Page 68 of Booked for Theft

“Did they have help running around?”

Ajani would do sketchy things for some time with the laser pointer.

“I absolutely did encourage them. I decided to take a mental health day after getting back from lunch. It did me a world of good. I got bored enough I actually want to see about furthering my empire so I can buy you more books. As I’ve determined you love antique fiction books, I logged into your computer and bought every single one I could get my hands on before I went to play the piano. I managed to locate five hundred titles online, so they’re all legal fare.”

Legal reading material from the distant past would be an entertaining endeavor, and I wondered what we might discover that the government hadn’t censored. The longer I thought about it, the more I wanted to know about who censored what and why.

Knowledge would prove our greatest weapon and our deadliest enemy. Unless we ferreted out the right information, we had no chance of besting our adversary. The clues Senator Thaddens had left behind might be our salvation.

It might also, if we failed to put everything together properly, prove to be our undoing.

If we screwed anything up, I had no doubt the government would make us disappear. The only questions would be where, when, and how.

Once in the dining room, I sat and went to work unwrapping the books. The first was Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, a title I recognized from the censorship list from the library. Copies still existed, but they came few and far between.

Most paper copies of the title had been destroyed sometime during the transition from AD to MR. I whistled, my eyes wide. “Did you know it’s a felony to have a digital copy of this book, Bradley?”

He shook his head. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“It’s a dystopian novel, the sort of fiction that authors concocted, often born from conspiracy theories, about governments and societies gone horrifically wrong. I’ve always wanted to read the books on the censor list. The library’s list seemed like the ultimate guide to interesting titles, and this one seemed particularly interesting. There aren’t many fiction books that are felonies to possess digital copies.”

“Not print copies?”

I shook my head. “The felony list is only for digital copies. They’re easy to mass produce, and most books from this era are ancient—at least four hundred years old ancient. I’ll have to look when they made having these books a felony. I just recognize them from the list. I’m now required to check the list before making any purchases.”

I loved acquisitions, but the banned book list would drive me insane.

My thoughts led me back to the politician I’d spent lunch with. Where had Representative Forsythe gotten the book? Why would he put it in my hands? “This is priceless, Bradley.”

“Are you sure having that isn’t a felony?”

“It’s only a felony if I reproduce, transmit, photograph, or digitize it in any fashion. It’s also a felony to sell it. But it’s not a felony to own it or give it away,” I assured him. Placing the book on the paper, I went to my office to retrieve my book gloves, grabbing a pair for Bradley, too. Once my hands were appropriately covered, I gingerly opened the book, amazed the binding had survived through the centuries.

Representative Forsythe had tucked a note into the front of the book, which informed me that Brave New World had planted dark seeds in a madman’s mind, and that I might learn something if I took the time to read the book.

I handed over the note. “Make sure that gets put into the wall, please.”

He read over the note, nodded, and set the paper aside. “Perhaps you should check through the book for any additional notes.”

I did as told but found nothing. “It seems he expects me to read and use my brain. I do not mind this assignment. I’ll read it on Thursday night.” I checked the back of the book, reading the summary. “Oh. It’s about a perfect society where everyone has a set position and role in life. It claims that happiness is a priority but it comes at the cost of many things.” The ending of the description captured my attention. “It seems to be a fictional exploration of the human condition.”

“That’s what the government is aiming to do—to create what they feel is the perfect society. That’s quite unsettling, and I can understand why it might be a felony to spread the book around. It might make people think about what is going on.”

I nodded my agreement, set the book aside, and picked up the next title, which was much thinner in comparison. Tearing off the paper, I revealed a copy of a book called Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Much like Brave New World, the book had a spot on the government’s list of literary felonies.

I’d never understood why.

I flipped it over and checked the summary, and it didn’t take me long to figure out how such a title might spark fear in tyrants and dictators. In the story, a ten year old girl became critical to rescue thousands of Jewish people, smuggling them out of Denmark so they could escape to Sweden, dodging death at the hands of a tyrannical dictator.

The government had been unable to erase World War II, but they’d done their best to curtail the horror and blind people to what our government did.

Such books could plant seeds—the kind of seeds that resisted corrupt governments. With wide eyes, I handed the book over to Bradley, who put on the gloves before taking it.

After reading the description, he whistled. “I think I’ll read this one while you tackle Brave New World, then we’ll switch.”

“That sounds like a plan. Check it for notes while I open the last one.”

I tore off the paper to reveal a copy of Schindler’s Ark by Thomas Keneally. Puzzled, I grabbed my phone, checked the acquisitions list, and found a book of a similar title and same author. Like Brave New World, Schindler’s List had an entry on the felony list.