Just then my stomach growled, and I realized it had been a long time since my chili lunch.
I pushed back my chair and stood up. Anne came bustling over.
“You’re probably going to kick me out before too long,” I said.
“Not for another hour,” she said. “Nine-to-six weekdays, ten-to-five on weekends.”
“Would it be okay if I left these books here?” I asked. “I didn’t even get to look at more than the first few.”
“No problem,” she said. “This is now officially your carrel, for as long as you need it. And if Dr. Blake would like a peaceful place to think and write, he’s more than welcome to a table.”
“I’ll let him know,” I said.
Leaving the library was like stepping into a sauna. Were the boys out in this? I stopped on the steps, pulled out my cell phone, and called Michael.
“How’s the research going?” he asked.
“Well enough for today,” I said. “I decided to quit before I go cross-eyed. Where are you guys?”
“At the lake. Don’t ask me what lake, because it has an unpronounceable six-syllable Native American name, and don’t ask me where it is, because Caroline brought us here in the caravan. It can’t be too far from Riverton; the horse only goes so fast. It’s got a swimming area with a lifeguard, and a snack stand that serves pizza by the slice, and I plan to bring the boys home cooled off, well fed, and so tired that they will sleep like angels tonight.”
“Good plan,” I said. “I’ll see you back at Camp Emu.”
“Could be a few hours,” he said. “And if we’re late, don’t worry. We can bed the boys down in the caravan on the trip home.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “Give them my love.”
A car had pulled into the parking lot while I was talking to Michael—a familiar and very distinctive car, painted lavender with a few purple and green vines twining around it. My cousin Rose Noire hopped out. She was wearing an odd outfit—loose-fitting white pants tucked into knee-high brown faux-suede boots, a flowing white tunic belted with a lavender sash, and a broad-brimmed straw hat decorated with dried flowers and lavender ribbons. Presumably, this was her equivalent of my grandfather’s multipocketed expedition outfit.
She seemed taken aback when she saw me.
“It’s not closed is it?” she asked.
“The library? No, it’s open for another hour.”
“Good! I need to look up a few things. I had such a fascinating time up at the emu ranch!”
“I didn’t realize anyone was going up there today.”
“They weren’t,” she said. “But I was worried about what we might find, so I went up there to see if I needed to do a cleansing to make it safe for the rest of the brigade. And Meg! It’s really lovely up there! A beautiful aura! I smudged the area with some sage and herbs, just to be sure, but you can tell it’s a happy place that’s only recently been through hard times. And it’s looking forward to having nice people back. You can just feel it.”
“That’s nice.” I didn’t entirely believe in Rose Noire’s self-proclaimed ability to read the auras of people, pets, and now geographical areas. But I did believe she had sound instincts. If she thought the emu ranch was a good place, maybe I wouldn’t worry quite so much about taking the boys up there tomorrow.
“Did you see any emus?” I asked aloud.
“No, but I found a couple of their feathers. And such a lot of interesting other stuff. I’ll show you later—I need to look something up before the library closes. See you back at camp!”
She was running up the steps by this time, with her lavender sash and lavender hat ribbons trailing behind her.
I hoped Anne was ready for such an energetic new patron this close to closing.
My stomach growled again, and I hopped into my car and headed back toward camp.
Although when I reached the stretch of road in front of Miss Annabel’s house, I decided to stop in and check on her. Make sure the denizens of Camp Emu hadn’t done anything to annoy her during my absence.
And maybe enjoy a bit of her air conditioning while the day still remained hot. If I was correctly remembering the schedule they’d posted on the bulletin board, I still had half an hour to go before dinner was served.
A twenty-something man was seated in a folding lawn chair to the left of the gate, doing something on his smartphone. He came to attention when I stopped my car in front of the house, but then recognized me, waved genially in my direction, and focused his attention back on his phone.
Dr. Ffollett wasn’t in the yard, so after calling out “hello!” from the gate a few times, I tried it. Unlocked. I let myself in and strolled up to the porch.