"Broussard, John A - Kay Yoshinobu - Death In The Reading Room" - читать интересную книгу автора (Broussard John A)

"Did Miller Bork seem any different than usual?"

Shirley looked thoughtful. "He did seem to be disturbed about something. In fact, he said he wanted to talk to me as soon as I had a spare minute. I was going to invite him for coffee in the back room, but...." She paused and looked unhappy. "I just didn't get around to it." Looking at the screen again, she added, "Mrs. Francisco left at ten-thirty-three. That's when she checked out a book."

"Who else came in?"

Shirley inspected the screen. "Lyle Chen--the computer whiz." She broke into a smile. "He's only sixteen, but he really knows his computers--and his cars. I couldn't get mine started last month. He went out, looked under the hood, fiddled with it for a couple of minutes, and the car started immediately. Let's see. He dropped off a book at ten-fifteen and went off into the stacks. I'm not sure exactly when he left, but it was after Mrs. Francisco. Maybe around eleven. He didn't take anything out, so I can't be sure of the time."

"That's all?"

"No one else took out any books. There were three separate drop-offs, but I remember them--regular patrons who didn't do anything but leave the books. Oh, yes. A couple of tourists looking for King Kamehameha's birthplace." She laughed. "They were sure surprised to find they were on the wrong island."

"So Mr. Bork, his sister and Lyle Chen were the only ones who passed this desk before Tom Yamamoto came in. Is that right?"

"There was someone else. I'm trying to think. Oh, of course. Karl Kamaka, the contractor working on the addition." She nodded toward the sound of the hammering. "He wanted to use the restroom. Came in just before the Yamamoto boy did. I remember him leaving just minutes before the police came in."

With her list of library patrons complete, Kay accompanied Shirley back to the reading room. Several computers lined the wall, and another was located at the end of a long desk where Bork had been found dead, evidently killed while using the computer. Kay turned the machine on, checked the history of its use and was rewarded with several web sites dealing with genealogies. She wrote the URLs on her legal pad, though she doubted they'd tell her anything. The titles of the half-dozen books on the table were even less informative. Two books on genealogy. A vanity published autobiography by a Gerald Bork. Two lavishly illustrated books on racing cars. And the county building regulations.

* * *

Kay was flipping through the pages of notes she'd accumulated when Sid dropped into her office.

"Why the glum expression?" he asked.

She moved her glasses up into her hair, looked at him without seeing him and said, "Poor Yoshito may have to resign himself to paying for a long trial."

"Tom did it?"

Kay shook her head. "I doubt it. But he's by far the most likely suspect. He owned a knife that matches the results of the preliminary pm. A very sharp, one-edged jackknife or switchblade. He had time to flush it down the library toilet. It's one of those commercial ones with a suction that could easily handle that."

Sid grinned and made a loud slurping noise. "I remember it."

"Worse yet, that's where the police found Tom hiding. And we're down to only four other unlikely suspects."

"Why only four?"

"Anyone coming in had to pass the front desk. Shirley Cheung says she was there all the time between nine-thirty and when the police came in, just after eleven. The back entrance has a panic bar. If it had been opened it would have sounded a horrendous alarm. Windows are all high, screened and virtually inaccessible."

"Well, four is better than none. Do any of them have a motive?"

"They sure do. Each one has a motive to want Miller to stay alive--he was more than generous to each of them. Shirley, the librarian, gets that beautiful library extension, plus adequate help and an increase in salary because of his generosity. Lyle Chen, the computer genius, was getting a scholarship from the educational trust fund that Bork set up--four years at Cal Tech plus grad school if he did well as an undergraduate--room, board, tuition and pocket money. Can't ask for much better than that. Bork didn't have any children of his own, so I guess he kind of looked on Lyle as a son--a talented one at that.

"The contractor really owes Miller. He did some work for Miller out at his home and Miller liked him. Considered him a good, honest worker. When he found out that Karl was just scratching along in his new contractor business, he made it a condition of his donation to the State that Karl do the construction. That's a real windfall."

"There's still the sister."

Kay gave a weak smile. "I know. Check out the relatives first. Well, she was devoted to her brother. Had already received a generous gift of stock from him."

"Sure, but what about insurance? What about inheritance?"