Book of Days: A Novel (40 page)

"We know Taylor Stone owns the building." Cameron spread the blueprints out on the counter and studied them.

"Do you know him?"

"What?" Cameron looked up.

"Do you know Taylor Stone?"

"Yes." He turned back to the plans. "We both do." He glanced at Ann who had a look of intense concentration on her face. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing? It looks like the basement has—"

"Does he know you're looking at the plans?" The clerk leaned in almost close enough for his head to touch Cameron's.

"I don't think so. I didn't think we had to ask permission to see items of public record."

The clerk leaned back and tapped his foot. "No, I suppose you're right. But don't you think it would nice if you asked? I do."

"We will next time. I promise. Now do you mind if we take a quick look at these without interruption? And then we won't bother you anymore."

"You're not bothering me." The clerk cleared his throat. "Much."

"We just need a few more minutes, thanks." Cameron smoothed out the plans and scanned them again. He looked at Ann and found her staring at him with a little smile on her face. She had to be thinking the same thing. The plans showed a basement with two levels with a number of large rooms.

The perfect place to hide a Book of Days.

"Could we make a copy of these plans?" Cameron said.

The clerk's face paled. "No."

"Why not? They're public record."

The clerk smacked his lips with a series of rapid pops, as if it would help him make up a story as to why not. "The copier's busted."

"Really? I used to work on them," Cameron said. "I bet I could—"

"It's, uh, time for you two to leave."

Ann puffed out a breath. "The sign says you close at 3:00 and it's only 2:20."

"I have a lot to do to close up."

"But this is a government building. You can't lock the doors until the hour stated on your sign."

"Oh yes, yes, yes I can. If I have a government errand to run, which I do, I can lock up early."

"I could get the copier fixed in a few minutes."

The clerk waved his hand at Cameron, as if shooing away a hornet. "You have to leave. Right now."

"We'd really like to get a copy."

As the clerk kept shooing them away with his hand, Ann whispered, "We don't need a copy, trust me."

"Why?"

"I'll tell you later. Let's get out of here before the clerk has a coronary."

Cameron smiled. The bees didn't buzz unless you whacked the hive. And he wouldn't stop till he and Ann found the honey.

The clerk picked up his phone on the first ring.

"What did they want?"

"The layout of Taylor's restaurant." The clerk squeezed the tip of his pencil as beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

"Interesting. I was right." The phone hummed. "And did you make it seem like Taylor wouldn't want them to see those plans?"

"Yes. I think I convinced them."

"Good." The line went silent. "You've been an extremely loyal disciple, and that means a great deal to me. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"But just so we're clear, if you tell anyone anything about the, uh, observing you've been doing for me—and I mean anyone—I will slit your throat. Will that work for you?"

"Yes. We're clear."

"Excellent. I appreciate you."

The line went dead.

"Taylor has influence in this town, I'll give him that," Cameron said as they walked out the courthouse doors.

"Considerable influence." Ann batted him on the arm. "Did you really work on copiers at one time?"

"No."

Ann smiled. "So what's our next step?"

"I think we need to do a little late-night exploring."

"You mean a little late-night breaking and entering." She glared at him. "Are you serious?"

Cameron smiled. "But it's only a little exploration in a good friend's building. You think he'll mind?"

"Hello?" Ann knocked on her head. "Yes, I think he'll mind."

"I agree, but I can't worry about that. Tonight we're going to find an amazing book. I can feel it."

CHAPTER 37

A strong wind whipped down Main Street, powerful enough to give a slight bend to the lampposts spaced at twenty yard intervals. Cameron's parked MINI Cooper lurched back and forth as the wind buffeted the car. His window was open a crack and the wind whistled through the opening, as if it was trying to speak a warning.

Ann scrunched down in the passenger seat—matching Cameron's own posture—giving little shakes of her head. She looked at him. Her eyes asked if they were really going to do something as ludicrous as break into Taylor's building. He imagined his own eyes said, "I'm not sure" in return.

It was one in the morning; most of the town had been shut down for three hours. The only building still open was Take a Peak Tavern a quarter-mile down the road at the end of town, and there had been only three cars in the lot when they drove by ten minutes earlier.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Ann said.

"Why?"

"Why?" She coughed out a laugh. "Other than the fact I could get fired for doing this and we could both wind up in jail, no reason at all. I'm sure the police would be sympathetic and Taylor would certainly understand why we ended up inside his building at this hour."

"Early breakfast?"

"We're going to be careful, right?"

"Like little elves on Christmas Eve."

"Elves make the presents, they don't deliver them." Ann shifted in her seat and pulled her knees up to her chest. "Sorry to repeat myself, but I don't want to end up in jail."

"Then why are you doing this with me?"

"I'm doing it for Jessie."

"What?"

"I can't believe I'm going to confess this." Ann rubbed her face with both hands. "I don't want the book to be real."

"What are you talking about?"

Ann turned and looked out the passenger-side window. "A few months after Jessie and I met in that foster home, she said she knew when she would die. Said she'd seen it when she was a kid. She didn't know the day, or method, but she knew the month and the year. I told her she was crazy."

Ann hugged herself. "Over the years she'd bring the subject up, trying to tell me it was part of God's plan, and I mocked her for it till she gave up."

"Wow." Everyone had their secrets.

"If the book turns out to be real, how do I tell Jessie I'm sorry? Even if it's not real, how do I tell her?"

"She forgave you a long time ago." Cameron flicked his fingers. "It's gone."

"I know it. I need to believe it." Ann patted her knees once. "Shall we go?"

"I'll go in alone. You should stay on lookout—"

"We already decided to do this together; don't go back on me now."

"Ann, there's something I need to tell you first. We might be into something more dangerous than I thought. There's a guy who's been watching me."

"Sunglasses, baseball hat, looks Native American?"

"He's stalked you too?"

"Well, I wouldn't say stalked exactly, but yes."

"We need to be more careful than the elves."

"Agreed."

Cameron slowly squeezed his door handle, opened his door, and slid out. He pulled out his pack from the backseat, looked at Ann, and raised his eyebrows, as if to say one more time, "Are you sure?"

Ann nodded, got out—her pack in hand—and darted across the rough asphalt street, Cameron close behind. They sliced through the alley between The Sail & Compass and the Three Peaks Hotel around to the back of the building.

"I'm an idiot," Cameron said as they knelt next to the back door.

"Why?"

"I didn't remember to bring a glass cutter. We're going to have to break a window."

Ann scrunched up her face. "Are you teasing me?"

"What do you mean?"

"We talked about not having to worry about bringing tools to break in."

"We did?" Great. Another missing song from his brain's CD.

"We did. Watch." Ann pulled out an eight-piece lock-pick set from her pack and grinned at Cameron. After a quick study of the lock in the doorknob, she chose two picks and leaned in, her ear millimeters away from the lock.

She closed her eyes and seemed to be talking to herself. In less than thirty seconds the door was open. Ann bowed her head and extended her palm in invitation for Cameron to enter the building first.

"Another unknown skill of the resourceful Ann Banister."

"From when I was a teenager. Before I met Jessie and Jesus. Don't ask."

Neither spoke till they'd stepped inside and shut the back door behind them.

"Not to be paranoid, but let's lock that."

"Done," Ann said as she locked the door. "I need you to explain a mystery to me if you don't mind. If the book is genuine, why would Taylor hide the book in the heart of town where someone is more likely to go down to the basement and find it? Why not hide it in the basement of his home? Or in a cave out in the middle of nowhere? Or bury the thing in the ground?"

"Two reasons. The first is Poe."

"What?"

"Edgar Allan. 'The Purloined Letter.' The best place to hide something is—"

"Right out in the open," Ann finished. "I wouldn't call the basement out in the open."

"All I'm saying is you wouldn't expect him to hide it on his own property right in the center of Three Peaks."

"And the second reason?"

"The same reason we're here in the middle of the night. With this place filled all day long, seven days a week, it would be a little tough for someone to explain why they were headed to the basement, especially if it's locked, which I'm guessing it is."

Cameron moved through the restaurant's kitchen and looked for a door leading to the basement. "Taylor owns the building and The Sail & Compass?"

Ann stared at him, concern etched into her face. "No."

"But he started it, didn't he? The restaurant?"