Page 2

Normally, I tried to get her to talk more because even though I’d been in Heathwick for over a year now, I still smiled when I heard the accent. Lucky for me, it was around me all day, but I liked Annabelle’s in particular. It sounded like she was singing and didn’t sound like anything I’d heard anywhere else. Lots of people in Heathwick had an unusual mix of old English and Washingtonian, but none sounded quite like her.

“Must be my imagination then, but I thought I heard someone sighing.”

It was my last day of work for the week, so maybe I was just tired. My job at the library reference desk was a dream, but it was stressful with students coming in from multiple universities, looking for reference and research materials during an eight-hour shift. The only time I sat down or had a moment to myself was during my lunch break.

Speaking of that, I took a quick peek in my bag that I’d stowed underneath the desk. Sir Theo was still there, safe and sound, and no police officers had come knocking on the metaphorical door asking me if I had taken him from the museum. If they did, I wouldn’t lie, but I would let them know I had rescued him. Either way, it wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have with the police.

“Are you finished? We can lock up and be ready to go.”

“Oh no, I’ve still got to put all this reference back. You know how upset Ian gets if it’s not perfect when he gets here in the morning.” I waved my hand in the general direction of the reference material that needed to go back into the stacks. “Got another thirty minutes or so.”

“I don’t mind waiting,” Annabelle offered.

She looked so sweet and sincere that I almost said yes, but I knew she had a long bus ride home, and it was raining. If she missed the next bus, it would be at least thirty minutes before another came along.

“Don’t be silly. I’ll be fine. If I hear things, that just means I have company.”

I gave her my best and brightest smile, which she returned before gathering her things and rushing out the door. With her gone, the library, with its seemingly ancient stone walls and wooden bookcases, settled into a quiet peace. I didn’t hear anything anymore, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being watched. The soaring ceiling and stone statues along the upper ledge seemed to glare down at me, wishing I’d hurry up so they could get on with their evening.

“Don’t worry, guys. I’m going as quick as I can, and then you’ll have the place to yourselves.”

I tried to sound casual when I spoke, but the thread of uneasiness was easy to hear. Maybe I should’ve read that placard in front of Sir Theo’s pedestal a little closer because it definitely felt like something was off tonight, and that was the only thing that had changed.

I decided to hurry up so I could get out of there. I threw everything onto my cart and headed for the stacks. I tried to work as quickly as humanly possible, but it wasn’t fast enough to shake the feeling. The statues’ eyes followed me wherever I went. Considering I worked in an old church-turned-library that was several hundred years old, I shouldn’t be surprised by a ghost or two floating around. What did surprise me was how obvious they were being tonight. They’d never bothered me before, and I couldn’t say I liked it very much. It was unsettling and new.

“Oh for God’s sake.”

The voice was raspy but somehow smooth. It sounded a little rusty, as if it hadn’t been used in a while, but it was distinct and clear, and it wasn’t inside my head.

“Who said that?”

Silence was my only answer, which didn’t make me feel better. I shoved the cart off to the side so no one would complain in the morning when they tripped over it coming around a corner. Ian would get over the unshelved books. I’d tell him I’d been sick or something if he complained. I hurried back to the counter to grab my things, including Sir Theo. If a ghost was taking over the library, I wasn’t going to leave him behind.

With all of my belongings gathered, including Sir Theo carefully protected inside my satchel, I headed out the door, locking the oak door behind me and setting the alarm. Lucky for me, my bus stop was close. Within thirty minutes of leaving the library, I was opening the door into my own house. The hallway was pitch black, like always, and I hurried into the living room to switch on a lamp.

“Hello, little thief.”

TWO

ALASTAIR

“Utterly ridiculous.”

My evening should not have been spent waiting for this thief to return to his apartment so I could properly explain why stealing from me was a poor life choice. This man went nowhere quickly.

“I’m ridiculous?”

The tinge of outrage was overlaid with sadness, and I was immediately contrite. It didn’t change my opinion, but I shouldn’t have said it. The man was stealing stuffed animals from a museum, which had to tell me something. Exactly what that was had yet to be determined.

“Never mind. Thank you for the return of my relic,” I said calmly.

“Relic? I don’t know anything about that.”

The librarian’s eyes darted downward as he lied straight to my face. His fingers twitched as he clutched his satchel, which had a suspicious bulge in a poor facsimile of my artifact.

“Are you telling me that if I look in the bag you are clutching to your chest like it holds all the treasure in the world, I won’t find a stolen stuffed bear? And before you answer, let me warn you”—I paused for effect, leaning closer—“I don’t like liars.”

“There might be a bear in there, but I didn’t steal it.”