father. She examined each one meticulously, asking herself:
What brand of shoes is he wearing? What shirt logo is that? What type of sunglasses is he wearing in that sports car?
She answered herself aloud, "The best. The absolute best"
Kate looked down at the floorboards, as if she had X-ray vision. She looked for June, her invalid mother, rummaging around somewhere for her lost keys. She pronounced her, "The worst. The absolute worst." She scooped up the photos of the dapper Charley Peters and whispered to him, "I don't blame you for leaving. I'd have left her, too."
Kate stacked the photos into a shoe box, slid it under her bed, and went downstairs. She waited silently in the vestibule until June emerged, wearing a faded housedress, with the long-lost keys now clutched in her hand.
June then drove Kate to Molly's for dinner. On the way, Kate halfheartedly asked, "Tell me why I can't sleep over again."
"You need to be at home, Kate, every night. I need to know that you are safe."
"I'll be safe at Molly's. Her grandmother is there."
"But I won't be there, so it's no."
"So this is all about you?"
"Yes, I suppose it is," June admitted.
Kate gave up quicker than usual. She wasn't really interested in making June feel bad tonight. She was much more interested in speaking to Mrs. Brennan.
Molly let Kate in and started upstairs, as if they would hole up in her room as usual. But Kate told her right away, "No. I need to talk to your grandmother tonight about the Whittaker Library. Is that okay with you?"
"Will it be creepy?"
"Very creepy."
"Cool. She's in the kitchen, making dinner."
Upon seeing Kate, Mrs. Brennan set down her stirring spoon and gave her a hug.
Molly said, "Kate actually wants to talk to you tonight, Grandmom."
Mrs. Brennan laughed. "Oh? I'm flattered. Come sit at the table, both of you, while I finish this sauce."
Kate got right to the subject. "Mrs. Brennan, what did you do at the Whittaker Library?"
Mrs. Brennan handed a short stack of plates to Molly. She answered with a tinge of surprise, as if Kate should have known. "I was the director of Library Services for King's County, my dear, for many years."
"And, if I may ask, what do you do now?"
"Of course you may ask. I don't think that's being nosy." Mrs. Brennan shot a withering glance at Molly. "I am the curator of the King's County Historical Society."
"Is that like your old library job?"
"No, dear. Not at all. It's a much smaller job. It's a nonprofit organization. I'm the only paid employee."
Kate bit her Up. "Well, then, if your library job was bigger and you were the boss and everything, why did you leave?"
"That's a long story."
"I would like to hear it. I would like to hear anything that you would like to say about the Whittaker Library."
Mrs. Brennan grew quiet, so Kate did, too.
Once they were seated at the table and eating, though, Mrs. Brennan started talking. "I assume you have met Mrs. Hodges."
Kate gagged involuntarily.
"I see that you have. Well, when I was there, I suspected she was using a razor to cut pages out of the children's books."
Molly laughed. "Why would she do that? Was she, like, into vandalism or something?"
"No, quite the opposite. She believed she was protecting the children from demonic influences."
This sent a shudder down Kate's spine. "Wow. And is there a Mr. Hodges?"
"There was one. He died. Right there in the library."
Kate and Molly both leaned forward. "How?"
Mrs. Brennan leaned forward, too. "No one knows for sure. The coroner claimed that he electrocuted himself."
"But you have doubts?" Kate said.
"Everyone but the coroner had doubts."
"Was this Mr. Hodges a librarian?"
"No, dear, he was a minister, from a church that no one had ever heard of. He was hired to investigate some incidents in the library about ten years ago."
"So the weird things began with him? With Mr. Hodges, about ten years ago?"
"Oh, heavens no! I believe he was brought in, by Cornell Whittaker Number Two, to
What brand of shoes is he wearing? What shirt logo is that? What type of sunglasses is he wearing in that sports car?
She answered herself aloud, "The best. The absolute best"
Kate looked down at the floorboards, as if she had X-ray vision. She looked for June, her invalid mother, rummaging around somewhere for her lost keys. She pronounced her, "The worst. The absolute worst." She scooped up the photos of the dapper Charley Peters and whispered to him, "I don't blame you for leaving. I'd have left her, too."
Kate stacked the photos into a shoe box, slid it under her bed, and went downstairs. She waited silently in the vestibule until June emerged, wearing a faded housedress, with the long-lost keys now clutched in her hand.
June then drove Kate to Molly's for dinner. On the way, Kate halfheartedly asked, "Tell me why I can't sleep over again."
"You need to be at home, Kate, every night. I need to know that you are safe."
"I'll be safe at Molly's. Her grandmother is there."
"But I won't be there, so it's no."
"So this is all about you?"
"Yes, I suppose it is," June admitted.
Kate gave up quicker than usual. She wasn't really interested in making June feel bad tonight. She was much more interested in speaking to Mrs. Brennan.
Molly let Kate in and started upstairs, as if they would hole up in her room as usual. But Kate told her right away, "No. I need to talk to your grandmother tonight about the Whittaker Library. Is that okay with you?"
"Will it be creepy?"
"Very creepy."
"Cool. She's in the kitchen, making dinner."
Upon seeing Kate, Mrs. Brennan set down her stirring spoon and gave her a hug.
Molly said, "Kate actually wants to talk to you tonight, Grandmom."
Mrs. Brennan laughed. "Oh? I'm flattered. Come sit at the table, both of you, while I finish this sauce."
Kate got right to the subject. "Mrs. Brennan, what did you do at the Whittaker Library?"
Mrs. Brennan handed a short stack of plates to Molly. She answered with a tinge of surprise, as if Kate should have known. "I was the director of Library Services for King's County, my dear, for many years."
"And, if I may ask, what do you do now?"
"Of course you may ask. I don't think that's being nosy." Mrs. Brennan shot a withering glance at Molly. "I am the curator of the King's County Historical Society."
"Is that like your old library job?"
"No, dear. Not at all. It's a much smaller job. It's a nonprofit organization. I'm the only paid employee."
Kate bit her Up. "Well, then, if your library job was bigger and you were the boss and everything, why did you leave?"
"That's a long story."
"I would like to hear it. I would like to hear anything that you would like to say about the Whittaker Library."
Mrs. Brennan grew quiet, so Kate did, too.
Once they were seated at the table and eating, though, Mrs. Brennan started talking. "I assume you have met Mrs. Hodges."
Kate gagged involuntarily.
"I see that you have. Well, when I was there, I suspected she was using a razor to cut pages out of the children's books."
Molly laughed. "Why would she do that? Was she, like, into vandalism or something?"
"No, quite the opposite. She believed she was protecting the children from demonic influences."
This sent a shudder down Kate's spine. "Wow. And is there a Mr. Hodges?"
"There was one. He died. Right there in the library."
Kate and Molly both leaned forward. "How?"
Mrs. Brennan leaned forward, too. "No one knows for sure. The coroner claimed that he electrocuted himself."
"But you have doubts?" Kate said.
"Everyone but the coroner had doubts."
"Was this Mr. Hodges a librarian?"
"No, dear, he was a minister, from a church that no one had ever heard of. He was hired to investigate some incidents in the library about ten years ago."
"So the weird things began with him? With Mr. Hodges, about ten years ago?"
"Oh, heavens no! I believe he was brought in, by Cornell Whittaker Number Two, to
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