“That’s Dr. Lewis,” Archie says.
He darts to her, leaving me in the dust. When I catch up to them, huffing, he’s helping her pick up the scattered books. The young instructor appears flustered, scrambling on the ground to collect them into a pile.
“Thank you, Dr. Cockburn,” Dr. Lewis says. “I tripped on one of the pavers. I hope the references aren’t damaged, because I can’t afford to replace them.”
Archie smiles warmly. “Don’t worry about it, Ashley. If any of them are damaged, I’ll tell the library it was my fault. They won’t mess with me. I was the prior chair.”
She brushes leaves and dirt off her long sweater and pants as she stands. “You don’t have to do that. I shouldn’t have run with my arms full. It’s just that I’m so late. The babysitter expected me an hour ago. I lost track of the time.”
“You have a massive pile there. Can we help you carry this load of books home?” I ask.
“Oh, I can’t bother you,” she replies, struggling to contain the stack in her arms. “I’ll be fine.”
“Ashley, this is my girlfriend, Gwynedd Crowther,” Archie says.
“Nice to meet you. A Welsh American.”
“Yes. Actually, first generation,” I say. “My parents moved here from Wales back in the ‘60s.”
“That’s so cool. Do you spell your name with two Ds?” she asks.
“Yeah, and I hate it,” I say, laughing.
She chuckles. “Well, I have to go. Thank you again, Dr. Cockburn.”
Archie straightens the books in her pile. “May you have a wonderful evening, Dr. Lewis.”
“Great to meet you,” I say. “I’d love to chat sometime about all things Welsh.”
“I’d like that. Good night to you both.”
Ashley rushes up the paver walkway toward downtown.
“Does she live in an apartment on Main Street?” I ask.
“Aye.” Archie shoves his hands in his pockets. “She lives in a flat over Roots of the Earth.”
“Holy crystals. In Nick’s old apartment?”
“Aye. You realize the owner has to rent to others, no?”
“Sure. But a Tuatha Dé fairy and a nefarious witch lived there. Who knows what kind of magic residue is floating around in that apartment?”
“True. But she’s an Unremarkable. I doubt she’ll sense it.” He squints at me. “Don’t think I didn’t catch what you were doing with her.”
“What?” I avert my eyes and quash a smile. “I promise I won’t bug her a lot about the Welsh folklore. She’s obviously tapped out.”
Archie exhales. “All right. I remembered I have to pick up a reference I requested through the interlibrary loan system.” He inches closer to me. “I miss you. Please find time to spend one night at my house this week.”
“I’ll try. Thursday after the Fellowship meeting?” I wrap my arms around his torso and slide a hand over his sore butt. “How’s your bum?”
He grimaces. “Not good, but I want you to stay over, anyway.” He bends down to kiss me. “Tell Leslie I’ll see her on Monday.”
“I will. Goodnight, honey.”
“Sleep well, my love.”
I kick off my sneakers in the mudroom and walk to the living room. Dr. Hughes is reading a book on the legends of King Arthur, sitting in the chair by the fireplace with a throw blanket draped across her legs. Mr. Yeats is curled at her feet, purring.
“Hello, Leslie.” I squat and stroke the familiar’s furry head. “Good evening, Mr. Yeats.”
“I heard several sirens earlier. Did you notice where the police cars were headed?”
“Oh, yeah,” I reply, continuing to pet her familiar. “The Celestial Gardens. Ronnie and I went for a walk in there, and a young mom was taking pictures of the plants. Her ten-month-old boy was with her in a stroller, but she was wandering around with her phone, clicking away. As we were walking out, she screamed so loud I nearly toppled over. Someone kidnapped her baby.”
The familiar pops up, transitioning into his human form and knocking me on my ass. “A kidnapping! How despicable!”
“Ouch, Mr. Yeats,” I say, rubbing my butt. “Be careful where you transition.”
He grabs my arms and helps me stand. “I apologize, Ms. Crowther. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Oh, it’s OK,” I reply. “I have a permanent callus on my tailbone.”
Leslie raises her chin. “Did you observe anyone entering the gardens?”
“No. The lowlife must have jumped over the fence and took him.”
