Page 16 of Booked for Murder

While I succeeded at keeping my expression somewhat neutral, my boss succumbed to his need to stare up at the ceiling, likely praying for mercy or patience—or both. “Let’s say you have a research project you wish to do involving a branch of magic, and you need information on the highest ratings. A librarian like Miss Asurella would be unable to give you a thorough answer due to her inability to experience magic at that level.”

“Why would I want her to tell me the information rather than point me in the right direction of where to find the information?” my ex-boss countered, focusing on Mr. Tawnlen.

I recognized the moment Bradley forgot his primary purpose and decided to ignore his common sense in order to beat a rival at a debate. Had I been the same woman in his employ, I might’ve cleared my throat to remind him he needed to stay on subject.

As I wasn’t that woman, I brushed my cat and observed with interest. Over the years, Bradley had matured in appearance, losing his boyish charms for a more lethal presence, transcending handsome and moving straight into a new category, one destined to trash my peace of mind.

Most women didn’t like men with softer edges, but I did.

Sometimes, life wasn’t fair.

“That depends entirely on if you need to spend hours of your time researching something a well-trained librarian can tell you in a matter of minutes. A librarian with the appropriate rating will understand the nuances of your request.”

“So, if I wanted to research lower ratings, I would then seek out a librarian with a lower rating?”

“Precisely. It’s efficient having a range of ratings on every shift, as it ensures our patrons receive the best service possible. Our branch, in particular, has strict requirements for ratings because so many use our building for political research. Our archives reflect how our patrons tend to use our library. We’re in a good location.”

“You’re near the Met, you’re small enough not to draw too much attention, and you tend to have the correct material,” Bradley replied, scowling but nodding in a concession of my boss’s point. “So, if I wished to make the best use of Miss Asurella, what would I research?”

Uh oh. The last thing I needed was Bradley paying attention to me in any sense, especially professionally. I’d already jumped one hurdle with my rating paperwork, as an hour was the upper limits he assumed I could, in my prime, last during an evaluation.

“Outside of adept magic, Miss Asurella has a very robust base education with a strong familiarity of the library’s material. She’s the librarian you would go to for any form of generalized research.”

“And how might I go about making use of her?”

My boss raised a brow. “Come to the library once we reopen, see if she’s on shift, and ask your questions. We don’t do private sessions with our librarians unlike the main branch; we’re simply too small. If you need a dedicated librarian, you’ll have to go to the main branch or one of the other branches with that service.”

“Interesting.”

The police officer, who seemed too young to be as tired as he appeared, cleared his throat. “Mr. Hampton, is her documentation sufficient?”

“It’s sufficient. It’s a certified copy with extended testing times, so the rating should be accurate.” The light emphasis on ‘should’ worried me, although I kept brushing my cat and maintained my mild interest in the presence of an adept in my apartment.

I needed more than coffee. I needed to go back to bed for a few hours. Then, because my life could get worse, the alarm in my bedroom went off. Sighing, I dislodged Ajani, earning a hiss over my cruel treatment, and I lurched to my feet. Making the short hike to my bedroom without limping exhausted me, but I managed, and I spat a few curses at my alarm clock before silencing it, which earned a chuckle from my boss.

“I’m sorry for waking you early, Janette. Unless there’s anything else, I’ll leave you to your morning coffee routine.”

“That’s all we need,” the cop announced.

I grabbed my phone off my nightstand and walked into my living room, struggling with the interface until I sighed, gave up, and held it out to my boss. “I’d tell you my number, but I don’t know it and have no idea where to find it in this damned thing.”

Bradley raised a brow.

My boss took the phone, tapped the screen, and put his number in the contacts before handing it back to me. “There. It’s added. Try not to break it.”

“With how much I paid for this thing? It’s going to be babied almost as much as Ajani.”

“Is it possible to baby anything as much as you do that cat?” My boss chuckled and shook his head. “Will you be coming by the branch today?”

“No. I need to talk to the contractors about the renovation project. I might be by tomorrow to take pictures for them to start getting an accurate estimate, but they’ll need to come in to take measurements once the building is open.”

The skeptical glance my boss shot at the cop warned me it might be a while before the building reopened enough for me to get the contractors in. I waited, placing my phone on the coffee table and returning to the couch to pet my fluffy goddess.

Finally, Mr. Tawnlen heaved a sigh. “It may be a while. The investigation is moving a great deal slower than I anticipated it would. I had hoped once the body and blood were removed, we could reopen. That does not seem to be the case.”

“With so many potential suspects having frequented the library, it takes a great deal of time to look over every inch of the place,” Bradley replied.

Something about his tone caught my attention, and before I could rein in my mouth, I asked, “Every inch?”