“He’s not.”Silas snapped. “The man has no redeeming qualities.”
“Harsh for an impartial investigator, don’t you think?” I said.
“I never said I was impartial.”
What was it about Kurnbottom that had Silas so riled? I stared at him a beat and waited for him to elaborate.
He said nothing and grabbed his coat.
“It’s summer,” I told him.
“You’re going to lecture me on clothing choices?” He raised a brow. “Since arriving in Inorog, your choices have been….”
I took in a sharp breath. “Yes, I am wearing tiny bloomers and a pig shirt. My dress was soiled and burned beyond repair. My luggage was stolen. I have no choice.”
His expression softened.
I was already boiling and not about to stop now. “So yes, I will judge you for wearing the coat that you stole from me, tocontinue over seventy years later that you stole what was meant to be mine, that you always win and I lose.”
He furrowed his brows, putting on his scowl of concern.
“I don’t want to hear it. I’m on my way back up, and you can’t stop me or unnerve me with a stupid coat.”
“Lily,” he said.
“Don’t,” I told him. “Come, Fernando, it is time for us to go.”
“Lily.” Silas huffed and ran his hands through his slightly too-long hair. “I didn’t keep the coat to—”
My cellular telephone rang.
Silas looked at the rectangular device sticking out of my too-small pocket. I pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
“It’s Madison,” I said.
“You should answer,” Silas said.
He’d been in the middle of saying something.Wehad been in the middle of a whole thing. But personal matters always went to the backburner when the library was involved. Telephone calls were especially important, as we couldn’t return communications from our end due to the time distortion.
“Hello, Madison,” I said, and stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.
“Madison? Oh. Right, the lady whose phone I borrowed. No, it’s not Madison. It’s me, Imogen.”
“Imogen, what a pleasant surprise,” I said, surprised I actually meant it. “What have you discovered? How did you trick Madison into giving you her telephone?”
“I used the magic word,” Imogen said.
“Murder,” I said, nodding.
Imogen gasped. “No.” In an exasperated voice, she said, “The magic word isplease.”
Please?“That actually works for you?”
“It’s a pretty common convention. You know, like the sayingyou get more flies with honey than vinegar.”
“Flies eat garbage and decaying flesh. Why would I want to attract flies?”
“I don’t understand you at all sometimes, Lily.”