Like a Charm (11 page)

Mr. Pierce nodded at his wife. “If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back.”

Leaning forward I put my head in my hands.

Mabel Canard, what have you done?

T
he memorial service passed by in a blur, and there were so many people in attendance that it was standing room only in the Methodist church. I'd sat outside in my car for almost twenty minutes trying to pull myself together before going in.

The wind howled, making the thirty-degree temperature feel much colder. The Canard family was in the narthex leading into the sanctuary. I made my way through the throng to pay my respects. Cheryl, Mrs. Canard's daughter, was a younger version of her mother. It was easy to pick her out of the crowd. I introduced myself and she hugged me tight. “She talked about you like you were family. She loved you so much.”

I gave her a wavering smile. “She was like family to me—and I loved her.” The last few words came out a hoarse whisper.

Cheryl nodded and her eyes watered. I bit my lip on the inside to keep from sobbing. I can't stand seeing other people cry and I was on the edge already. I hugged her again and went to find a seat.

Mom, Dad, Sam, and Caleb had gathered in a pew near the back. Caleb wore a dark blue suit with a crisp white shirt and a tie, and I was happy to see him there. The Levi's-wearing carpenter I'd met a few weeks ago looked like he'd just stepped off of Wall Street. The suit he wore certainly hadn't come off of any rack.

I felt so guilty because I couldn't stop looking at him, and at the same time I wanted to know how he afforded such luxurious clothing on a carpenter's salary.

After saying a quiet hello to everyone, I sat between Caleb and Sam. Their body warmth helped to take some of the chill from my bones. At one point, Reverend James talked lovingly about the many people who spoke to him about Mrs. Canard and how she was the one who had taught them to read. The sadness ate away at me until I felt raw and uneasy.

Caleb handed me a hankie and I gave him a watery smile. His deep blue eyes stared back at me, but he looked worried. He reached down and grabbed my hand, and the heat from his grasp gave me strength.

I needed it. His presence made everything a little easier and he was the perfect gentleman.

I, on the other hand, was a big mess. My mind kept going back to why she would do something so crazy. Mrs. Canard knew how much I loved law and that it was my future. I mean, I adored books, and had a great respect for the occupation, but a librarian's life was not for me.

Mr. Pierce had given me the key to the library. It was one of those old-fashioned brass keys, which opened the large wooden doors. It burned in my pocket against my leg.

After the ceremony the attendees made their way to the Family Life Center for lunch and to visit with the Canard family. People in Sweet like to eat. For both happy and sad occasions, food is always at the ready. The very idea made me queasy, and the church had been so crowded that I craved air.

As soon as I could, I slipped out and hurried to my car. A few minutes later I sat in front of the library. The key still felt hot against my leg.

“Go in, girl. You won't know unless you try,” a voice whispered behind me.

I yelped and jumped, looking around. No one was there. The message in the letter came back to me.
They are dead, but they are real.
Mrs. Canard might be right about the dead, but that wasn't something I could deal with at the moment. I mean, how much is one person supposed to take? If dead people could come back and visit, then there was life after death…and I wasn't in the mood to change my entire philosophy about life and death in that moment.

One step at a time, Kira.

Someone knocked against the car window and I jumped again. I saw Caleb peeking in. I pushed the button to roll down the window, my heart thumping so loudly I could hear it.

“Are you okay?” He stared behind me, probably to see what I'd been trying to look at in the backseat.

“I'm fine.” I cleared my throat. “You startled me.”

His eyes returned to my face. “Sorry. I saw you leave the church and you seemed upset. I just wanted to check on you.”

I nodded, not really sure what to say.

“Sam wanted to know if you were ready for lunch. He's over at Lulu's holding a table.”

I pushed open the door and he moved back. Rolling up the window, I had the sense to reach over and pull the keys out of the ignition. I grabbed my purse and I locked the door. “I forgot about lunch. I need to check on something in the library. Could you tell Sam I'll take a rain check?”

I headed up the stone steps, stopping for a moment to take in the gargoyles hanging over the door. “The watch guards of the beauty inside,” Mrs. Canard used to say. When I was a kid I named them Jones and Pete.

I could have sworn Pete gave me a wink as I stood there.

Maybe I need to rest after all.

“Are you sure I can't help?”

I turned to see Caleb standing behind me with his cell phone in his hand.

Shrugging, I turned back to the library. “No, but thanks.” I moved forward and put the key in the door. The brass made a large scraping sound and then a loud pop. I pulled down on the handle and the heavy door opened.

“Sam, Kira has something to do at the library. You want to pick up some burgers and meet us over here?” I heard Caleb but my attention was already captured by the darkness within. It was almost as if I could hear the voices. “Come in, Kira. Come in.”

I knew stepping over that threshold meant something, I just wasn't sure what.

Turning so I could see Caleb, I told him, “I need to be alone for a little while.” He tried to interrupt but I held up a hand. “This is important to me. Tell Sam I'll catch up with you guys later this afternoon.”

He had a hurt look on his face, as if I'd snubbed him. At first I didn't think he'd taken me seriously, but then he backed down a step. “Okay, but I'm calling to check on you in an hour or so,” he said quietly.

“What?” All I could think about was getting inside. Out of the bone-chilling cold and into—I wasn't sure what.

“You're pale and your hands are shaking. I'm worried about you.”

It was sweet. It had been a long time since any man, besides Justin, Sam, and Dad, had cared anything about me.

I reached out and touched his arm. “I'm fine. I'm just cold.”

He looked at my hand and then patted it with his own. “Just the same, I'll be calling to make sure.”

“I'm not going to wig out on our date. I promise.”

He sighed, the cold air curling around his head. “I'm not worried about the
damn
date. I just want to make sure you don't pass out or something.”

Geez, who knew he was so bossy?

I waved a hand. “Sorry, I'm a little distracted today. Sure. I'll talk to you later.” I paused. “It meant a lot to me that you were there today. We haven't known each other very long, but I appreciate that you care enough to look after me. I just need to do this on my own right now.”

He nodded, and then watched me walk in. I shut the heavy door behind me and locked it.

There was a small vestibule with a scrolled-iron hat and coat rack and an umbrella stand on one side. Shelving with various flyers for Texas tourism and classes varying from art to rock climbing, and other advertising brochures, lined the other wall.

The floors, even in the entry, were a deep mahogany wood.

The large arched entryway led to the main library hall. I paused for a moment and watched as the only light in the room filtered through the high windows. Shadows from the trees outside danced along the marbled front desk and wooden tables in the front of the room.

Moving to the right, I found the long row of light switches and flipped each one on.

“She's here. She's here,” I heard, but chose to ignore the whispers around me. It was easier for now.

My breath made puffy clouds. The next mission was to find out how to turn on the heat. My best guess was a large panel I'd seen in the break room in the back. I walked among the tables, gazing at the long rows of books.

It was a two-story room with the second-story books on shelves along the wall. There were staircases leading up to those rows on both sides of the main floor. The balcony area extended about eight feet along the back and sides of the room, so that most of the main floor was open to the second story.

I took a moment to turn in a circle, looking at the entire building as if I were seeing it for the first time. I love books. I have since I was a child.

“Kira, you are one of the few people who truly understands the real joy of books,” I heard Mrs. Canard's voice whisper. Only this time it wasn't one of the voices surrounding me, it was a memory.

Staring at the hardbacks and paperbacks I finally realized what she had given me—her heart. These books spoke to her, were a part of her being. No one loved them as much as she did. She took the “knowledge is power” phrase to the nth degree.

This place was hallowed ground for her. The place where gods were born and angels sang. Where a prince could sit next to a pauper and a fairy next to a gremlin. As I passed the front desk I noticed some photos. There were a few framed ones of her family—her daughter and grandchildren, all of whom had been at the service a few moments ago. By the computer I saw something that surprised me. A picture of a towheaded child missing a front tooth, thoroughly involved in whatever book she was reading. A smile of complete and utter joy lit her face. It was me. I didn't remember the photo being taken, but I couldn't have been more than five. I was so happy, and I didn't even remember ever being that happy as a child.

The cold air whipped around my shoulders, and I pulled my black coat tighter around my body.

It's definitely time to find the heat.

As I made my way back to the break room, the air grew colder. “Brrrr.” I stuck my hands in my pockets.

I flipped the switch in the darkened room and found the thermostat on the wall. It was set on sixty-eight, but I swore the building was at least twenty degrees cooler. I turned it up to seventy-two and made myself a mental note to turn it back down when I left. There was no telling how much it cost to heat this place, and for now I had a feeling those bills would be my responsibility.

Curiosity soon turned my attention from the temperature. I'd never ventured past the break room, where I had shared more than one cup of tea and a number of cookies with Mrs. Canard.

There were two doors, one on the back wall, the other to the left of the sink. I opened the back door and was surprised to find a large storeroom of boxes.

There had to be a least fifty of the cardboard containers filed against the walls. A few had the tops open, and I could see they were full of books. “She can't have meant these to be shelved.” I ventured in a few steps farther and pulled back the flaps of a couple. Some were research volumes—something you might see in a university biology department. Another box was filled with children's books for elementary-aged kids.

I'd never known there was so much space back there and couldn't imagine how Mrs. Canard could afford such a large inventory. I didn't have time to search all the boxes, as I wanted to investigate the other door leading off the break room.

The door by the sink opened outward and led to a stairwell. It took me a minute to find the light switch in the small, dark hall. The stairs were wooden and narrow, and curved to the right. Making my way up, I expected more storage and was thrilled to find a real treasure.

Over the storage area downstairs was a huge loft apartment. It had to be at least a thousand square feet. Here the light was abundant, as the back wall facing the west was a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows. The view of the rough hills was breathtaking.

The small kitchen, painted a soft yellow with red accents, had a dishwasher, an oven, a gas stovetop, and a fridge, all stainless steel. A short, curved wall that didn't go to the ceiling set apart the dining room. And the back part of the room had a glass block wall where a bedroom had been fashioned.

The living area, in front of the bank of windows, had a small chenille couch and several cushy chairs. A few antique tables were scattered about. While it wasn't exactly a room one might find in
Elle Decor
, it had a homey, comfortable feel.

I made my way to the sofa and sat down. I had no idea this space even existed. It explained why it seemed as though Mrs. Canard lived at the library.

Amused and pleased, I was also frightened. Scared out of my wits really. All of this was mine.