Father By Choice. M.J. Rodgers

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СКАЧАТЬ her,” Phoebe said, undaunted.

      “And how long will that take?” Oliver challenged. “You went through nearly sixty applicants and four months before you finally chose Mrs. Hanna to be the librarian. And what a choice that was.”

      “Mrs. Hanna’s credentials as a historian are impeccable, not to mention the fact that she speaks five languages.”

      “We didn’t need someone with impeccable credentials or who could speak five languages. We needed someone who could work the library’s computer! Now we’re paying Holly to come in and do it after school!”

      “Ken, I need another picture of this imbecile,” Phoebe said, pointing to Oliver. “The last one of him I put on my dartboard is already full of holes.”

      The photographer looked amused but made no effort to comply. Ken—like the rest of them—was used to Phoebe and Oliver’s verbal sparring matches. When these two crossed swords, the best thing anyone could do was stay out of the way.

      “And that’s another thing,” Oliver said. “Ken’s supposed to be the Society’s photographer, but I can’t get him to do a damn thing for me. Every time I try he tells me he’ll have to clear it with you first.”

      Oliver was talking about Ken as though he wasn’t there. Typical of Oliver. And typical of Ken that he showed no sign of offense.

      “He has the editing and printing of the newsletter to see to,” Phoebe countered. “He’s not one of your lackeys. Speaking of which, where is this illustrious and purportedly proficient historian who was supposed to be on hand today to take custody of the time capsule contents?”

      “Damn it, Phoebe, I already told you.” Oliver was shouting now. “Wayne had a stroke. Are you going to blame me for that?”

      “Please, Oliver, Phoebe,” Dorothy interrupted as she stepped between her fellow board members. “I know this is disappointing. I, too, was counting on Wayne’s expert assistance. But he’s seriously ill. We should set aside concerns about the time capsule for the moment and think of him.”

      “His doctor told Wayne’s wife that the stroke was minor,” Oliver said, as though Dorothy was making a big deal over nothing. “He’ll be all right.”

      “That’s good to hear,” Emily said carefully. “But I believe the point that Dorothy was making is that Wayne needs to know how concerned all of us in the organization are for his welfare.”

      “Thank you, Emily,” Dorothy said with emphasis.

      “Oh, very well,” Phoebe said. “I’ll send him a fruit basket from the Society. And a card.”

      “And now that that’s taken care of,” Oliver said, “let’s get back to the matter of what we’re going to do with the time capsule treasures.”

      Dorothy and Emily looked at each other and shook their heads.

      “None of us on the managing board knows enough to digitize this important information, not to mention putting it on the city’s Web site,” Dorothy said. “And, as generous as Oliver’s offer is to use personnel at the Smithson Pharmaceutical Company, Phoebe’s right. These artifacts are too valuable to let out of our hands.”

      “Josh is employed part-time by the Society,” Oliver said. Scanning the now nearly deserted gardens, he called, “Josh? Damn it, where are you, boy?”

      “Here,” Josh said as he scrambled up the platform steps.

      Oliver grabbed his grandson’s shoulders. “You took computer courses in high school, didn’t you?”

      “Yeah.”

      “So you could do whatever it takes to get images of these items into a computer and put them on the City’s Web site, right?”

      Josh shrugged. “I don’t know.”

      “Oh, that overwhelms me with confidence,” Phoebe said.

      Oliver slipped his hands from his grandson’s shoulders and let out a huff of disappointment.

      When Emily saw the look that flattened Josh’s face, she immediately stepped forward. “Josh is doing a superb job for the Botanical Gardens and the Society. He’s also been a big help getting things organized for today. I don’t know what I would have done without him.”

      Oliver wasn’t listening. He was too busy shaking his head like a windshield wiper on high.

      “Damn kids today come out of school dumber than when they went in,” he muttered.

      Josh slunk off the platform just as Holly came out of the museum. She waved in his direction, but Josh turned away and disappeared into the trees.

      Emily was trying to decide whether to try to talk to Oliver or just kick him when Dorothy raised her hand to get everyone’s attention.

      “As much as Emily is right about Josh’s great work in the Heritage Museum and around the Botanical Gardens, it’s not fair to ask him to take on a task of this magnitude. We need someone from the Historical Society who has both experience in document preservation techniques and computer expertise.”

      Dorothy looked pointedly at Emily.

      Emily felt both Phoebe and Oliver’s eyes turn toward her as though assessing her right to have the job.

      “She has the gardens to see to,” Oliver said, “and her own research.”

      “You’re absolutely right,” Dorothy agreed. “Which means these important artifacts will not leave this site. That’s another plus.”

      “You said everything would go off today without a hitch,” Phoebe complained. “But there was that long delay when the skeleton was unearthed.”

      “I’m so glad you mentioned the skeleton,” Dorothy said, ignoring Phoebe’s unfair implication that unearthing a skeleton was somehow Emily’s fault. “Isn’t it a fascinating find? Emily will be working with Dr. Winslow to identify the remains for us and the items that were found in the grave.”

      “What items?” Phoebe asked.

      “Detective Corbin is sending them and the skeleton to the Courage Bay Hospital morgue so that Dr. Winslow and Emily can study them,” Dorothy said. “She’ll be able to write the article on everything they discover for the newsletter.”

      “Since there may be some clue as to the skeleton’s identity in the time capsule documents, it makes sense that we look them over as soon as possible,” Brad said from behind Emily.

      She spun around to find him standing not five feet away, holding two glasses of champagne. He’d left with the mayor in the direction of the reception hall after the ceremony had ended. She hadn’t heard him return.

      “Dr. Winslow makes an excellent point,” Dorothy agreed. “Emily’s a whiz with computers. And, since she is a member of our society, we know she will properly preserve these valuable items. I realize this is asking a lot, but will you do it for us, Emily?”

      Be the first to see everything that was in the time capsule? Did Dorothy СКАЧАТЬ