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That’s all it takes to send me into the most restful sleep I’ve had in weeks.
CHAPTER 15
MYLO
Story hour with Uma Sinner is a smashing success. The kids bounce and cheer with each turn of the page, and she nurtures their excitement with an endless well of her own.
Though we have received some complaints via email from Sudbury residents who don’t seem to understand what drag performers do, and there was that one incident of graffiti sprayed on our front windows. Overall, the townsfolk here seem extremely pleased, and that’s all that matters to me.
After Councilman Grady denied my request to have security cameras installed around the exterior of the building, I paid to have them installed myself, so I don’t anticipate any further property damage. None where we’ll be unable to identify the source, anyway.
As Uma picks up another short book to read, I pull out the calendar to see how soon Uma is able to return, but activity in the parking lot catches my eye. Officer Burton, along with three other officers, burst through the front door.
“I’m sorry, folks, but we’re shutting down this event,” he says, addressing the parents whose mouths all hang open in shared confusion.
I step forward, trying to remain calm despite how uneasy I feel in his presence. “Officer Burton, I–”
“This isn’t your call, Monroe,” he replies, disdain thick in his tone when he says my last name. “We’ve gotten several calls at the station from concerned citizens, and I can’t allow this atrocious display to continue any longer. Not in front of our kids.”
I’m not following. “What display are you referring to?”
He gestures to Uma, who looks unsurprised, but I can see the hurt in her gaze as she closes the book she’s holding and drops it in her lap.
It seems his problem with this event is similar to the emails we’ve received. It is such foolishness and a complete waste of energy to hate someone simply because of who they are. But there seems to be a significant level of vitriol for drag queens in general.
I refuse to accept it. “This is story hour, Officer Burton. We did not collect the children of Sudbury at their homes and force them to attend,” I explain. “Their parents are here with them because they knew this would be a fun afternoon.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Charlie slowly receding into the crowd and heading to the back of the library as if trying to hide. I find it slightly odd, but again, I don’t blame her. I make a note to myself to ask her about it later, though.
Officer Burton shrugs as he rests his hand on the pistol in his belt. “Don’t care. The people of Sudbury know the world would be a better place without these kinds of people, and that’s who I serve.”
Wow, he’s not even trying to hide his prejudice. “I see,” I tell him, seething now. “So you serve only a handful of people in this town, and those people share the same disgusting, idiotic, and blatantly hateful views as you. Is that what you’re telling us?”
He smirks as he unbuttons the strap that keeps the gun in his holster, then steps toward the table I’ve covered with my favorite romance novels. His beady eyes scan the covers and widen when he reaches for a book with two men on the cover. “See this?” he says, holding the book up for everyone. “I can tell just by looking at this book that it contains sexually explicit content, and it’s right where any child can grab it.”
I roll my eyes at his weak attempt to question the way I run the library. “The bottom of the sign says these books are best suited for those eighteen and older.”
“This,” he says, shaking the book, “is offensive and disrespects the traditional values held by the majority of Sudbury residents.”
“The majority, really?” I question. If I were to ask for data on how many people in the town have a problem with a gay romance novel in the library, I would guess that no more than six people would protest its presence. This is utterly ridiculous.
He starts looking through the rest of the books on the table, pushing books aside as he goes. Several land on the floor, and I hear more than one tiny child gasp.
The other officers join in, knocking books off display tables and shelves in such a destructive manner that I will be amazed if none of the spines are dented by their search.
“We’ll need to shut this place down until we can have every book in this facility evaluated by city council,” Burton says with a sneer.
Anger rises like a tidal wave inside my gut. “You plan to go through every book in the building? That would take months.”
“Maybe even longer,” Burton says, smirking. “The council is far too busy with other, more pressing business to dedicate much time to this. And I’m sorry to inform you, but the library’s needs are at the bottom of their list of priorities.”
Oh, I am well aware of that, given I still have not even met Councilman Grady. He seems to have enough time on his hands to deny my requests, however. “You cannot do that.”
My draxilio growls low enough that no one else can hear it, but it’s enough to let me know how eager he is to be released and melt the skin off Burton’s face.
“I can, actually,” Burton says, tossing the gay romance novel back onto the messy pile of books that was a beautiful display only moments ago. Two of the younger officers stand on both sides of the front door, holding it open. “Time to go, folks,” Burton says, waving them toward the door. “Thanks for your cooperation.”
The parents, looking shocked and angry, ultimately follow Burton’s command, picking up their kids and heading into the parking lot.
