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I could’vean article, but that would havearound the periodicals Sooner or later, people would start asking who I was and ere here I just wanted to put it off as long as possible

"Just the daily paper to start, the back issues Are those still in a file cabinet by the lasses "Have you been in before? Do I know you?"

Beckoning to Chance, I chose not to answer and wove h the stacks I’d once spent a lot of ti old mysteries She called after e!"

"Nice," Chance whispered "I’ I’m sure I couldn’t have done any better"

I waved a hand at hi words and a killer smile It wouldn’t have been worth the tiht be surprised"

"Aw, coe in my head?"

"No It was just fun So what’re we looking for exactly?"

As I fired up the et anything out of the local paper So let’s start with the day my mom died"

The winter solstice, Dece brands She’d shooed one to face theht long, while I crouched in the woods, I could s up into the ink-dark sky

And ever after, I’d smelled sht turn up a pattern" Chance sat down besideand set hi "I know this sucks, but if we get kicked out because of you, before we find out anything, I’ht he believed me, because he didn’t even yap in protest Instead, he curled up and went to sleep I guessed he wasn’t heavily invested in our research

"Don’t most libraries have free public Internet?" Chance asked

Following his gaze, I peered around the reference section Yeah, they usually did But this place looked like it had last been updated in 1967, and there was no PC ter on the Net over the years, I wasn’t sure hoe’d function

And then it hit me

"Let’s call Booke He can research the date and see if there’s anything unusual" I had er papers, but you never knew

We’d h not in the strictest sense I only knew him from online chats and telephone calls, but he’d proved invaluable in research ramits--too many for me to remember After I hit the button on my cell, I waited for it to dial It should have been early afternoon there The phone rang four times before he picked up

"Booke?"

"Corine! How fantastic to hear froreat voice, deep and pluia?"

I felt a little sheepish because I hadn’t called just to see hoas doing Then again, he probably knew that Still, I figured I’d respect the niceties "I’ drive How are you?"

He made a noncommittal noise, as if he’d rather not lie to me, but he didn’t want to burden me with his problems, either "Glad to hear you’re safe Can I help with so?"

Busted

"Possibly," I said "Would you ia? LetI’ll call you back tomorrow to check in"

Before he answered, I heard keys clicking I guessed hea headset or an earpiece "Huh" He sounded puzzled "How do you spell the name of the town?"

I enunciated each letter, and thensounded very i?

"What’s the problem?" I asked when the silence beca about Kil I’ve checked six different search engines to be sure They offer me Kilmer as a last naest a swine far to the Internet, Kil here in the public library," I protested "I grew up here"

Hoas that even possible in this day and age?

"I can’t address that If you can give itude, I can try to scout the place I’ll proceed as if it’s dangerous and get back to you"

"Jesus," I said, shaken "We’ve got our work cut out for us"