Murder In Her Dreams by Nell DuVall Page A

flashed her friend a smile, and
Tula returned it.
    The bell at the front rang, and Tula hurried
off. Cassie finished lunch and decided to learn all she could about
rabbits. Somewhere, somehow, she would find the answer to the
creature. She left the Tea Room with renewed energy and
determination.
    Back at her desk in the library, she found
the list she had prepared the day before and remembered the Book
Selection Committee that afternoon. She sighed. The rabbit would
have to wait. She checked Kidlit for messages. Answers had come
back from the Barrington Public Library in Maine and Chilton
Library in Lexington.
     
    I read and loved The Barnyard Seer and can
heartily recommend it. I’m looking forward to Mannus’ next book and
further adventures of Henriette. Do buy it. The kids will love it.
Nancy
     
    I’m not into fortune-telling, and small
children may be disturbed by the death of Jean Le Coq, the rooster.
The illustrations are the best part of this silly book.
Jennifer
     
    Well so much for Kidlit. More uncertainty.
Why couldn’t things ever be simple? She reread the messages and
erased the question mark next to Mannus. Nancy’s response struck
the right note. She didn’t like the tone of Jennifer’s answer at
all.
    Cassie stored Nancy’s email address in case
she wanted to contact her later. As she looked at her watch, she
realized she still had time before the book selection meeting to
look up rabbits.
    After checking the catalog for books on
rabbits, she went to the shelves. She glanced through several books
and kept the most promising ones. These she carried back to the
Reference Desk to read while she worked.
    Until three, only homemakers and retirees
occupied the library. Usually after lunch, a lull fell on the
readers, a few even nodded off to sleep. After three, the schools
let out and the kids flocked in to work on homework or just
socialize. Once they arrived, Cassie had to spend as much time on
discipline as she did answering questions. Until then, she intended
to learn as much as she could about rabbits.
    Cassie read and made notes from
encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other books. She checked entries
under rabbit, hare, Leporidae, and Lagomorpha. With Easter coming
up, someone would be looking into rabbits so she might as well save
them the work. The department could always use an annotated,
mini-bibliography on rabbits and the lore associated with them.
    The mythological importance of rabbits
surprised her, but none of the myths made much sense nor could she
see how they applied to the black rabbit. Maybe Tula would see
something she had missed. Besides, since she hadn’t known this much
about rabbits before, she failed to see how her subconscious could
use this information to communicate anything meaningful. She shoved
the notes into her purse to discuss with Tula later.
    Jimmy’s word puzzles made a lot more sense
than all this jumble from natural history, scientific facts, and
mythology. The data only confused her more.
    She picked up the books and reshelved them.
None of the information provided any insight on how to deal with
Ian McLeod. Her stomach knotted again as she remembered her promise
to Tula to visit him.
    She didn’t want to face him and tell him
about the dreams. He would react just as Rod had. He wouldn’t
believe her.
    Then what? Would he haunt her dreams if she
didn’t go or worse might he be killed? She didn’t want that either.
She couldn’t stand another death.
    At least her dream implied he had read her
note, but ignored it. Why? Surely if what she sensed about him had
any basis in reality, he should be aware of the menace surrounding
him. He shouldn’t need her warning.
    She sighed. Tula’s reminder of the
responsibility she carried as a dreamer pricked her.
Responsibility. No matter how she twisted and turned, she couldn’t
run away from that. It stuck to her like a sandburr. She couldn’t
escape her dreams.
    Blast. She would confront Ian McLeod tomorrow
and end it.