Pamela Morsi Read Online Free PDF Page B

metal with padlocks attached every few inches. Two U-locks and half a dozen padlocks?
    D.J. stopped to survey her surroundings. She couldn’t imagine this place as a high crime zone. She could almost see the police station from the sidewalk. Still, she made a mental note to ask questions about security. The safety and property of both the employees and patrons were her responsibility, as well.
    In contrast to the precautions for the rusty bicycle, the back door was open and D.J. was able to walk right in. The place appeared dark and deserted. She found the light switches to the right of the door and quickly illuminated the building’s nonpublic workroom. There were boxes, book carts and tables spread with supplies. Here was where books were shipped and received, cataloged or repaired and made ready for lending. Although the nature of such work was chaos, the place appeared relatively neat. In the far corner there was a tiny break room space with a circular table, four chairs, a microwave and coffeemaker. D.J. immediately walked over and began going through the cabinets, locating what was needed to make coffee. She smiled to herself. Making sure the director had a hot cup of morning coffee when she arrived had been one of her tasks at D.J.’s last job. Now that she was the director, somebody should be bringing coffee to her.
    She thought about the only employee that she knew and couldn’t imagine Amelia Grundler performing such a duty.
    As the hot brown liquid began dripping through the machine, D.J. ventured out into the public area. If it had been a dim and gloomy cave yesterday afternoon, it was even more so this morning. D.J. went behind the circulation desk and began switching on the lights. From the corner of her eye, a shadow moved through the stacks, startling her.
    “Who’s there?”
    There was an almost eerie silence and then a book slammed shut loudly, startling her.
    “Who is there?” Her voice was sterner as she repeated her question.
    Silence again. Then from somewhere among the shelves of books a timid baritone voice answered.
    “James.”
    D.J. remembered the name from the day before. Viv had called out a goodbye as they left.
    She still didn’t see him anywhere.
    “I’m Ms. Jarrow, the new librarian,” she announced in his general direction.
    No answer.
    “Why are you hiding in the stacks?”
    She thought he was going to ignore that question as well, but after a moment there was a tentative reply.
    “Working.”
    D.J. couldn’t imagine what kind of work he could be doing alone and in the dark.
    “Come out here so I can meet you,” she said.
    Another hesitation.
    “No,” he answered.
    “No?”
    D.J. walked in the direction of where she thought his voice was coming from. She turned down that row of books. He was not there. She went to the next aisle, and the next. She couldn’t find him, though once she did sense a shadow moving just beyond her vision. Finally she stopped, annoyed.
    “I’m not going to chase you down!”
    “Okay.”
    “HEL-LO!” A voice called out from the back door. D.J. stepped out from between the shelves to see a young woman hurrying toward her.
    “I thought you might be here,” she said. “I came early just to meet you. I’m so excited!”
    As if to illustrate that, she grabbed both of D.J.’s hands in her own and almost bounced with enthusiasm.
    “Uh...hi,” D.J. said.
    “I’m Suzy, Suzy Newton— No, I mean Suzy Granfeldt. See, I’m so thrilled I can’t even remember my own name!” She giggled delightedly. “I’m the girl from Bookmobile 2.”
    D.J. thought the term “girl” was being misused. Despite her clothes from the “juniors” department and bouncing ponytail, Suzy was at least as old as D.J. herself.
    She continued to giggle. “Last night my phone just rang and rang. I’m suddenly Miss Most Popular. Everybody wants to talk to me because everyone wants to know about you. Getting a new person in town who’s not like...married to one of