Occupation: bookmobile clerk

If you’re over the age of sixty and are interested in New York theatre, you might remember my name. If you’re under sixty and/or couldn’t give a hoot about live theatre, let alone Tony Awards, then you’re thinking “Julia Who?” That’s fine, though. Most of the people in my home town think of me as that girl who went to the big city to be a model and failed. As we say these days, whatever.

After I retired from the stage, my husband and I decided to move to what had been home for me, back in the day. Northwest lower Michigan is an amazing beautiful place to live (as long as you enjoy winter) and the move went off without a hitch.

Three weeks into retirement, I was bored out of my mind. I desperately needed something to do, but I had a complete lack of qualifications for any meaningful work. I tried teaching acting at a local community college, but it turns out that acting and teaching acting are very different skill sets, and when I heard about a part time job on a bookmobile, a job that would include storytelling, I made tracks for the library and applied on the spot.

And so, here I am, regularly riding on the bookmobile next to the assistant library director, Minnie Hamilton, with Eddie Hamilton at my feet. This is appropriate, because Eddie is a black and white tabby cat and a regular fixture on the bookmobile.

“Mrr,” Eddie said.

“Yes, my dearest?” I asked him. At that particular moment, the two of us were seated on the carpeted step that ran underneath the bookshelves. Minnie was up front helping a young couple find how-to books on home improvement. We’d opened the bookmobile door to let in the fresh May air and the delicious scents of fresh cut grass and sunshine were wafting about. “Do you want to go outside?”

Only once or twice had Eddie bolted out of the bookmobile without permission. His tendency to stay aboard was one of the reasons he’d been allowed to stay in the first place, something that I suspected he knew.

“Mrr.”

It was obviously a negative response. “Well, then,” I said. “We’ll just sit here and wait for someone to show up.”

We’d scheduled a story time at this stop because usually a large group of homeschool kids from multiple families showed up. Last time we’d stopped here, the kids had squealed with delight at the idea and I’d planned accordingly. In my hands was a copy of You Must Bring a Hat! and I’d brought along various hats of my own.

“Mrr!”

I winced. Eddie, when he chose, could project his voice to the back row of any third balcony. “If you don’t want out, what do you—”

“MRR!!”

Minnie looked up. “Check outside,” she called. “It’s the only thing that will keep him quiet.”

How she knew that, I had no idea, but I bowed to her superior Eddie knowledge and stood, dusting the seat of my pants. “You stay here,” I told him. “I’ll go check to make sure the sky hasn’t fallen.”

Eddie’s whiskers twitched, but he didn’t move.

I nodded and headed outside into the sunshine. I stood there for a moment, enjoying the warmth on my face, then heard my name from afar. “Ms. Julia!”

A hundred yards away, I saw the kids we’d expected to see fifteen minutes ago. Only they weren’t hurrying, instead they were grouped almost in a huddle and moving slowly.

Odd, I thought, and hurried in their direction.

“Ms. Julia!” called the oldest child. “My dad was coming with us today instead of Mom, but he hurt himself.”

As I got closer, I saw that a thirty-ish male was hobbling along with the assistance of five children. “Stupid,” he said, when I got close. “Turned my ankle on a rock, and look at it now.”

I looked. His ankle was puffing up like a blowfish. “I’ve seen worse,” I said, lying through my teeth, and draped his arm across my shoulders. “We’ll drive you home so you can get some ice on it. I anticipate an emergency room visit, though.”

He sighed. “My wife will be home in half an hour. She’ll take me in.”

Dad and I directed the oldest child, who might have been ten, to run to the bookmobile for more help. The male portion of the home improvement couple came to our aid, and in short order, we were all aboard.

I made sure everyone was buckled up, and sat myself into the passenger’s seat, where Eddie’s carrier was securely fastened to the floor. “Hey,” I said, leaning forward. “Nice job alerting me to the injury. How did you know? Your keen sense of hearing? Or something else?”

But being a cat, Eddie didn’t say a word.

Checking Out Crime, A Bookmobile Cat Mystery #9
Genre: Cozy
Release: April 2021
Purchase Link

Librarian Minnie Hamilton and her clever cat Eddie solve a purr-fect murder, in the newest installment of the delightful Bookmobile Cat Mystery series.

Minnie and her rescue cat Eddie can often be found out and about in their bookmobile near Chilson, Michigan, delivering great reads to grateful patrons all over the county. But they always brake for trouble, and when Minnie sees a car speeding away down the road, and soon comes upon a dead bicyclist, she assumes she just missed seeing a hit-and-run.

Minnie is determined to discover who was behind the wheel, but it soon turns out that things are far more complicated than they seem and there’s more to this case than meets the eye. Luckily, this librarian is ready to read the killer his rights.

About the Author
Laurie Cass grew up in Michigan and graduated from Eastern Michigan University in the 80’s with a (mostly unused) Bachelor of Science degree in geology. Currently, Laurie and her husband share their house with two cats. When Laurie isn’t writing, she’s working at her day job, reading, yanking weeds out of her garden, or doing some variety of skiing.

All comments are welcomed.