“Hard to say with the books in a jumble. The most valuable reference books somehow went unscathed, including various town histories.”
“Town histories? I’ve never seen those.”
“It’s a recent collection. Some families started donating their records and diaries for the public to share.”
“Nice. I’m going to check those out.” Maybe there was something listed about Cora Brighton, my pet-loving ancestor.
Mr. Bixby pressed my foot to be lifted. “Wouldn’t Sir Windbag be a good authority? He goes back to the primordial ooze.”
Drew stared at the dog. “Still sounds like he’s talking. And sometimes it sounds insulting.”
“He’s actually a cuddle bug. Would you like to hold him?”
“No!” The two male voices overlapped.
My next comment was silent. “Then simmer down, Bixby. This is important.”
I smiled at Drew but he didn’t return it. “You look tired,” he said. “No offense. Still good, just tired.”
“None taken. I didn’t sleep well, that’s all.”
He leaned against the counter staring at me, so I walked around it. A barrier between us wasn’t a bad thing. No tingles for me today.
“Janelle, there’s footage on store cameras showing your car in town last night. In various places, actually. You covered a lot of ground.” He gestured to Elsa, who was getting a well-deserved rest at the curb. “That sedan is quite distinctive.”
I nodded. “When I can’t sleep, I often drive around. Crossing all the bridges is very soothing.”
“They were slick last night. It’s dangerous.”
“You have no idea, Red,” Bixby said, still aloud. My threat held no value since Drew had declined my offer to hold the dog.
“I’ve been driving them all my life. Even before I was legal, although I’ll deny saying that. Gran wanted me to learn early.”
I hoped he would follow that lead, but he was just biding his time. The question was coming, like the storm cloud that had overtaken my aura.
He pinned me with intense brown eyes. “Janelle, were you in the library last night? You’ve visited at night before, obviously.”
“I didn’t vandalize the library, Drew. I would never do something like that. I love that place.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Pressure built in my abdomen. As hard as the truth tried to stay in, a hiccup tried to get out.
“Hold firm,” Bixby said. “Do not start a new cycle.”
I didn’t hiccup.
Instead, I sneezed. It was so sudden and fierce that I barely got my sleeve up in time to shield Drew. “Excuse me!”
“That’s one way to knock his socks off, I suppose,” Bixby said. He didn’t laugh, though. “Something felt a little off about that, don’t you think?”
It was off all right. The lemon tart was fighting to exit and my eyes were streaming. I grabbed a serviette and patted them, no doubt spreading mascara around.
“I’ll give you a second,” Drew said, walking over to the window.
In the back pocket of his uniform pants, a robust blue flower was growing like the proverbial weed.
“Oooh, that’s new,” Bixby said. “Blue for the man in blue. Far more masculine, Janelle. You took what I said to heart.”
I pressed a hand against my midriff and willed it to settle. Clearly my erasing spell had only applied to hiccups. There must have been an invisible note in the fine print about other explosions.
“Let’s hope it works better on the town sentries,” Bixby said. “In the meantime, can you tell me the name of that flower? It must have some significance beyond the obvious.”
“No idea,” I said silently. “I need to get it out of there.”
“By all means. Groping Red’s backside will likely take his mind off your slippery response about the library. After all, feminine wiles worked well on Oscar’s coven.”
Drew turned back. “May I continue?”
I nodded. “But before you do, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Okay. Shoot.” His mouth set in a grim line. “I’m guessing this is one of those things you can’t really discuss.”
“Sort of. But did you know Angus MacDuff’s killer is in custody? You haven’t mentioned it.”
Now his mouth fell open in shock. “What? How can that be?”
The bell tinkled again and this time it was a joyful greeting for the woman who charmed it in the first place. Unlike me, Cousin Liberty looked like a million bucks.
