Holiday Homecoming. Pamela Tracy

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СКАЧАТЬ COURTHOUSE WAS in the center of town. Meredith remembered her third-grade teacher marveling that it had been built in 1899. Apparently being built in 1900 just wouldn’t have had the same distinction. The town’s budget had been stretched too thin during the construction. There had been plans for a split staircase and an outdoor pavilion. Today, there was a single staircase and instead of a working clock, there was just a clock facing. The time always read six o’clock. Back then, that was when work started, and if one was lucky, it was when work ended.

      Meredith took out her cell phone. It was two-fifteen. She had forty-five minutes until Agatha locked the door and turned the sign to Closed. But Meredith might only have ten minutes before Grandpa called her to come pick him up at the doctor’s. She hurried up the front stairs and opened the door. The front entry was empty except for a sign that gave directions to the different offices and goings-on. Meredith turned left and went down some narrow stairs painted concrete blue. There were posters on the walls, some older than she was. All advertised books and some were signed by authors. Before she reached the bottom, she could hear voices. One she immediately recognized as Agatha’s, the other voice sounded as if it belonged to a girl.

      Stepping into the main room of the library was like finding a lost treasure, one you didn’t realize the value of until you held it again.

      Even the smell was magical.

      “I’m telling you,” an indignant voice declared, “she took a book without checking it out.”

      “It’s fine, dear. I know her father. We’ll get the book back.”

      “But—”

      “It’s more important that a child reads than it is for a book to rest on its assigned shelf just because of the rules.”

      It was a conversation Meredith might have had with Agatha back when she’d haunted the library.

      “Someone’s here,” the young voice said.

      “Good.”

      “But we’re only open for thirty more minutes.”

      “Ah, Jessica, when you let go of your love for rules, you’ll be much happier.”

      “Or not,” Meredith said, stepping into the center of the room where a girl of about twelve was bent over a library cart. Agatha leaned on the cart, looking at a book that had seen better days. She hadn’t changed at all. Agatha was about a foot shorter than Meredith and so slender she could probably nap on one of the library shelves and not fall off. Her hair was shoulder length and not even Grandpa could remember when it hadn’t been pure white.

      “Two old friends in one day,” Agatha said. “Jimmy still emails me. You I have to keep track of on YouTube. I liked what your zoo did with Crisco the bear. That was quite a story.”

      “It was,” Meredith agreed. “We suspect someone wanted to harvest his organs and that’s why Crisco was taken from his mother. A dried gallbladder can sell for five figures overseas. The paws are worth money, too.”

      The young girl looked interested. “Really, why?”

      “Mostly medicinal reasons. Some people believe the paw will make you healthy, while the gallbladder...” Meredith paused. The gallbladder was especially tempting to males in some cultures. But Meredith wasn’t sure she needed to share that.

      “What do you mean?” the young girl queried, obviously of a different mind-set.

      “Jessica,” Agatha said quietly, “since we’re only open for a few more minutes, and since I have Meredith here to help, you can leave early.”

      “But this lady doesn’t know what to do.” Aghast at the prospect of leaving her job to someone ill-qualified, the girl forgot about the bear’s gallbladder.

      “Oh, trust me, she knows,” Agatha said. “Meredith was you fifteen years ago.”

      “Has it been that long?” Meredith whispered.

      “Yup. One day you were my helper. The next day you’d discovered Jimmy Murphy and suddenly the library was a distant memory.”

      “The man who was just here,” the girl said.

      “Yes, now scoot. Meredith and I have some catching up to do.”

      The girl wasn’t happy, but she knew to mind Agatha. With a quick hug to Agatha, she was out the door and stomping up the stairs.

      “Did you come by to see me or do you have the same question as Jimmy?” Agatha nodded toward the cart, and as if she’d never been away, Meredith took a stack of books and headed for the shelves. Though she used to recognize by title where they belonged. Now she had to use their call numbers.

      “Originally, I just wanted an answer to the same question, but now I realize seeing you is more important.”

      “Glad you’re finally starting to put your priorities straight.” Agatha didn’t sound convinced, not completely. Changing the subject, she added, “I’m also glad you’re here to stay with Ray. He needs you. Something’s been bothering him these last few years and it’s not because he’s missing his wife or his absent son.”

      “Yes, I’m seeing that.”

      “You take care of him. He’s precious, you know.”

      Meredith did know. Her grandparents had sacrificed to help raise their grandchild, help pay their way through college, and more.

      All without complaint. If they’d not been willing to help, her life would have been very different. She’d have married Danny and stayed in town, the dreams of her siblings more important than her own.

      Grandpa had paid her tuition, every dime. She was paying him back but knew that he put her money right into Zack’s and Susan’s college fund.

      It probably only helped a little.

      “Ray actually got a library card right after you went to college. Did you know that?”

      “I didn’t realize he liked to read,” Meredith confessed.

      “It was only on the one topic,” Agatha shared. “He went through all my books on Native Americans, especially those dealing with the Tohono O’odham and Akimel O’odham tribes.”

      “That’s strange.”

      “I figured he must have watched a documentary on them or something and become interested. I enjoyed researching the subject for him. I’ll miss that.”

      “What?”

      “I’m retiring next year.”

      Meredith’s hands stilled. The book she’d been shelving was stranded in midair. Too many things were changing in her life and too quickly.

      “You’ll hate it.”

      Agatha chuckled. “I’m sure I will, but it’s time.”

      Meredith finally shelved the book and then quickly worked through the ones still on the cart. Finished, she started СКАЧАТЬ