“No one cares if you’re bisexual,” I said. “We just want to know why you’re in here.”
Farley glared at me. “Both sides means that I’m on Lattimer’s payroll, but I’m taking money from Jarek Heidelberg to sit this one out.”
I slapped a hand on the table. “Are you serious? I love that guy.” Who knew someone in a sweater vest could play hardball and win?
“Lattimer thinks you’ve been out tracking the tepen, but you’ve been hiding in here?” Sheriff Nash asked.
Farley smirked. “It’s a safe spot. I drink ale. Catch up on the latest entertainment news. I gotta tell you, Starry Hollow is a sweet little seaside town. I could see myself retiring here someday, kind of like York.”
“You don’t worry about getting caught?” I asked.
Farley grimaced. “Lionel would never come within five yards of a place like this. He’s too fancy.”
“And he just accepts failure each day?” I pressed. Lattimer didn’t strike me as someone who liked to lose.
Farley swigged his ale. “I wouldn’t say he accepts it, but he knows this is a tough gig. He gives me a hard time and threatens to fire me, but I know he won’t. I got too much dirt on him.”
My radar pinged. “You have dirt on Lattimer?”
The spriggan fixed his beady eyes on me. “How do you think we met? I burgled his house and got access to some interesting info.” Farley’s thin lips parted in a smug smile.
“Then why are you working for him instead of blackmailing him?” I asked. “If you have dirt on him, then you should be the one calling the shots, not the other way around.”
“Because getting on his payroll was the better long-term plan. I look legit to my parole officer. No one hassles me. It’s a nice setup.”
“But it is legit if you’re actually working for him,” I said.
He took a long drink of ale. “Does it look like I’m working to you?”
At least this meant there was little chance Lattimer would capture the tepen or the egg, not without the spriggan to explore the more challenging areas. I didn’t know much about the tepen, but the thought of the creature in Lattimer’s lab made my stomach curdle.
Sheriff Nash folded his hands on the table. “To your knowledge, did Lattimer have any interactions with Winston York other than their brief meeting on the beach?”
Farley eyed us suspiciously. “Why do you care about that?”
“For my article,” I said. “I’m trying to get a complete picture of the different players in the tepen game.”
Farley drew his sleeve across his mouth to wipe away the ring of ale. “No. Lionel was hoping to avoid him, so I knew he’d be in a foul mood after that beach meetup and he was.”
“Why did he hope to avoid York?” I asked.
“Because York is…was an icon and Lionel doesn’t want to be seen as on the outs with an international treasure. He cares too much about his brand.”
“Did you have any interactions with York?” I asked. Maybe the spriggan got caught trying to snag something that belonged to York and things took a deadly turn.
Farley grunted. “I didn’t even get within spitting distance. Thanks to my double paycheck, I’m treating this trip as a vacation.”
The sheriff and I exchanged satisfied glances. “Enjoy yourself,” I said.
“I’d enjoy myself a lot more with an attractive companion to keep me company.”
“That’s a sweet offer, Farley, but I’m not on the market.”
The spriggan didn’t miss a beat. “I wasn’t talking to you.”
Sheriff Nash cleared his throat. “Thanks for the chat, Farley. Glad that you’re keeping things legal, even if the ethics are a little sketchy.”
He vacated the booth first and I quickly followed.
“Feel free to check up on me again while I’m in town,” Farley called after us. “Anytime. Day or night. You know how to find me.”
Chapter Twelve
I sat in my car outside the sheriff’s office, listening to an 80s medley that I’d requested via the magic radio and trying to decide next steps. Sheriff Nash had been called to the scene of a minor fender bender and so I was left alone with my thoughts amidst the upbeat tempo of The Go-Go’s. I knew Raoul would disapprove of my attempts to brainstorm while simultaneously getting my 80s groove on, but I didn’t care. Music kept me sane in times of stress.
I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel in time to the music, thinking about York and the mysterious poison that killed him. Calla hadn’t been able to offer a viable alternative to tepen poison and I doubted the other members of the coven would be more helpful than the herbology expert. I needed to brainstorm. Where could I turn when I needed more information than what I had?
“Aha!” I pulled up my contacts and tapped the screen.
“Starry Hollow Library,” a pleasant voice said.
“Hey, Delphine. It’s Ember.”
“Ember, how are you?”
“Good. I could use a little research help. Are you busy right now?”
“No, as a matter of fact, we just finished story time with a preschool group and I’ve swept up the last of the crushed crackers.”
“Sounds like a real party. I’ll be right over.”
The library wasn’t far, so I took the opportunity to engage in physical exercise and walked over. If I was going to age, I was going to do it with great legs.
Delphine met me at the entrance with a friendly smile. “It’s so nice to see you, Ember.”
“Same. I see your boyfriend more than you nowadays.”
“I know. I’m a little jealous.”
“Of him or me?”
She laughed and hooked her arm through mine as she guided me into the library. “What are you working on? Something for Vox Populi?”
We stopped at the counter. “Yes, I’d like to see all the books that reference the tepen.”
The pretty witch offered a sympathetic smile. “Unfortunately, a few industrious residents have beat you to the best ones, but there are a couple still here that you might find useful.”
I fell in step beside her as we walked to the back of the main floor. “I guess everybody has tepen fever now.”
“Most of the borrowers were parents checking out the books for their children. Some of them pounce at every learning opportunity.”
I wasn’t the pouncing type of parent. Marley’s education was more of the child-led variety. I watched, impressed, as Delphine went straight to the correct section without hesitation.
“The Dewey decimal system is like your superpower.”
“That’s only the human world system, but thank you.” She came to a halt mid-row. “Here they are. I’d suggest the book by Zimmer. She’s more focused on facts, few that there are. The others are geared more toward the wonder of it all.” Delphine smiled. “I suspect you’re not here for the wonder.”
“Sadly, I don’t have the luxury of wondering today.”
Delphine tugged the book from the shelf and handed it to me. “Such a shame about Winston York. He was a real treasure.”
“Did you know him?” It hadn’t occurred to me to ask.
She nodded. “He didn’t like to come into the library, but he’d make requests and sometimes one of us would deliver the books to his house on our way home.”
“Now that’s what I call service.”
She clasped her hands in front of her. “I know it’s silly, but it made feel like I was part of his research team. Whenever he rang for a book, there was a scuffle as to which one of us would fulfill the request.”
I started paging through the book. “Did you like him?”
Delphine bit her lip. “What do you mean?”
“I mean did you find him pleasant or was he a giant wereass?”
She giggled. “He had a gruff demeanor at times. On the whole, I’d say he was pleasant enough. He had an insatiable appetite for knowledge that I appreciated.”
“When was the last time you saw him?” I sto
pped when I reached the chapter on the tepen where there was a full-page illustration of the rare creature. Its hawk head was a mixture of gray and black and its serpentine body was coated in additional flecks of green. Although it wasn’t a particularly beautiful specimen, I could see the appeal. The unique tepen couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. No wonder the situation here generated such buzz.
“I delivered a book to the house last week, although technically I didn’t see him. I left the book on the doorstep.”
“Which book?”
“Rare and Dangerous by Holden. Winston had his own personal copy, but his wife accidentally spilled tea all over it.” She tapped her fingers on a nearby shelf. “That reminds me. I should probably get the book back. I’ll wait a week or two though. Give her space.”
“Good idea.” As a widow myself, I knew the last thing on Mabel York’s mind was an overdue library book. It had taken me months to get my head on straight after Karl died. Overdue bills went to collections. I’d been too depressed to answer the phone so there was no chance of getting ensnared in a conversation with one of the collection agents. Honestly, if a well-meaning librarian had shown up at my door asking for a book, I probably would’ve punched her.
“Do you need anything else?” Delphine asked.
“Do you have any books on rare toxins?”
Delphine’s eyes shone with excitement. “As a matter of fact, we have an excellent one, but it’s a restricted item.”
“Restricted? So I can’t look at it?” What was the point?
“Oh, you can view it. You’re just not permitted to remove it from the library.”
“What’s with the restrictions? It’s not like the book actually contains the toxins, right?”
She snickered. “No, of course not. Sometimes if a book is rare or old, we require patrons to view it in the Reading Room under a special light to preserve the parchment. It’s contactless as well. I set up a spell that turns the pages for you so you don’t need to touch them.”
My phone vibrated and I looked to see an incoming call from the sheriff. “Good timing, Sheriff. I’m about to fall asleep in a dark room with a book I can’t touch. Care to join me?”
“You really know how to tempt a man. I’ll be right there.”
I laughed. “You don’t even know where I am, unless you put one of those trackers on me.”
“Then I guess you’ll need to enlighten me.”
“Library. I’ll be the girl with the book.”
“She sounds pretty. See you soon.”
“The sheriff too?” Delphine frowned. “I thought this was for an article.”
“Oh, it is,” I said quickly. “The sheriff wants to view the information from a public safety perspective.”
“Oh. What is it that you hope to learn?” she asked.
I shrugged. “It’s like porn. I’ll know it when I see it.”
She clutched her invisible pearls. “I wouldn’t know anything about that.”
And that’s why you weren’t a good match for Florian. Opposites might attract, but I wasn’t sure that dynamic made the best long-term relationship. Wren was a much better boyfriend for someone as sweet as Delphine.
“Why don’t we get set up in the Reading Room so you’re ready when the sheriff arrives?”
“Sounds good to me,” I said. I followed her to a small room a few doors down from her private office.
She switched on the light. “Have a seat and I’ll be right back.”
I checked text messages while I waited. There were two from Alec, including one with a screenshot of a line from his book that he thought was funny. I laughed, not because it was actually funny, but because he thought it was. I didn’t have the heart to tell him the truth so I typed ‘LOL’ and left it at that.
Delphine returned with a small box and set to work. She pulled out her wand and spelled off the lights, using the glowing tip of her wand to see.
The sheriff poked his head inside. “Hey, Delphine. Rose. I feel like I should’ve brought a bucket of popcorn.”
“No food in the library,” Delphine said, panicked.
Sheriff Nash held up his popcorn-free hands. “Just a joke, Delphine.”
“Right, of course. Well, it’s all set up. Ember, I’ll leave the tepen books at the counter for you.”
“Thanks, you’re the best.”
It was only once Delphine left the room that I felt an unexpected knot in my stomach. It seemed strangely intimate—the idea of being alone in a dark room with the sheriff. It’s the library, not a motel, I scolded myself.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” the sheriff asked.
“No. I really don’t,” I said, my mind still on the knot.
In the darkness, I sensed him looking at me. “We’re talking about the book, right?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
He scooted his chair closer. “And what is it that we’re looking at anyway?”
“A rare book about rare toxins. I’m hoping to find something that matches the symptoms of the tepen’s poison.” I hesitated. “I guess we don’t both need to read it.”
“Two sets of eyes are always better than one. One of us might notice something the other one misses. If you’re worried, I promise not to read over your shoulder. I know how much you hate that.”
Ugh, I really did hate that. “How can we see it together if you don’t read over my shoulder?”
“We can each take a turn reading a page,” he suggested.
“The problem is that one of us has to sit in silence while the other one reads. You know I won’t be very good at that.”
“What do you suggest then?” He was close enough that his soft breath caressed the curve of my neck and I shivered in response. This suddenly seemed like a bad idea.
“How about we alternate reading and anything relevant, we read out loud so the other one hears?”
He scratched the stubble on his chiseled jaw. “Sure. Let’s give it a try. Just promise not to mock me if I mispronounce anything.”
“As long as you don’t say ‘supposably’ or ‘liberry,’ we’re good.”
“Ladies first.” He motioned to the tray where the book was already open to the index page. The book rested beneath a transparent dome of magical energy.
I leaned over and scanned the index for relevant terms. “Turn to page 71.” The pages flipped until they reached the requested page. I skimmed the contents, searching for anything that might help us identify the mystery poison.
My pulse accelerated when I reached the middle paragraph. “Here’s something. A drop of poison from the vasuki demon serpent causes a similar condition to that of the tepen’s poison.”
“By condition, you mean dropping dead?”
“Well, that’s the final outcome, after the blue skin and lips. Despite the fact that they live on different continents, some experts believe they might be related.”
“Sounds like a possibility.”
“Except that monster is as rare as the tepen,” I said, continuing to scan the page. “It’s not like it would be an easy substitute for the killer.” I raised my hand to turn the page, forgetting about the magical dome. My hand smacked into the invisible force and I shook off the stab of pain.
“That’s a pretty bracelet,” the sheriff said. “A gift from someone special?”
“Yes, from my aunt to me,” I said with a laugh. “Not sure if she knows it yet though.”
“I won’t ask.”
I paused to admire the emerald. “Raoul thinks it’s going to fall off without me noticing and I’ll lose it, but so far, so good.”
“Jewelry looks good on you. You should wear more of it.” He reached out and tucked strands of my hair behind my ear. “Maybe a nice pair of earrings to match.”
I jumped to my feet in response to his touch, my heart hammering in my chest. “You know what? I have a million things to do today. Why don’t you read up on these rare toxins and see if anything matches the effects of tepen poison and
I’ll grab the other books from Delphine on my way out?”
“Rose, I didn’t mean…”
I started for the door, my palms sweating. “I’ll let you know if I find anything.” I stumbled out of the library, my head filled with competing thoughts, and tossed the books in my bag without a backward glance.
As I bolted from the library, I nearly barreled down a woman on the sidewalk, prompting a loud string of curses from her.
“Gods, I’m so sorry,” I said.
She glanced from her phone to me. “Oh, I wasn’t cursing at you. It’s my game that’s pissing me off.” Her straight blond hair brushed her shoulders and she wore a black hoodie with rainbow sparkles, Star Wars sneakers, and leggings covered in sharks with a large set of jaws nestled in an inappropriate place. I glanced down and realized that three cats were sprawled at her feet. A woman traveling with a cat entourage?
“You’re Amanda M’Leigh,” I said.
She ignored me, concentrating on her phone.
“Is everything okay?” I asked.
“I should ask you the same thing. You look ready to throw up a hairball. I’ll clean up theirs, but I won’t clean up yours.”
I regained my composure. “I’m fine, thanks.”
The banshee waved her phone at me. “Do you know how hard it is to catch this shiny?”
“Shiny what?”
She narrowed her eyes. “I can already tell we’re not going to get along.”
“I’m Ember Rose.” I thrust out my hand, but she ignored me and continued tapping on her screen.
“I can’t do pleasantries. If I don’t catch this sucker, I’m going to have a meltdown and, trust me, nobody wants that.”
“Can’t be worse than my aunt after she loses a game of parcheesi.” The icy look she gave me suggested I was dead wrong.
“Parcheesi sounds like a type of pasta.”
“Go ahead and catch your sparkly. I’ll wait.” I perched on the nearby stone wall and watched her finger circle round and round on the screen.
“Yes!” She pumped her fist in the air and tucked away her phone. “Mission accomplished. Now I can focus.”
“Is that Wizards Connect?”
Amanda grimaced. “Do I look like an amateur to you? Now how can I help you, Ember Rose? Is that your stripper name or your real name?”
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