“Oh, it’s not so bad,” Edwin said.
After a pause of collective disbelief, we all laughed small, unreal laughs. It was much worse than simply bad. It was destroyed. Millions of dollars. Destroyed.
“It’s just a thing,” Edwin said. “Things aren’t nearly as important as people. Not even close.”
And then he moved to the bed and pulled me into a fatherly hug. I suddenly wanted to cry but I didn’t.
“Tea or coffee anyone?” Aggie said. “Goodness, is anyone hungry? Let me go gather some food.”
“That would be lovely,” Rosie said. “I’ll help.”
“Me too,” Elias said.
“Let me help too,” Hamlet said.
“Perhaps I should offer assistance as well,” Edwin said, when he noticed that the only other person in the bedroom was Tom.
A moment later my intended date and I were alone.
“Mind if I sit next tae you?” Tom asked.
“Not at all. I’m sorry about the date,” I said.
“We’ll have another chance,” Tom said.
“You look amazing in that kilt.”
Tom laughed. “Thank you. I’ll keep it handy.” He placed his hand over mine. “Delaney, are you all right? Do you need anything? Do you want us all tae leave so you can rest?”
“Not quite yet. And I’m fine. I bet I’ll still have a headache for a few days, but it’s pretty dull at this point.”
“Do you want me tae call your family back home in Kansas? Do you want tae go home and see them?”
I thought about my parents’ reaction when a dark-haired, cobalt-eyed, dashing Scot in a kilt, who I’d already kissed, was the one to call and tell them I’d gotten caught up in a murder investigation and had been accosted by the killer. A stir would definitely be caused; Kansas wheat might never be the same. The idea made me smile, but only briefly.
“No, I’ll tell them. Later, when some time has passed. And I don’t have plans to go back to Kansas for a while. Edinburgh is my home, at least for now.”
“I’m extremely glad tae hear that,” Tom said with concerned eyes and a half smile that I wanted to stare at for a long time.
I really hoped there was more kissing in our near future, but for now my other family, my Scottish family, was in the house. Edwin, Hamlet, Hector, Rosie, Aggie, and Elias were busy in the kitchen making coffee, tea, and snacks.
We ate, drank, and talked for a long time. When everyone left and I was alone in my cottage, the lights off and my headache even less awful, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. It was difficult. There were no voices, but there were lots of scenes from my life since I’d gotten off the plane and found Elias’s cab. Much had happened in a short time and it all suddenly seemed to be exactly what was supposed to have happened, even the part about being punched by a killer.
When my mind settled down and I was able to relax, the very last thought I had before I fell deeply asleep was that I was very glad I’d been laid off from the museum in Wichita, and that I’d happened upon a strange ad that promised I would go places I never imagined, that I’d have to be bold.
It seemed the journey had begun exactly as advertised.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First of all, a giant thank-you to Lisa Shafer, a fellow writer who has spent a good amount of time in Scotland. I can’t express how grateful I am to her for poring over maps with me, giving me insight into Edinburgh and all parts of Scotland, and answering all my crazy questions (she’s still answering questions). From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Lisa, for your help and friendship.
The people of Scotland are just like I imagined them to be, even better actually. Thanks especially to: Alexandria Gibson and her mom, two lovely women who let me traipse through their cottage just so I could see its layout and the strange machine on the wall that supplies their electricity; the van drivers and the other passengers we met on the guided tours who were enormously patient as I asked questions and took notes. Thank you for putting up with me.
Because of some crazy circumstances we missed our first trip to Scotland and had to reschedule. When we finally arrived, our first stop was to The Cadies and Witchery Tours. Having heard about our previously cancelled trip, they had kept our names off to the side and didn’t ask us to pay for another tour. I’m sure that they are that customer service–oriented all the time, but their attention to detail got our journey off to a perfect start and we loved their entertaining performances. Thank you.
There’s a bookshop near the spot where I placed The Cracked Spine. It’s not The Cracked Spine, but I used some of the décor from inside. The proprietors were lovely and didn’t hesitate to give me the okay to take pictures. The Wee Pub, the smallest pub in Scotland, is also in Grassmarket. I used the name and the location, but I made up almost everything else.
There are a bunch of bookshops in Edinburgh. We didn’t make it to them all, but we visited many. Every single bookseller was just fine with me roaming around and taking pictures. Thank you for making my research so much easier.
Thanks to everyone at Minotaur who has worked so hard on this book. Allison Ziegler in marketing; Shailyn Tavella in publicity; Alan Bradshaw in production; my copy editor, Jane Liddle; the cover designer, David Rotstein; text designer, Nicola Ferguson; and my creative and attentive editor, Hannah Braaten. I’m stunned by how you all do what you do.
Some of my favorite authors agreed to an early read and offered a quote for the cover. Thanks to them for being so kind and for writing books that make me want to keep working to be a better writer myself. Jenn McKinlay, Susan Furlong, Daryl Wood Gerber, Ellery Adams, and Erika Chase.
My husband, Charlie, and my son, Tyler, are the best. They cheerfully took on the Scavenger Hunt papers I handed them as we boarded the plane to Scotland, and they helped me find almost everything on the four-page list. I adore them.
The Cracked Spine is a work of fiction, of course. I made up lots of stuff, but I also tried to weave in some real locations and details. It would be impossible for me to do Scotland justice. The country’s beauty and the people’s graciousness are beyond my words. Forgive any mistakes I made; they are totally on me.
ALSO BY PAIGE SHELTON
COUNTRY COOKING SCHOOL MYSTERY SERIES
If Fried Chicken Could Fly
If Mashed Potatoes Could Dance
If Bread Could Rise to the Occasion
If Catfish Had Nine Lives
If Onions Could Spring Leeks
FARMERS’ MARKET MYSTERY SERIES
Farm Fresh Murder
Fruit of All Evil
Crops and Robbers
Red Hot Deadly Peppers
A Killer Maize
Merry Market Murder
Bushel Full of Murder
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PAIGE SHELTON had a nomadic childhood, as her father’s job as a football coach took the family to seven different towns before she was even twelve years old. After college at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, she moved to Salt Lake City, where she thought she’d only stay a few years, but she fell in love with the mountains and a great guy who became her husband. After many decades in Utah, she and her family recently moved to Arizona.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Cha
pter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Acknowledgments
Also by Paige Shelton
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE CRACKED SPINE. Copyright © 2016 by Paige Shelton. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover illustration by Robert Crawford
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Shelton, Paige, author.
Title: The Cracked Spine / Paige Shelton.
Description: First Edition.|New York: Minotaur Books, 2016.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015043798|ISBN 9781250057488 (hardback)|ISBN 9781466861213 (e-book)
Subjects:|BISAC: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths.|GSAFD: Mystery fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3619.H45345 C73 2016|DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015043798
e-ISBN 9781250057488
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First Edition: March 2016