The Book Waitress (Book 1, The Book Waitress Series) Read Online Free PDF Page B

and stuck in your library for a while, pouring over newspapers and anything that help s me figure this out before the current child, Zachary Michaels, disappears forever.”
    “ I’ll help any way I can at the library. But there may be a problem.”
    “What’s that?”
    “I’ve come across a mystery of my own. It involves the library censoring information about a murder/suicide that took place in the basement there many, many years ago. Documentation can be found on the internet, but not in this library. Who’s to say if the library has everything you’ll need? ”
    “Fascinating and disturbing . I guess they figured it would be bad publicity to keep information on it. But news is news and that’s censorship all right . Wow ! W onder what else, if anything , has been going on down in that basement .”
    “I’m wondering if I should tell you the rest of it.” She squinted at him as though sizing him up, evaluating wh ether or not he could tolerate hearing what she had to say.
    “Well , you wondering out loud is teasing my curiosity, so out with it already . I think I have a pretty open mind. ”
    She lowered her voice. “There are spirits in my department.” She paused and waited, he supposed, for him to react. But he really had no reacti on as of yet .
    “Go on,” he urged.
    “One I think is malevolent and the other seems sweet and helpful. I believe them to be the couple involved in the murder/suicide all those years ago. And now, I’m sure you think I’m absolut ely off my rocker.” She stood and walked toward the front door. “It was nice talking with you but I’m used to this routine. Thanks for the lift. Don’t forget your bags. I’ll s ee you at the library.” She opened the front door with a defeated look on her face .
    “Whoa, hold on.” He chased after her and gently closed the door . “First of all, don’t speak for me. I do a pretty good job of it all by myself, minus the semi-frequent hiccups. Secondly, what makes you think I don’t believe you ? I’ve read a nd seen enough to know there’ s something b eyond this earthbound world . There are paranormal events that can’ t be explained so easily. So if you say there are spirits, there are spirits. I’d love to meet them. Hopefully they’ll come out to play while I’m there.”
    She threw him a skeptical glance. “I’m impressed. I didn’t take you for an open-minded kinda guy. My apologies.” She sat back down at the table and grabbed a bag of chips. He followed.
    “Accepted. You see, I’m a foster kid who grew up in a loving household of hippies. They told me to be open to everything, but also to ques tion everything.” He downed a handful of chip s in a matter of seconds .
    “No wonder you’re a reporter. You’ve had that instinct ingrained in you.”
    “And you,” he said. “Why do you do what you do?”
    “Well, I failed at serving up food, so I tried ser ving up books instead. It suits me much bett er since I love to read. I love meeting the characters. It’s only real people I can’t stand. ” She twisted off the cap of a Jones soda and took a swig. The way her lips pursed around the neck spoke volumes to his groin and he fidgeted in his seat. There was something about this woman that gripped him. He couldn’t put his finger on it yet, but he decided to make it a priority on his list of things to do .
    “You make it sound like what you do is a no-brainer . I’m sure th ere’s a lot more to it than handing a person a book and putting them back on the shelves .”
    “ Of course, there’s cataloging and purchasing. I need to be a jack of all trades. I need to know a little about a lot. But mostly, on a daily basis, I’m serving up books to patrons and collecting them back when they’re done with them. I’m a book waitress , Derek . Nothing more, nothing less. ”
    “Don’t sell yourself short. Knowing a little about a lot can be a very useful tool. In fact, I bet it comes in very handy.”
    “ I