Chapter 15
Ariel flinched, and Stella turned toward the screaming. Shouts peppered the air, sounding like kids on a roller-coaster ride.
Although the voices didn’t sound terrified, the chill ripping through Stella’s body told her they weren’t screams of excitement
either. Firecracker words whizzed through the air, blowing the grease-stained paper towels off the desk. On the run. Bottles of rum. Surprise.
Thunder rumbled outside the library, and a bolt of lightning illuminated the nearest window, shooting white light inside the
building and flashing off the polished bookshelves.
“Tell me that’s part of some group activity you have going on tonight,” Ariel said, her voice uncertain.
“The book club,” Stella said.
“Come on,” Jack said, grabbing Stella’s hand and pulling her through the library.
Ariel followed them. “What’s going on?”
They ran to the spot where Stella had left the book club attendees.
Chaos had overtaken the space. Overturned chairs disrupted the neat horseshoe arrangement.
A few books had been tossed around, some lying face up and staring at the scene, while others were face down with crumpled, distressed pages.
An uncapped blue ink pen rolled across the center of the area as though trying to escape.
One woman sprinted past them with her purse clutched to her chest like a precious child. Four women were huddled together
near a bookshelf, holding on to one another’s arms like a broken game of red rover. Another woman sat with her feet propped
on the chair next to her. She watched the scene unfold while eating a cookie. She made eye contact with Stella and shrugged.
Vicki rushed toward Stella and clutched her arm. “Stella, I am so sorry.”
“Vicki!” Stella said. “What are you doing here? I thought you went home for the evening.” How had Vicki returned without Stella
knowing? Had she been that absorbed in Jack?
“I did, but I forgot I needed a book from the archives for a research paper I’m working on,” Vicki said quickly. “Arnie lets
me take some of the historic books home. When I went down there tonight, that man was still tied up.”
“There was a man tied up in the archives?” Ariel interrupted, looking at Stella in disbelief.
Vicki continued, “You said someone was going to come pick him up, so why was he still down there? He begged me to help him,
and he was so pitiful. I couldn’t just leave him there. It’s wrong, Stella. But once I untied him, he knocked me out of the way and ran off. I tried to follow him, and then I heard a lot of
commotion coming from up here. I think he’s still intoxicated. Should I call the police?”
“There’s a drunk in here?” Ariel asked, her eyes continually widening.
Stella’s body felt blasted by an arctic freeze. “Hook,” she whispered. She pried Vicki’s fingers from her arm. “Give me a second, okay? Try to calm everyone down. See if anyone needs assistance.”
“Hook what?” Ariel asked. “Stella, this is out of control. What in heaven’s name is happening? This place feels like chaos,
fear, and deception have fused.”
“We’ll explain later,” Jack said to Ariel.
The only man in the book club stared down an aisle with his closed umbrella in his hand, pointing it at someone just out of
sight. Thunder boomed.
“Let her go,” the man demanded.
“I don’t think so, mate,” another man responded in a thick accent.
“Hook,” Stella repeated with dread.
Hook continued, “I’m not holding her against her will. It’s obvious she needs a bit of fun.”
“She’s my wife,” the man argued. “Marsha, get back here.”
“Tim,” Marsha answered from down the aisle, her voice pinched and nasally. “You see the hook, right?”
Tim’s hand squeezed on the umbrella handle, and he lifted it higher. “Don’t make me use this.”
“Planning to teach me a lesson with that useless weapon, are you?” Hook’s laugh raised the hairs on Stella’s arms.
“Ariel, stay here,” Stella said. “Help Vicki if you can. I promise we’ll explain everything.”
Stella and Jack hurried over to the end of the aisle to stand beside Tim.
Hook stood with one arm looped around Marsha, who appeared somehow less frightened than she should have been.
The way she gazed up at Hook made Stella worry that Marsha wasn’t interested in fighting her way out of the pirate’s embrace.
Hook tilted back a plastic water bottle and gulped down the contents.
He grimaced and dropped the bottle on the floor.
Water spilled out in an arc across the tiles.
“Couldn’t afford the good stuff, mate?” Hook asked. He squeezed Marsha closer to him and buried his face in her teased, oversprayed
hair. “I only have the best on my ship.”
“Is there really good stuff when it comes to bottled water?” Stella asked.
“That’s not water,” Tim said. “It’s rum. Or it was. And it’s not cheap.”
Stella gaped at Tim. “You brought alcohol into the library? That’s against the rules.”
“Are you seriously reprimanding me about library rules when a psychopath has my wife?” Tim asked.
“She doesn’t exactly look like a damsel in distress,” Stella said.
“Love,” Hook called, turning his sly-eyed gaze on Stella, “there’s no reason to fight over me. There’s room enough for both
of you.” Using his hook, he motioned Stella toward him.
A cannon blast of thunder sounded, rattling books on the shelves, followed by a streak of lightning that illuminated Hook
from behind.
“What should we—” Stella asked Jack, but when she turned to look at him, he wasn’t beside her. “Jack?”
The woman sitting in the chair pointed down the next aisle, and Stella’s eyes widened. Thunder boomed again as the storm approached,
and Stella returned her attention to Hook. A shadow stretched behind him as Jack appeared around the bookshelf.
“Let her go, Hook,” Jack demanded.
Hook’s back stiffened, but he recovered quickly. He spun around with Marsha still pressed against his side. Hook shoved Marsha
away from him. She gasped and stumbled toward the bookshelf and then to her knees.
A blade glinted in Jack’s right hand. “Wasn’t last time enough to make you want to stay tied up? For your own safety, of course.”
Blackened words squeezed out from between books on the shelves before dropping to the floor and circling Hook’s boots. Sneak. Ashes. Swept away.
Hook’s eyes narrowed, and he repositioned his hand to where his sword should have been sheathed, but thankfully Crusoe had
taken it. “I have fitting plans for you, mate, but not tonight.”
Hook sprinted toward Jack and knocked him out of the way. His heavy boots slapped against the tiles until he was gone. Marsha
pushed herself up off the floor and gawked at them. Jack met Stella’s gaze, and then he ran off, shouting at Hook.
Ariel appeared at Stella’s side and gripped her best friend’s hand. “Did Jack have a knife?” she whispered.
“Wh-where did he go?” Marsha stuttered.
Stella and Ariel hurried down the aisle and helped Marsha to her feet as she wobbled on her heeled sandals.
“Where did that man go?” Marsha asked again. “Why would the library let someone like that in?”
“I’m sorry, Marsha,” Stella said. “This is a public building, and we’re not allowed to turn people away. However, we can report
troublemakers. That man was here earlier as . . . an impersonator, but he has a drinking problem, so we asked him to leave.
I guess he came back because he was angry. I’m so sorry he manhandled you. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
Marsha shook her head. “Drinking problem. I understand that.” Her gaze traveled to her husband, who scowled and walked toward
them. “He’s awful good-looking, though. Such a waste of a good face. You think he could work through his issues with some
counseling?”
Stella’s brow wrinkled. “I suppose.” Did Marsha sound hopeful, as though she could have a future with Hook?
“Marsha,” Tim said, reaching for his wife. “Are you okay?” He pulled her into his arms and crushed her against his chest. “Where did that man go? We need to call the police. He could have hurt someone.”
Stella jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. “My friend went to catch him. I was telling your wife that he’s a disgruntled impersonator
we hired earlier to entertain the children, but it didn’t work out. I’m sorry for all the trouble. I hope this won’t tarnish
your devotion to book club.”
Tim released his grip on Marsha so he could look at her face. “You sure you’re okay? Let’s get you home.” He smoothed his
hands down her stiff hair, which sounded like he was petting prickly grass. Then he slipped his arm around Marsha’s shoulders.
“You can’t control everyone,” he said to Stella. “It’s not your fault, but I hope you’ll follow the proper procedures and
let the police know about this. He’s not the kind of man who should be wandering around town.”
Stella puffed out her cheeks and exhaled. “Definitely not. And next time you come to the library, you leave the booze at home.”
Tim’s eyebrows lifted, and Marsha snorted into his shoulder. “Understood,” he said as he and his wife walked away.
Stella wanted to rush after Jack, but surely he could handle himself. The library meeting space was a mess. “I need to clean
this up. You don’t have to stay, Ariel. I can call you later.”
“No can do,” Ariel said. “You’re not getting rid of me until I know what’s going on here, and why would I leave you to clean
up this mess alone?”
“Vicki’s here—”
“I found everyone and apologized,” Vicki said, “except for the people who were already spinning their tires speeding out of
the parking lot.” Her red hair was wilder than ever and her expression showcased her exhaustion. “We’ll need to do damage
control for the ones who got away.”
“Why don’t you go home, Vicki?” Stella said. “I’ll handle cleaning up.”
“You’ll call the police, right?” Vicki persisted. “I saw Jack run off after that man.”
“Outside the library?” Stella’s concern returned.
Vicki shook her head. “Down in the archives, but the police, yes? You’ll call them and have them apprehend the Hook impersonator?”