way into the library’s main reading room. She walked slowly as she tried to hear things. Libraries were normally quiet to begin with, so this was probably an exercise in futility, she told herself as she walked around the seating area. She was nervous, her hands twitching as she concentrated on two students sitting together at a table. She almost tripped on the blue carpet when she heard one of the two students’ thoughts. Man, how can I study after last night? She was so hot I thought I was going to go up in smoke. Lucy clapped her hands over her ears as she pressed forward.
As she meandered around, she heard words, some clear, some muffled. She heard a reference to a washing machine, a thought about a grade that was unacceptable. A whole jumble of words suddenly seemed to come from all directions. The Chinese fire drill again. She turned and rushed to the front of the library. As she passed the librarian, she heard the librarian arguing with herself about whether to tell her husband she was pregnant or wait another month. Lucy wanted to tell her to tell him now but she didn’t. Instead, she slammed through the doors and saw Wylie waiting in front of the building. He took her hand and guided her across the parking area to the Land Rover. After she helped him clear the snow from the front and back windshields, she hopped into the truck, buckled up and proceeded to tell him what she’d heard. When he laughed, Lucy grimaced. “I bet I could get a job in a circus with this…new talent of mine.”
Wylie laughed again but he reached over to pat her hand. It felt so comforting. Lucy relaxed immediately.
“Jake can interpret all this for us. I don’t understand it any more than you do. He’s a real force in his own field, so let’s leave it to the experts. You feeling okay?” Wylie asked anxiously.
“Yes, I feel fine. My head is quiet now. When we were clearing the snow away, I had the feeling that the snow was buffering my thoughts. Does that make sense?”
Wylie shrugged. “Listen, Lucy, I don’t want you to get upset, but I called Jake last night after you went to sleep. I really called him just to talk. He volunteered to come here. I swear to you, I didn’t ask him. He’ll be here tomorrow. And, he’s staying through Thanksgiving. His wife and kids went to Minnesota because his mother-in-law broke her hip and Jane wants to be with her mother. I couldn’t say no. If you don’t want to talk to him, that’s okay. He’s going to be staying with me. I’m just trying to help, Lucy.”
Lucy smiled. “I know that, Wylie. It’s okay. The feds are coming back tomorrow. Up till now it’s been a mind game with them. Tomorrow they’re going to bring out their big guns. It might be a good thing if your friend is here. You can both sit in on the meeting.”
“With this new…ah…power of yours, you are now the eight-hundred-pound gorilla. Think about that, Lucy.”
5
Lucy woke up to a quiet white world. As she looked out at the yard, which was covered in a blinding pristine whiteness, she remembered that Wylie had taken the dogs when he’d left last night so they could play in the snow.
She wondered if the FBI agents would still come today. Were they like the mailmen, undeterred by sleet, snow, or rain? Thinking about them set her stomach to roiling with fear again. How could I have been so utterly stupid where Jonathan was concerned? Because when you were working eighty hours a week having a fiancé in absentia suited you just fine.
Twenty minutes later, Lucy was in the kitchen, whipping up pancake batter and frying bacon, while coffee dripped into the pot. She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a thwamp, thwamp sound at the sliding glass doors. She burst out laughing when she went to the door to see Coop and Sadie, covered in snow from head to foot. Obviously, they’d tunneled from yard to yard and come up through the snow. They barreled through the house to the front door just as the
As she meandered around, she heard words, some clear, some muffled. She heard a reference to a washing machine, a thought about a grade that was unacceptable. A whole jumble of words suddenly seemed to come from all directions. The Chinese fire drill again. She turned and rushed to the front of the library. As she passed the librarian, she heard the librarian arguing with herself about whether to tell her husband she was pregnant or wait another month. Lucy wanted to tell her to tell him now but she didn’t. Instead, she slammed through the doors and saw Wylie waiting in front of the building. He took her hand and guided her across the parking area to the Land Rover. After she helped him clear the snow from the front and back windshields, she hopped into the truck, buckled up and proceeded to tell him what she’d heard. When he laughed, Lucy grimaced. “I bet I could get a job in a circus with this…new talent of mine.”
Wylie laughed again but he reached over to pat her hand. It felt so comforting. Lucy relaxed immediately.
“Jake can interpret all this for us. I don’t understand it any more than you do. He’s a real force in his own field, so let’s leave it to the experts. You feeling okay?” Wylie asked anxiously.
“Yes, I feel fine. My head is quiet now. When we were clearing the snow away, I had the feeling that the snow was buffering my thoughts. Does that make sense?”
Wylie shrugged. “Listen, Lucy, I don’t want you to get upset, but I called Jake last night after you went to sleep. I really called him just to talk. He volunteered to come here. I swear to you, I didn’t ask him. He’ll be here tomorrow. And, he’s staying through Thanksgiving. His wife and kids went to Minnesota because his mother-in-law broke her hip and Jane wants to be with her mother. I couldn’t say no. If you don’t want to talk to him, that’s okay. He’s going to be staying with me. I’m just trying to help, Lucy.”
Lucy smiled. “I know that, Wylie. It’s okay. The feds are coming back tomorrow. Up till now it’s been a mind game with them. Tomorrow they’re going to bring out their big guns. It might be a good thing if your friend is here. You can both sit in on the meeting.”
“With this new…ah…power of yours, you are now the eight-hundred-pound gorilla. Think about that, Lucy.”
5
Lucy woke up to a quiet white world. As she looked out at the yard, which was covered in a blinding pristine whiteness, she remembered that Wylie had taken the dogs when he’d left last night so they could play in the snow.
She wondered if the FBI agents would still come today. Were they like the mailmen, undeterred by sleet, snow, or rain? Thinking about them set her stomach to roiling with fear again. How could I have been so utterly stupid where Jonathan was concerned? Because when you were working eighty hours a week having a fiancé in absentia suited you just fine.
Twenty minutes later, Lucy was in the kitchen, whipping up pancake batter and frying bacon, while coffee dripped into the pot. She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a thwamp, thwamp sound at the sliding glass doors. She burst out laughing when she went to the door to see Coop and Sadie, covered in snow from head to foot. Obviously, they’d tunneled from yard to yard and come up through the snow. They barreled through the house to the front door just as the
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