by RJ Blain
In good news, the pre-coffee blur made it much easier to play stupid rather than panic over Bradley Hampton’s presence in my doorway. In better news, the pre-coffee blur made it impossible for me to comprehend why my boss, my ex-boss, and a cop had come calling before my alarm clock had gone off. With an amused smile, Mr. Tawnlen took my cat out of my arms, held her up, and kissed her nose before giving her back. “Sorry to wake you, but these fine gentlemen didn’t believe me when I said we normally swing by your place because you have an integral dislike of phones.”
I hugged Ajani, grateful she’d been amiable about my boss showering her with affection. As a sane woman with nothing to hide invited guests in, I took a step back, careful to keep from limping, and opened the door with my elbow so I wouldn’t upset my fluffy goddess. “Please, come in. I made the mistake of going to a store yesterday, where I was talked into acquiring a phone. I’ll give you the number. I just didn’t get home until late yesterday, so I didn’t swing by the library after I came back from the main branch. Apparently, I’ll need a cell to manage the renovations at our library. In good news, I got the approval for the building’s unused space. All of it.”
“All of it?” my boss blurted, his brows shooting up.
“A private donor wanted to see the historic buildings better used, and as ours always gets the short lot, we got the lion’s share. What can I do for you gentlemen? Is everyone all right, Mr. Tawnlen?”
“Everyone’s fine, although Mickey will be taking a few days off. The blood got to him.” My boss shrugged. “I won’t even lie, the blood got to us all, but those with hemophobia tend to take that sort of thing rather hard. As you’ve already worked one miracle, can you put in a good word to the main branch about footing the therapy bill? The building should be cleaned of the evidence by the end of the day, but the staff? They won’t be ready to go back to work by tomorrow.”
Beatrice would just love when I showed up in her office to explain the situation later in the morning. “I can do that, sir. What else do you need from me?”
“Mr. Hampton has offered his services to law enforcement, and part of the investigation requires all staff at the library to disclose their rating records. While I know you weren’t present and there were plenty of witnesses who knew where you were at the time of the murder, you’re still on the staff roster, so Mr. Hampton wanted to confirm your record.”
I bet. Stifling another yawn, I mentally prepared to hide my limp, which always bothered me the most fresh out of bed. Fortunately, I kept my officiated copies of my not-so-legitimate vital records in the end table near the couch, so I lowered my cat to the cushion, flopped down as though still tired and wanting to return to bed, and groped for the drawer and its precious contents. Another yawn escaped before I retrieved the folder, popped it onto my lap, and sifted through the papers until I found the one that would inform my ex-boss I’d done an hour and twenty-five minutes to establish my current 17.2% aptitude rating. I offered the pages to my boss. “Here you go, sir. That’s current, and I’m not due for another test for at least five years.”
The time frame would discourage the cops; with five years left to go before my next evaluation, they’d assume my rating was up-to-date.
Having seen the papers himself when hiring me, Mr. Tawnlen spared them a single glance before handing them over to my ex-boss, who accepted them and read them over with interest. His interest worried me, but a stranger to him wouldn’t understand the significance, so I grabbed Ajani’s brush, which summoned my furry goddess for her morning affection, which she accepted despite the change to our routine.
“This is longer than the standard test for your rating,” my ex-boss stated, and he narrowed his eyes. “What was the stated reason for the extended testing duration?”
My next words would send him from confused and intrigued to completely baffled, as painting my nails had been something I’d never done willingly while in his employ. “After thirty minutes, I became bored. One of my testers was a rather nice woman, so we painted our nails. It would’ve smudged the paint, so she let the time go on longer, which worked for her, as the longer testing period gave a more accurate rating.”
“I see.” According to his tone, Bradley had more doubt than he knew what to do with. “Why did you get a certified copy?”
I pointed at my cat. “I love her, but when I first got her, she was a menace and destroyed papers I’d left out, so I needed a new copy. Certifying made it easier for employment purposes.”
“Ah. I’ll explain,” my boss offered, taking a seat on the other end of the couch and reaching over to reward my cat with the love she was owed and deserved. “Public servants, including librarians, are required to have certified copies of their rating records. We have quotas we have to fill, and certification ensures we meet those quotas and have the appropriate staff on hand at all times. We’ve found patrons prefer when they can work with a librarian with the same general rating. While Miss Asurella is certainly an asset to our branch, she’s technically a quota hire.”
“That’s a thing? People really get upset if a librarian isn’t the right rank?” my ex-boss asked, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his incredulous tone. “Why would someone waste time trying to locate a librarian with the right rating?”
While I succeeded at keeping my expression somewhat neutral, my boss succumbed to his need to stare up at the ceiling, likely praying for mercy or patience—or both. “Let’s say you have a research project you wish to do involving a branch of magic, and you need information on the highest ratings. A librarian like Miss Asurella would be unable to give you a thorough answer due to her inability to experience magic at that level.”
“Why would I want her to tell me the information rather than point me in the right direction of where to find the information?” my ex-boss countered, focusing on Mr. Tawnlen.
I recognized the moment Bradley forgot his primary purpose and decided to ignore his common sense in order to beat a rival at a debate. Had I been the same woman in his employ, I might’ve cleared my throat to remind him he needed to stay on subject.
As I wasn’t that woman, I brushed my cat and observed with interest. Over the years, Bradley had matured in appearance, losing his boyish charms for a more lethal presence, transcending handsome and moving straight into a new category, one destined to trash my peace of mind.
Most women didn’t like men with softer edges, but I did.
Sometimes, life wasn’t fair.
“That depends entirely on if you need to spend hours of your time researching something a well-trained librarian can tell you in a matter of minutes. A librarian with the appropriate rating will understand the nuances of your request.”
“So, if I wanted to research lower ratings, I would then seek out a librarian with a lower rating?”
“Precisely. It’s efficient having a range of ratings on every shift, as it ensures our patrons receive the best service possible. Our branch, in particular, has strict requirements for ratings because so many use our building for political research. Our archives reflect how our patrons tend to use our library. We’re in a good location.”
“You’re near the Met, you’re small enough not to draw too much attention, and you tend to have the correct material,” Bradley replied, scowling but nodding in a concession of my boss’s point. “So, if I wished to make the best use of Miss Asurella, what would I research?”
Uh oh. The last thing I needed was Bradley paying attention to me in any sense, especially professionally. I’d already jumped one hurdle with my rating paperwork, as an hour was the upper limits he assumed I could, in my prime, last during an evaluation.
“Outside of adept magic, Miss Asurella has a very robust base education with a strong familiarity of the library’s material. She’s the librarian you would go to for any form of generalized research.”
“And how might I go about making use of her?”
My boss raised a brow. “Come to the library once we reopen, see if
she’s on shift, and ask your questions. We don’t do private sessions with our librarians unlike the main branch; we’re simply too small. If you need a dedicated librarian, you’ll have to go to the main branch or one of the other branches with that service.”
“Interesting.”
The police officer, who seemed too young to be as tired as he appeared, cleared his throat. “Mr. Hampton, is her documentation sufficient?”
“It’s sufficient. It’s a certified copy with extended testing times, so the rating should be accurate.” The light emphasis on ‘should’ worried me, although I kept brushing my cat and maintained my mild interest in the presence of an adept in my apartment.
I needed more than coffee. I needed to go back to bed for a few hours. Then, because my life could get worse, the alarm in my bedroom went off. Sighing, I dislodged Ajani, earning a hiss over my cruel treatment, and I lurched to my feet. Making the short hike to my bedroom without limping exhausted me, but I managed, and I spat a few curses at my alarm clock before silencing it, which earned a chuckle from my boss.
“I’m sorry for waking you early, Janette. Unless there’s anything else, I’ll leave you to your morning coffee routine.”
“That’s all we need,” the cop announced.
I grabbed my phone off my nightstand and walked into my living room, struggling with the interface until I sighed, gave up, and held it out to my boss. “I’d tell you my number, but I don’t know it and have no idea where to find it in this damned thing.”
Bradley raised a brow.
My boss took the phone, tapped the screen, and put his number in the contacts before handing it back to me. “There. It’s added. Try not to break it.”
“With how much I paid for this thing? It’s going to be babied almost as much as Ajani.”
“Is it possible to baby anything as much as you do that cat?” My boss chuckled and shook his head. “Will you be coming by the branch today?”
“No. I need to talk to the contractors about the renovation project. I might be by tomorrow to take pictures for them to start getting an accurate estimate, but they’ll need to come in to take measurements once the building is open.”
The skeptical glance my boss shot at the cop warned me it might be a while before the building reopened enough for me to get the contractors in. I waited, placing my phone on the coffee table and returning to the couch to pet my fluffy goddess.
Finally, Mr. Tawnlen heaved a sigh. “It may be a while. The investigation is moving a great deal slower than I anticipated it would. I had hoped once the body and blood were removed, we could reopen. That does not seem to be the case.”
“With so many potential suspects having frequented the library, it takes a great deal of time to look over every inch of the place,” Bradley replied.
Something about his tone caught my attention, and before I could rein in my mouth, I asked, “Every inch?”
“We can’t be sure where we might find the truth. Senator Godrin frequented your library, Miss Asurella. Should there be any secrets lurking within its walls, I will find them.”
“I see.” I did, too. Once Bradley decided he was going to do something, for better or for worse, he did it. While the library paid me well, especially for my purported rating, it didn’t pay me enough to make a run from a determined adept. As such, I would have to continuing playing the game. “Then I wish you the best of luck with your investigation. Mr. Tawnlen, how do you wish for me to proceed?”
“Do what you can on the renovation work and begin making an acquisition list for us. At least one of us can get something done. If you need us, we’ll likely be at the branch answering even more questions.”
“I do have a question, Miss Asurella,” Bradley stated, and he regarded me through narrowed eyes. “Have you ever interacted with Senator Godrin?”
“No, of course not. My rating was insufficient for his needs. If we were aware the senator was coming to the branch, I would busy myself elsewhere, usually in a different section of the library. He made his preferences known before I was hired, and we do try to accommodate our regular patrons.”
“At any point, did you resent his behavior?”
While I wanted to roll my eyes at the question, I remembered an important fact: Bradley liked Godrin, and he had every reason to doubt my sincerity. When I’d been his bodyguard, I hadn’t liked the senator because he viewed me as a lesser being because my parents hadn’t been adepts, but I was. To him, I was far more of a monster than men like him could ever be.
And that was ignoring my skills with exsanguination.
The truth might add to the suspicions pointed in the direction of my fellow librarians, but if I lied, the truth would eventually catch up with me. “No. Of course not. Frankly spoken, sir, it was very much a blessing. On a good day, he was a difficult man. We’ve discussed it before. Most viewed my low rating as a benefit in this specific case.”
“Do you feel any of the librarians or other staff at your branch would have cause to kill Senator Godrin?”
My boss straightened, and he scowled. “Excuse me, sir!”
“It is a valid question, Mr. Tawnlen, and while I appreciate your willingness to defend your employees, this is a question I’ve posed to every single one of them. Why should I give Miss Asurella any special treatment?” Years of training and practice helped me keep my expression calm despite the scorn in Bradley’s voice. “The question stands.”
“For all the various politicians create a certain amount of work and trouble for us, sir, they’re still our patrons, and they bring a certain amount of prestige with them. Because of them, we have a library. We are far more grateful for that than we are annoyed they can turn a day upside down on us. I can’t think of anyone on the staff who would want to drive away our best patrons—and for all he has opinions about people like me, Senator Godrin has been a good and frequent patron.”
“If you had witnessed his murder, what would you have done?” Bradley asked.
Beyond murder the murderer and add a little extra bloodshed to the mix? I’d definitely do a better job of painting the library crimson. I played dumb and confused, furrowing my brow and taking a few moments to consider his question. “I don’t know, sir. It would depend on what actually happened, I suppose.”
“You’d beat the bastard with your purse,” my boss muttered.
Despite the severity of the situation, I grinned. “That’s true, I might, especially if I happened to have a few books in it. But I don’t bring my purse to work every day, especially not if I have to carry Ajani.”
“Her carrier becomes your purse, then, although we all know you love that cat more than life itself. Anyway, when don’t you have books in your purse? I’ve even seen you stuff books in Ajani’s carrier before.”
I considered that. “That’s a good point. Okay. If the person was in range of my purse, I would likely attempt murder through blunt-force trauma involving my purse.”
Bradley’s brows shot up. “May I see this purse?”
I pointed at the leather bag I kept near the door, which had my new book to read in it. Since the cat carrier was nearby, I pointed at it, too. My ex-boss went to the bag, lifted it up, and grunted his surprise. “What’s in here? A bowling ball?”
“One book to return to the library, one book to read, and my wallet and other purse stuff.”
I almost hoped he checked through my purse and discovered my collection of feminine hygiene products. That’d teach him to rummage through a woman’s things.
To my disappointment, he took me at my word, and he set my bag down. “Well, that was educational. I should beware of women with large purses. They might be weapons.”
“I’d also be wary of a woman in heels. She’s wearing weapons on her feet.” My medical boot made wearing heels impossible, but I’d done my fair share of practicing how to best stab an asshole with a stiletto of the shoe variety. “Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?”
“I think that’s everyt
hing we needed,” the cop answered, heading for my door and shooting Bradley a glare. In true Bradley fashion, he ignored the cop’s ire. “We’re sorry to have bothered you so early in the morning, Miss Asurella.”
“It’s no problem,” I replied despite having wanted to do something—anything—other than deal with my ex-boss. First thing in the morning or otherwise.
All I could do was hope my flimsy disguise stuck, and that he couldn’t see through my glasses, longer hair, and the other little changes that differentiated me from the woman I’d once been.
I must have done something right. Bradley cooperated with the police officer and left my home, taking the little peace of mind I’d reclaimed with him when he went.
Six
I checked my apartment for any signs of hell freezing over.
Walking so much yesterday had done me zero favors, and pretending I lacked a limp put the final nail in my foot’s coffin. Not even my medical boot could save me from my stupidity. The simple task of limping around my kitchen to make coffee proved to be too much to handle, and after giving Ajani fresh water and feeding her, I retreated to my couch to sulk. My phone would become my salvation, and I dialed Beatrice’s number once certain she’d be in her office.
A morning without coffee sucked, but at least I’d taken care of my furry goddess before running out of steam
“Beatrice speaking,” she answered, and her tone implied she was ready to kill somebody.
How nice. I’d gotten a hold of her before coffee, as she otherwise would have asked how she could have helped or otherwise inquired who was on the line. Oh, well. We’d have a fun conversation, one punctuated with hissing, snarls, and yawns. “It’s Janette. I just had a cop, some adept, and Mr. Tawnlen over. My morning has sucked. How about yours?”