"The Little Library Thief," by Scott William Carter, in Mystery, Crime and Mayhem, Issue 15: Library Cases, 2023.
Gavin's retirement is not going the way he hoped. His beloved wife died just after they moved into their new home. He isn't functioning well, just going through the motions, and some of those motions involve putting up in his yard the little library Stacey had purchased. A teacher, she had acquired heaps of children's books and wanted to give them away.
Dutifully, Gavin sets up the little library and stocks it with books. But someone keeps emptying it, stealing all the contents. Is it Fay, the nice divorcee who has taken an interest in him? Is it some local no-good? Maybe a kid?
This is a well-written story I enjoyed. I have to say I wasn't crazy about the ending. Could have used a little foreshadowing, in my opinion.
