minded as he was he couldn’t believe someone would just give something away for nothing.

  “Well, I was just getting to that.” Gail liked to draw out her stories. “I got to talking to this nice old lady, seems she had been something of a party girl when she was younger and had hair a lot like mine.” She rubbed a hand over her unconventional hair affectionately. “That would have been quite something back then…Anyway, I told her I was looking for second hand books for the store so…” Gail stopped and took a deep breath, probably more for effect than anything. “She took me inside to her library and said, ‘help yourself'. So I did. To everything.” She smiled smugly. “That’s why I was so late getting back. Sorry about that.” She shrugged not in the least bit concerned.

  “Well, we really do appreciate it.” Casey stood up and stretched her legs. “So who wants overtime Saturday and Sunday night to sort them all?”

  Both assistants’ hands came up.

  Casey laughed, “Well, you’ve got it. In spades.” She pushed her chair in and straightened the pile of cards in front of her. “Let’s get this place cleaned up and go home. I’ve had enough for one day.”

  As she picked up the piles of cards and brought them into the storeroom to lock in the filing cabinet she wondered what it was that Andrew had wanted to talk to her about. It was too late to call him now and way too late to drive up to Hunter’s Bay. She’d just have to get in touch with him tomorrow. She glanced at the cell phone he’d given her to use. Dead again, she really did have to remember to charge it. Maybe he left a message on her machine…