Long Ride Home Read Online Free PDF Page B

paused for a moment then held out his own hand to shake hers. 
    “Nice to meet you as well…” He frowned a little. “What’s your real name?”
    “Why?”
    “I…” Giovanni had no idea why he wanted to know, except perhaps, because she didn’t seem to want to tell him. So he flashed her his most charming smile and cheered internally when he heard her heart speed up.
    She rolled her eyes. “My ‘real’ name is Beatrice. But I hate it, so please just call me B. Everyone does, even Dr. Christiansen,” she added, referencing the very formal Director of Special Collections for the library. 
    “Of course,” he said with a small smile. “I was simply curious. For the record, however, I think Beatrice is a lovely name.” He made sure to pronounce her name with the softer Italian accent it deserved. 
    She rolled her eyes again and tried to keep from smiling. “Well, thanks. What can I get for you this evening, Dr. Vecchio?”
    “The Tibetan manuscript, please.” 
    “Of course.” She handed over a small paper slip so he could fill out the formal request for the item. Then she reached into the desk drawer to hand him a pair of silk gloves necessary for handing any of the ancient documents in the collection. 
    He took a seat at one of the tables in the windowless room, laying out his notebooks, a box of pencils, and a set of notes for Tenzin written in Mandarin. After a few minutes, Beatrice walked through the door from the stacks. Carefully placing the grey paper box containing the fifteenth century Tibetan book on the counter, she turned back to make sure the door to the air-controlled room was closed and locked before she walked around the desk and toward Giovanni. 
     
    “There is a book you need to copy for me,” Tenzin asked.
    “Why do you need it copied? Isn’t there a translation available somewhere?”
    “No, I want this one. It’s in Houston. Didn’t you just move there?”
    He frowned. “I didn’t move here so I could copy books for you, bird girl.”
    “How do you know? Maybe that’s exactly why you moved there.”
    “Ten—”
    “I have to fly. Be a good scribe and copy it. Use the… what do you call it when you send me things?”
    “The fax machine.”
    “Yes, use that. I’m going into the mountains for a while. Have Caspar send them to Nima for me when you’re done.”
    “I’m busy right—”
    She had already hung up.
     
    He noted again how well preserved the manuscript was as the girl opened the acid-free paper box. The manuscript was a series of square, painted panels that contained spells purportedly used by goddesses for healing. The carved wooden covers and gold and black ink were startling in their clarity, and though it held the musty odor typical of old documents, he noted with satisfaction very little scent of mold or mildew clung to it. 
    “Please wear your gloves at all times and handle the pages as little as possible. Please keep all manuscript materials inside the box as you examine them. If you need further assistance in examining the document, please…” 
    Listening absently to the rote instructions the girl offered, his mind had already moved ahead to his task for the evening. He’d copied the first third of the small volume over the summer. He estimated careful transcription of the manuscript would take another four to five months at the rate he was working. Fortunately, time was not an issue for him on this project. 
    He settled down to take advantage of the two hours he had left to work on the transcription. He hoped to finish the second of the six sections by the end of the week so he could have Caspar fax it to Nima with his notes. 
    “Dr. Vecchio?”
    “Hmm?” He bit his lip, lost in his own thoughts. 
    “Did you have any questions?”
    He flashed her a smile before turning his face back to his work. 
    “No, I’m fine. Thank you, Beatrice,” he said, his concentration already shifted to the manuscript in front of him. He heard the