a house on the south side of town in an area where the nearest neighbor wasn’t as close as Ian’s house was to mine. When we pulled onto the property, Isabelle turned off her car but didn’t get out. “Okay, you go invisible and stay beside me. At the door, you can slip inside and unlock the door.”
I groaned. “So that’s why you wanted me along?”
Isabelle winked. “Well, I could use the skills Clark taught me when we were kids.”
“He taught you how to break into houses?”
“How to pick a lock.”
“Hm, good thing he became a policeman.”
Isabelle agreed. At Nessa’s door, we paused, and Isabelle put her hand out as if to block my path. I could phase through her arm, but I waited. Her lips moved, but no sound came out, and I had the feeling she disbursed a protection spell. She frowned after a few moments and tried again. The fourth time did it, and I passed into the house. With the lights off, I couldn’t make out much except that Nessa didn’t have a lot of furniture. I saw no bookshelves or even a dining or coffee table. Concern that we would find nothing useful here came over me, but I let Isabelle in anyway.
“Think maybe the police searched already?” I asked.
She shook her head, surveying the room where we stood. “Not yet. Clark said tomorrow.”
“You asked him?”
She started for the back of the house. “Stop worrying, Libby. I can handle my brother. I’ve been doing it a long time, and I’ll probably still be there when he’s an old man, boring me with talk of the good old days.”
I winced and followed her. She passed through the dining room and ignored the kitchen. Four doors were shut at the end of the hall—one the closet, one a bathroom, and the other two were bedrooms. Nessa had slept in one and the other she had used as a book room.”
“Jackpot,” Isabelle chirped.
“Unless they’re cookbooks,” I countered.
“Let’s hope so.”
I didn’t get it but joined her in searching through the books. We dared to turn on the lights, hoping the neighbors’ vision was obscured by the surrounding trees or they didn’t care to report lights in a house that should be empty.
I started with the first few books, which were romances. I had borrowed a couple from the library, but there were more I hadn’t come across. “You think the family might be willing to donate these to the library?”
Isabelle didn’t answer. I looked up to find she’d shut her eyes, and I went back to searching. Just as I had joked, there were cookbooks and a host of other subjects. Nessa’s interests were vast, from foreign languages to comic books to romance. She enjoyed nonfiction about the economy and history. I frowned. The room might not be that big, but with some stacks almost to the ceiling, we had our job cut out for us.
“This doesn’t feel right,” Isabelle said after some time.
“What do you mean? You wanted to come here,” I protested.
“Not that.” She stood up. “This collection is too broad. Some of the books might interest her, but others seem like filler.”
I frowned. “So you did know her?”
“No.” Isabelle tapped her lip and then spread her hands out over the volumes. She moved through the narrow passages between the stacks. “They don’t feel warm as a true reader would love her books. These are… hm, maybe the contents of a bookstore?”
I considered it. “Maybe. The subjects are broad, but a librarian might like all kinds of books. Then again, Monica only likes reading mysteries.”
“Exactly. I know what she was, Libby. There must be something here.”
“She could have come from a smaller town than Summit’s Edge and didn’t have a teacher or a coven like you.”
Isabelle appeared crestfallen, but then she straightened her shoulders. “It took all of my strength and will plus four tries to get in here. She definitely had training.”
“Does that mean if we hadn’t come tonight, Clark and his officers wouldn’t have been able to come
I groaned. “So that’s why you wanted me along?”
Isabelle winked. “Well, I could use the skills Clark taught me when we were kids.”
“He taught you how to break into houses?”
“How to pick a lock.”
“Hm, good thing he became a policeman.”
Isabelle agreed. At Nessa’s door, we paused, and Isabelle put her hand out as if to block my path. I could phase through her arm, but I waited. Her lips moved, but no sound came out, and I had the feeling she disbursed a protection spell. She frowned after a few moments and tried again. The fourth time did it, and I passed into the house. With the lights off, I couldn’t make out much except that Nessa didn’t have a lot of furniture. I saw no bookshelves or even a dining or coffee table. Concern that we would find nothing useful here came over me, but I let Isabelle in anyway.
“Think maybe the police searched already?” I asked.
She shook her head, surveying the room where we stood. “Not yet. Clark said tomorrow.”
“You asked him?”
She started for the back of the house. “Stop worrying, Libby. I can handle my brother. I’ve been doing it a long time, and I’ll probably still be there when he’s an old man, boring me with talk of the good old days.”
I winced and followed her. She passed through the dining room and ignored the kitchen. Four doors were shut at the end of the hall—one the closet, one a bathroom, and the other two were bedrooms. Nessa had slept in one and the other she had used as a book room.”
“Jackpot,” Isabelle chirped.
“Unless they’re cookbooks,” I countered.
“Let’s hope so.”
I didn’t get it but joined her in searching through the books. We dared to turn on the lights, hoping the neighbors’ vision was obscured by the surrounding trees or they didn’t care to report lights in a house that should be empty.
I started with the first few books, which were romances. I had borrowed a couple from the library, but there were more I hadn’t come across. “You think the family might be willing to donate these to the library?”
Isabelle didn’t answer. I looked up to find she’d shut her eyes, and I went back to searching. Just as I had joked, there were cookbooks and a host of other subjects. Nessa’s interests were vast, from foreign languages to comic books to romance. She enjoyed nonfiction about the economy and history. I frowned. The room might not be that big, but with some stacks almost to the ceiling, we had our job cut out for us.
“This doesn’t feel right,” Isabelle said after some time.
“What do you mean? You wanted to come here,” I protested.
“Not that.” She stood up. “This collection is too broad. Some of the books might interest her, but others seem like filler.”
I frowned. “So you did know her?”
“No.” Isabelle tapped her lip and then spread her hands out over the volumes. She moved through the narrow passages between the stacks. “They don’t feel warm as a true reader would love her books. These are… hm, maybe the contents of a bookstore?”
I considered it. “Maybe. The subjects are broad, but a librarian might like all kinds of books. Then again, Monica only likes reading mysteries.”
“Exactly. I know what she was, Libby. There must be something here.”
“She could have come from a smaller town than Summit’s Edge and didn’t have a teacher or a coven like you.”
Isabelle appeared crestfallen, but then she straightened her shoulders. “It took all of my strength and will plus four tries to get in here. She definitely had training.”
“Does that mean if we hadn’t come tonight, Clark and his officers wouldn’t have been able to come
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