"A Murder In Milburn", Book 3: Death In The Library by Nancy McGovern

He’s gone a little mad.”
    “I think I might have some idea what Selena was doing in the library,” Robert said. “I told you she was planning to meet someone that night, didn’t I?”
    “You did,” Nora said. “But the police haven’t found any texts or calls on her phone, apart from yours.”
    “Well, this is a small town. She must have met them in person and told them where to meet her,” Robert said.
    “Selena used to come and do research at the library ever so often,” Grant said. “She may not have been meeting anyone that night. Maybe she just wanted to do her research in peace.”
    “I doubt it,” Robert said. “Look, I know that she was planning to write a book about this town’s history, right? I also know that we were in a section which had a lot of old newspapers. If we could figure out what newspapers she--”
    “The police found her stabbed in the back in the non-fiction psychology section,” Grant said. “Not the one that houses old records. Your theory is invalid.”
    “Well, I remember that when we met, she had a few newspapers out,” Robert said. “I think I vaguely remember the time period. Maybe we can go check.”
    “Well, you can do it in the morning like all the rest then,” Grant said. “I’m going home to bed. It’s been a long day.”
    “You’re coming out with us,” Robert said, taking hold of Grant’s wrist. “Come on, man. Be a sport.”
    For a long moment, Grant held his eye. Then, with a sigh, he took out his keys. “Fine. As you wish.”
    “Attaboy.” Robert gave out a whoop. “Maybe we can figure it out, Nora.”
    “I’d say let’s not get too excited,” Nora said. Mentally, she wondered if Harvey had been right. Robert didn’t seem to have very solid evidence. Part of her wondered if he was just making it up.
    “I did a bit of research too, you know,” Robert said as they walked through the dark and silent hallway. Grant stayed behind to turn on the lights. “I found out that this town has a history of weird murders. It’s almost as if the town is cursed.”
    “Cursed?” That reminded her of May, for some reason.
    “Even the founding fathers of Milburn were murdered,” Robert said. “One of them was very mysteriously killed in the night by intruders. The townspeople blamed the Native Americans at that time, but it was more likely his son who did it. I suspect, it was done so that he could inherit his father’s wealth. Another founding father died of drowning in the well after drinking his regular pint of beer at the local inn. Would you believe that he might have been poisoned? I think there’s some proof pointing to it. Perhaps a jealous mistress. The man was quite a casanova.”
    “What does any of this have to do with Selena?”  
    “She was just as interested in the town’s sordid history as I am,” Robert said. “What if something she found led to her being killed?”
    “The past came back to haunt her?” Nora shook her head. “Sounds implausible.”
    “Well, we’ll know soon enough.” They’d reached the newspaper section. Robert reached out to a pile from forty years ago, when the lights went off. Nora jumped.
    “Ack.” Robert gave a little cough beside her. “That’s inconvenient. Think I should tell Grant about it?”
    “I’m right here,” Grant said from behind them. He walked up to them, holding a lantern. “This has never happened before. Shall I go check on the lights?”
    “Classic horror movie blunder,” Robert joked. “We should all go check on the lights together.”
    “Let’s go, then.”
    They made their way down to the basement in the dark, the light from Grant’s lantern slowly dimming. He fiddled around with the fuses, and made a few grunts through a closed mouth. “I think it’s best if I call the electrician tomorrow. It’s best if we all go home for now.”
    “Home! Not a chance. There’s a decent lantern right here, and I suggest we use it,” Robert said. “It’ll be more fun