It all sounds perfectly reasonable. But somehow, I have a nagging suspicion it will be easier said than done.
After I finish at the gym, I hop back into my truck and check my phone. There’s an email notification that my requested library loan is now available. I double-check the time, confirming thelibrary is still open for another thirty minutes.Fantastic. A new mystery is just what I need to keep my mind from wandering where it shouldn’t.
When I arrive, Holden is standing behind the circulation desk. He’s one of my oldest friends and the branch’s youngest librarian. He’s also a massive pain in the ass.
Spotting me, he lifts his head in greeting, then reaches beneath the counter to retrieve a hardcover novel.
“Connolly’s latest,” he says, grinning broadly when I’m standing in front of him. “I didn’t even put it out yet.”
I nod and reach for the book. But before I can grab hold, Holden slides it backward.
“You seem eager to read. I only emailed you an hour ago. Unless there’s some other reason you need a distraction.”
He’s got a weird expression on his face that’s making me uneasy. Like he knows something he shouldn’t. And I have a sneaking suspicion I know exactly what that something is. I need to get my book and get the hell out of here.
I dart out my hand again to grab it, but Holden slaps his palm down on the plastic-wrapped jacket.
“Thought you’d be busy today.” His lips stretch into a shit-eating grin, and I realize too late that I’ve walked straight into a trap. The walls of the North Pocono Public Library are closing in on me and there’s nowhere to run.How did I not see this coming?
“A little birdie told me you have a new client.”
“Is that so? Did this little birdie happen to have purple hair?”
“It’s violet, actually. Violet is a spectral color, meaning it’s a single wavelength of light found on the visible spectrum, whereas purple—”
“Just give me the damn book,” I grit out.
“So, Marissa Morganstern still gets to you,” he says, unable to mask his delight. “Although I guess she’s Marissa Morgan now? Inany case, you’ll have to read this one quickly if you’re going to recommend it. Do you need to borrow some notepaper?”
Jesus.There are two major problems with living in the small town you grew up in. The first is that everyone knows about the embarrassing things you did as a kid. And they’ll never let you live them down.
The second is that it’s impossible to keep a secret, because everyone knows everyone. Around here, hot news spreads like wildfire.
“You’re such an asshole,” I mutter.
He nods. “It’s true. My mom doomed me by choosing the wrong name. She should have picked a fictional character with stronger moral fiber, like Samwise or Jean Valjean.”
Holden’s mom, who loves books even more than I do, began working at this branch after Marissa’s grandmother retired. During summer breaks, Holden and I occasionally hung out here. That’s how I first met Marissa. And just my luck, Holden will never let me forget it.
Satisfied that he’s won the exchange, Holden slides the book across the counter.
“It’s due back in twenty-one days.”
“I’ll return it when I’m finished with it.” I swipe the book from the counter and head toward the exit.
“Twenty-one days!” Holden calls from behind the desk. “Or you will be fined! My duty’s to the law, Jesse!”
I’ll have the book back by the end of the week and we both know it. But it doesn’t stop me from slamming the door shut behind me.
9JESSE
TWENTY-THREE YEARS AGO
A hard crack of lightning breaks my concentration, spoiling my shot. On-screen, the rabbit I was hunting hops out of sight, dooming my family to another night without supper. Such is life on the Oregon Trail, I guess.
With a sigh, I click out of the computer game and glance out the library’s rain-splattered windows. Summer is not off to a great start. It’s been pouring all day and I’m starting to get bored. Holden’s mom promised to take us bowling after her shift, but the clock on the wall tells me we still have hours to go.
I pivot my attention to Holden, hoping he’ll be down for a game of cards. But based on his look of intense concentration, he’s still trying to figure out where in the world Carmen Sandiego is. Guess I’m on my own.
