Library staff closes the book on missing money mystery after patron leaves $1,200 in novel she returned

Book stackers at a Staten Island library found themselves in the middle of a mystery worthy of a best-selling novel. Librarian Sydel Vergara was putting books away at the Mariners Harbor branch earlier this month when she noticed a thick envelope stuck between the pages of an obscure page turner. She looked inside the unsealed envelope and found more than $1,200 in cash. The city’s public libraries had long ago done away with overdue fines, and although their customer service was good, Vergara knew it wasn’t a tip. So she contacted the branch manager, who reached out to the New York Public Lib...