Queen of Hearts (Character Development)

I have recently joined a writing club at my Local Library. I always enjoyed writing as a child but have not written much since I was about 12. This is my third piece of writing since I joined the club and the focus is on character development. Please give feedback!

Caroline Bigsby had perfected the art of being unremarkable. Even as a child, she had a way of blending into the background. Her parents were not unkind, but they had never been particularly warm, either. Dinners were always promptly at 6 p.m., the silence only broken by the sound of forks clinking against pristine china.

       Growing up, Caroline had no siblings and, to be quite honest, no real friends to speak of. During PE, she was always picked last, left standing in front of her classmates with her head hung in shame as the team captain sighed and gave a half-hearted point in her direction. The other kids weren’t cruel, but sometimes invisibility stung worse than teasing ever could.

         The only place Caroline had ever felt seen was in the school library. The librarian had taken notice of her early on, recognizing her quiet love for books. While other kids played outside, Caroline lost herself in faraway worlds—adventures with pirates, sweeping romances, places where she was anything but invisible. The library became her refuge.

Now, at 34, Caroline still spent her days in a library—but this time, as a bona fide librarian.

Oh, shoot!

Caroline bolted upright, her heart pounding.

8:38! I need to be at work by 9!

“Ugggh,” she groaned, yanking a dark brown turtleneck from the hanger and throwing it on.

Pants. Pants. Shit, I have no clean pants!

       She dug through her laundry basket and pulled out a pair of wrinkled khaki linen pants, giving them a hard shake, her turtleneck swallowed her impossibly petite frame, and the pants still held the creases of the bottom of the laundry bin. No time to fix it now. She darted downstairs, grabbing a water bottle and two small pink pills before rushing out the door

             By the time she arrived, a long line of impatient patrons had already formed outside the library. Flustered, Caroline fumbled with her keys, finally getting the door open as she took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar musky scent of old books.

           She flipped on the outdated fluorescent lights, then powered up the library’s dinosaur of a computer. I really wish they’d update this system, she thought, tapping her fingers impatiently as it took its usual eternity to load. The book return was overflowing, several volumes having already spilled onto the floor. As she bent to pick them up, she heard a sharp “Ahem.”

Oh God.She froze.There he is.

        Blood rushed to her cheeks as she turned. Standing there, mailbag slung over his broad shoulders, was him.The sight of him sent her mind spiraling. Suddenly, she wasn’t in the library anymore. She was in his arms, his strong hands pressing against her back, pulling her in. His breath was warm against her neck, the scent of coffee and cologne swirling around her as his fingers tangled in her hair—

“AHEM!”

Caroline snapped back to reality, eyes wide.Oh my God.The mail carrier was staring at her, clearly confused, his grip tightening on the package in his hands.

Had she… had she just—?

Oh no.

Had she just moaned?

“Uh—yes?” she blurted, trying to sound normal, casually leaning an elbow on the counter—only to misjudge the distance and nearly topple over.

He let out a small scoff, handing her the package wrapped neatly in butcher paper, tied with a red string.

Face burning, Caroline grabbed it and spun around, mortified.

She really needed to get out more.

          As she turned the package over in her hands, a faint woodsy scent with a hint of smoky leather drifted toward her. Intrigued, she unwrapped it. The smell of aged leather filled her nostrils as she pulled out a book—an old one. The cover, though worn with time, was unmistakably leather. Embossed in gold leaf on the front was the title:

The Queen of Hearts.

Caroline spent the remainder of her day stealing glances at the book between customers. It was a murder mystery—her favorite. The story centered around an old maid who had lived alone for decades before being murdered. Each turn of the page heightened the suspense.

Who could it be?

The nosey neighbor? The gardener? Her lawyer? A true whodunnit.

The only clue so far? A single playing card—the Queen of Hearts—left in the victim’s hand.

      Caroline reluctantly closed the book as she began her closing duties, eager to finish it later. She quickly reshelved books, shut down the ancient computer, and grabbed her thick wool overcoat before locking up the library.

      As she stepped outside, the night was nearly pitch black, except for a flicker of light in the distance. As she walked closer, she realized it was police lights.

A small crowd of neighbors had gathered on the corner, huddled together in whispers.

“Oh yes, Ms. Kramer hasn’t been married for years—I don’t think she’s had any visitors, come to think of it,” one woman murmured. Another neighbor chimed in. “I don’t know who could’ve done it, but the only thing we do know is that she was found sitting at her living room table, and the table was set with playing cards.”

Caroline froze.

A playing card?

Her stomach twisted.

The Queen of Hearts.

She shook off the eerie coincidence and hurried home. It’s just a murder mystery. She was done with them for the night.

Or at least, she thought she was—until the mail carrier returned a week later.

With another package.

Wrapped in butcher paper.

Tied with a neat red bow.