Page 46 of Dead End

“Oh, he definitely will. He loves books. He still reads in his spare time.”

She chortled. “I would think all his time is spare now.”

It would be, if he didn’t live with me.

I ventured out to the truck and ordered Ray into the bookstore. He drifted from one shelf to the next to ogle the books, like a kid in a candy store. For once I was glad the internet service was wonky.

“I’ll leave Ray in your capable hands,” I said to Jessie.

“Wonderful. I remember you well, Ray. Glad to have you with me today.”

“Great to be here,” Ray said.

Jessie held up a pen and paper. “I know I won’t be able to hear you, so I’ve got these ready in case you need to communicate.”

Ray cut a glance at me. “I don’t know what Ingrid was talking about. This lady is as spry as Alicia.”

I silently agreed.

“Good luck, Ray. I’ll be back in a couple hours.”

Ray was already fixated on a book he’d pulled from the shelf. “Take all the time you need. You know I’m not going anywhere.”

On my way out, I stopped in my tracks at a display table with books by Jane Austen.Pride and Prejudice,Sense and Sensibility,Persuasion,Mansfield Park,Emma, andNorthanger Abbey. They were leather bound with beautiful watercolor illustrations of the characters.

“Wow,” I said.

“I know,” Jessie replied. “Aren’t they gorgeous?”

I didn’t bother to ask the price. The leather alone put them out of my reach.

“They’d look good on your empty shelves,” Ray said. “That new library deserves to be filled with beautiful books.”

“Oh, I agree with you, but these aren’t going to be remotely in my price range.” Especially when my price range was zero dollars.

I exited the bookstore and drove straight to the public library. While Ray was busy perusing secondhand books, I’d tap my other reliable source of information, librarian Hailey Jones and her army of elementary school students.

I stood outside on the walkway and contemplated the concrete building. I knew the inside was more important than the outside, especially in the case of a library, but I still wished the government had spared a little extra cash for a more welcoming exterior. Every time I walked toward the building, I worried I was about to accidentally wander into a Soviet prison.

The door opened automatically, and I nearly collidedwith a young woman dressed in a white broad-shouldered shirt and a full skirt.

“Hey, Vic. How are you?” I hadn’t seen her in months. I’d assumed Vic stood for Victoria, only to find out later the nickname was the result of her penchant for Victorian-style clothes, hence the reason I also initially mistook her for a ghost.

“I’m good. You’re the queen of the Castle, right?” She curtsied.

“No need for formalities. Mine is a democratic castle.”

Vic’s smile was endearingly crooked. “I don’t mind. It isn’t every day I get the chance to curtsy. Besides, I want to keep my skills sharp in case I get transported to the mid1800s.”

“Is that likely?”

She shrugged. “One can only hope.”

“Well, you’ll be dressed for the occasion.”

“That’s the idea.” She patted her purse. “And I always keep a spare pouch of silver coins, just in case. Wouldn’t want to go to all this trouble and end up a lady’s maid.”

I could imagine worse things, but I bit my tongue. “Good luck with the time travel,” I said, and continued inside. I wasn’t sure what was so enticing about a time period when women weren’t allowed to vote, required escorts in public, and lost their autonomy upon marriage, but maybe that was just me.

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