Peril in Paperback: A Bibliophile Mystery

without my rapidly growing cache of rare books for the Covington Library.
    We left Marko and Sybil stewing in the Gold Salon while the rest of us adjourned to the game room next door. The men agreed to take turns checking on the captives.
    The fact that we’d discovered who Bella’s murderer was gave us another reason to celebrate. Of course, Sybil had helped by exposing herself. But who was quibbling?
    After the champagne was poured, Grace insisted that Nathan explain how the son of Marko Huntley had come to be working for her in her own home.
    He told her that he’d been keeping tabs on everyone in Grace’s company for years. As a computer whiz—a skill he refused to admit came from his father—he’d gained access to and knowledge of the most extensive online search programs. He had recently heard about Grace’s book being shopped around New York City, and he devised a plan.
    Grace played into his hands around that same time by advertising online for a librarian to catalog her books. When Nathan took the job, his only goal was to try to get a look at her manuscript. He wanted to see if Gracewould name names. Wanted to see if she had ever discovered that his father was the thief who had cost her company millions of dollars.
    “But then I got here and I fell in love with Merrilee,” he said, and had to clench his jaw to keep from becoming too emotional. “I fell in love with you, too, Grace. And you, Ruth, and this bizarre house and everyone who lives here. I’m sorry I lied to you. I can only hope that someday you’ll look at me as someone other than the son of the man who stole from you.”
    “I already do, dear,” Grace murmured.
    “Thank you for that,” he said, closing his eyes for a moment. He opened them and added, “And if you can find room in your heart to forgive me for deceiving you, I’ll be eternally grateful.”
    Merrilee’s hand was shaking, she was gripping his so tightly. She had been staring into Nathan’s eyes, but now she turned and gave her mother a beseeching look.
    Grace smiled at them both. “Of course I forgive you. As long as you promise to bring some order to the chaos that is my library.”
    Nathan hesitated, then frowned. “But I told you I’m not a librarian.”
    “But you’re good with a computer,” she insisted. “You said so yourself. Can’t you just buy a program and learn how to work it?”
    “Sure, I can do that.” He scratched his jaw in embarrassment as he finally made eye contact with me. “That’s why I could never show you my catalog program.”
    “I figured that out,” I said drily. “It’s okay. I know of a few good ones I can recommend to you.”
    “Then it’s settled,” Grace said. “So let’s stop all this serious talk and get back to partying.”
    “I’ll drink to that,” Harrison said, and downed his champagne in one gulp.
    I watched Grace mingle and worried for her. Her attitude was a little too glib and I wondered when she would take some time to mourn the loss of her formerfriend Marko, as well as poor Bella. They had all worked together and collaborated creatively for so many years. It had to be a tremendous blow to her confidence and well-being.
    But on the other hand, she had faced down a jealous, raging, gun-toting maniac and lived to tell the tale. So maybe she could call things even. Either way, none of it was probably what she’d had in mind when she began to plan her fiftieth birthday party.
    Happily, she had good friends and family who would help her get through it.
    Peter Brinker, still clearly flummoxed, wasn’t quite ready to party. “Grace, please help me understand why you never told me or anyone else about Merrilee. You didn’t have to go through it all by yourself. We could’ve supported you during that time. I could’ve contributed to Merrilee’s upbringing.”
    Grace gave him a sad smile. “My only excuse, once Merrilee was born, was that I knew Sybil better than you did. There was never a doubt in my mind that if she suspected Merrilee was your daughter, she would’ve made your life miserable. You’d probably be forced to quit the company.” Grace squeezed his hand affectionately. “I couldn’t afford to lose you, Peter. And I don’t mean that in the monetary sense.”
    He was in shock. I felt sorry for the poor guy. He’d missed out on Grace and Merrilee and had spent his entire life with Sybil. Nobody deserved that.
    It took Peter a moment, but he finally nodded and gave Grace a sad