Chapter Eleven
M RS C OOK ASKED Chloe to go upstairs to find some materials.
‘There’s a walk-in closet at the back, near the thrillers section,’ she said.
‘I don’t know if you’ve been in there before.
There should be some things in there we can use for the event.
Posters, coloured paper, banners, things like that.
I’m sure Eric will be happy to help next time he’s in.
If there’s anything else you think we need, start a list and I can order things in. ’
Chloe liked the idea of decorating the library for the children coming for the event.
She ascended the spiral staircase to the upper floor, where it felt deliciously warm and cosy.
Was that chestnuts and chocolate she could smell in the air instead of books and ink?
She inhaled, smiling, wondering how . . .
Were the curtains more vibrant than before? The shelves gleaming as though freshly polished? Where had Mrs Cook found the time to spruce up this part of the library?
A sense of contentment stole over Chloe as her shoes clacked on the floor.
She passed the shelves towards the back closet, more ideas formulating in her mind.
It was as though, by discussing things with Mandy and Mrs Cook, the ideas had snowballed.
Maybe they could attach banners all across the tops of the shelves in the children’s books section.
They could have one table full of books facing upward, another table for snacks and baked goods . . .
A glow caught Chloe’s eye, and she took a step back, peering down the shelf. Her heart thumped.
A book was glowing.
It was happening again.
For a moment, Chloe loitered. If ever there was a chance for her to explain what was happening to Mrs Cook, this was it.
But what if the book stopped glowing while she was gone?
She imagined the elderly librarian, panting as she hurried to ascend the staircase with Chloe in hysterics, only for the book to be back to normal.
That would be embarrassing. She supposed she could take the book down to show Mrs Cook, but there was the risk that a visitor would overhear. A glowing book would be difficult to explain.
She considered ignoring it, but the urge to pick up the book was strong. She had already spoken to two men – two larger-than-life, attractive men who had only previously existed in a talented writer’s mind.
Who would emerge this time?
Before she could stop herself, Chloe moved to the book. No, it wasn’t a book, but a comic. It was on the bottom shelf, though it remained free of dust. She tugged it out and straightened, inhaling sharply as she flipped open the pages, her fingers already trembling.
Brightly coloured, vintage-style art stared back at her, the comic’s story told in a dynamic, action-packed way. For a moment Chloe admired the art, having never found much time for it before.
‘Chloe?’ Mrs Cook called from downstairs.
Chloe swallowed her disappointment. ‘Yes?’
‘Are you busy, love?’
Chloe’s honest answer was yes, but there was no way for her to explain it. She tucked the comic book inside her cardigan and half-ran down the stairs to see what Mrs Cook wanted.
‘I quite fancy one of those coffees you brought us that time,’ said the librarian, squinting at the computer screen.
‘From the Brew House?’ Chloe perked up. If word was spreading about Hannah and her uncle’s café, that was great. ‘Would you like me to go and get you one? The caramel ones are lovely.’
‘I suppose I can’t lose my teeth twice in a lifetime.’ Mrs Cook flashed her a grin. Chloe gave a guilty chuckle; she’d had no idea the librarian’s teeth were fake. ‘Treat yourself, too, love. Here’s a tenner.’ She plucked a ten-pound note from her purse.
Chloe ran to get her bag, neatly sliding the glowing comic book into it. She would deal with that later.
Soon she was on her way to the Brew House. To her delight, Hannah was there.
‘Want to upgrade to large size for fifty pence extra?’ Hannah chirped.
‘Best not,’ said Chloe, looking longingly at the large cups. ‘Mrs Cook’s paying.’
Hannah had gone rigid, her face slack with shock.
‘Don’t move,’ said a voice behind Chloe.
Chloe froze, cold fear flooding her. In her peripheral vision, the flash of a knife appeared by her side. Her insides turned to jelly, her brain numbing.
‘All right, I want all the money out of the till.’ The stranger’s voice sounded young. A teenager, maybe younger than Eric. He also held the tremor of . . . fear? ‘I’ve got a knife. I’ll . . . I’ll use it.’
Hannah still wasn’t moving, her mouth opened slightly with shock. ‘I . . . what?’ she croaked.
‘I mean it!’ the boy said. ‘Seriously. Give me all the money in the till, now!’
Hannah recovered, her hands trembling as she opened the till. It took her two attempts. She whimpered as she fumbled with the cash.
Chloe’s bag felt warm. The comic book . . .
The boy, who was shorter than Chloe and had the hood of his jacket pulled up over his head, leaned over the counter, the knife shaking in his hand. Chloe dared take a step back, her heart breaking to see Hannah trembling, hastily dropping five-pound notes on the table.
Chloe reached into her bag, her pulse racing, her palms sweaty. She slowly slid out the comic book and opened it. She whispered a random line, praying this would work.
It was instantaneous. One moment, Hannah was fumbling with the money in the till, tears slipping down her cheeks. The next moment, a broad-shouldered man in a crisp suit and glasses was holding the teenager off the floor by the scruff of his neck, the young man yelping and kicking in fright.
‘Didn’t have time to change,’ said the superhero. ‘You are under arrest, my friend.’
‘Help!’ the boy yelled, flailing uselessly in the superhero’s arms while Hannah gaped.
‘Call the police,’ Chloe mouthed to her. Coming to her senses, Hannah backed into the backroom, pulling her phone from her pocket.
‘Thank you,’ said Chloe in relief. The knife had clattered to the floor. It chilled her blood to look at it. ‘You came just in time.’
‘Truth and justice for mankind,’ said the man grimly. ‘Do you have any handcuffs?’
‘No,’ said Chloe. ‘But I saw some zip ties.’
Hoping Hannah wouldn’t mind her borrowing them, Chloe found the zip ties behind the counter.
The superhero plonked the boy down onto a chair and, quick as a flash, had his hands tied behind his back.
The boy seemed to have given up; he slumped miserably in the chair as Hannah’s frantic cries to the police reached them from the backroom.
Chloe marvelled at the tall, chisel-jawed man who had come to them in their time of need. He adjusted his glasses. ‘That boy won’t be giving you any more trouble.’
Chloe nodded as a siren wailed in the distance. ‘I was so scared.’
Looking at the boy now, he didn’t look much older than a child. All of the pluckiness seemed to have left him. If she hadn’t witnessed it herself, Chloe wouldn’t have thought the boy capable of even trying something like that.
She still trembled, though. The sight of the knife, Hannah’s sobs.
‘Hannah,’ said Chloe softly. The shock on her brain was wearing off. Her friend would question how the hero got here so fast. Chloe turned to the superhero. ‘I need to send you back home.’
‘Right. But first, I need to have a talk with the boy.’ The hero took a seat opposite the slumped teenager. ‘What were you thinking, son?’
The boy didn’t respond. The siren was getting louder.
‘Just needed the money,’ the boy mumbled.
‘Was it worth frightening these ladies for?’ asked the man.
The boy looked away. ‘No.’
‘It’s always best to do the right thing, even when you don’t want to. It’s never as bad as it seems.’
‘What would you know?’ the boy grunted.
A police car pulled up outside. ‘It’s time for you to go.’ Chloe was still holding the glowing comic book. She heard movement from the backroom; Hannah was on her way back. ‘Thanks again, sir.’
‘Truth and justice.’ He rose and came to stand before her, behind the boy.
Chloe found the last line in the comic book and read it aloud. Hannah stepped into the room just as Chloe was tucking the comic back into her bag. Hannah’s eyes widened in shock at the boy sitting at the table, his wrists tied behind him, her eyes travelling from him to Chloe.
The bell above the door jangled and a police officer wandered inside. ‘We got an emergency call. Is everything all right?’
There was a blur of a stammered report, questions, the knife being zipped into a bag and the shamed and slightly confused teenager being led outside by the police. Hannah rubbed her face, letting out a low breath as she collapsed onto the chair the young man had just vacated. ‘That was . . .’
‘Horrible,’ Chloe conceded, thinking about the superhero.
It was like the library had known what would happen, knew they would need him.
She shuddered to think what might have happened if she hadn’t had the comic with her.
Not that the teenager seemed capable of actually hurting them, but you never knew what would happen.
‘Who was that guy?’ Hannah asked when she’d recovered a bit. ‘He helped us.’
‘Don’t know,’ said Chloe vaguely. Hannah didn’t need to know about the library’s magic. She’d had enough of a shock for one day.
‘Chloe, I’m sorry, but I need to go home.’
‘It’s all right,’ she reassured her.
Chloe shook out her trembling hands as she walked back to the library.
A few people had stopped and stared while the boy was being taken away by the police, but now the street was quiet again.
When Chloe pushed open the door of the library, Mrs Cook said cheerfully, ‘I didn’t know it took so long to make a latte. ’
Chloe explained what had happened. She didn’t know how to tell her about the superhero coming to their rescue, so she adjusted the story slightly to make it sound like the police showed up in time to stop him.
Mrs Cook’s jovial smile turned to slack shock. ‘Oh no, you poor things. How horrible. That’s so unusual for this town as well.’
She gave Chloe a hug, one she hadn’t realised she needed. She melted into the librarian’s short yet surprisingly strong frame, shock keeping her numb as the superhero’s words echoed in her mind. ‘It’s always best to do the right thing, even when you don’t want to.’
It made her think of Gwen. Chloe was the older sister. Of course, her dilemma wasn’t comparable to deciding whether to rob someone, but the hero’s words had resonated with her. She had to be the bigger person and do the right thing, even if it seemed difficult.
‘Would you like to go home?’ Mrs Cook asked.
‘I think I’m all right.’ Chloe felt safe here at the library, anyway. ‘Only an hour until the end of my shift.’
She thanked the librarian and went to put back the comic book, which of course wasn’t glowing any more.
She thanked the superhero inside the pages as she carefully slid it back into place.
She looked around the library’s rafters, the weak sunlight shining through the gothic windows.
A warm, safe feeling enveloped her. The library was taking care of her.
Chloe got a text from Gwen the next morning on the way to work.
Can we hang out tonight? I feel bad just showing up at your door.
Chloe wondered who this person was and what she had done with her sister.
Sure. I don’t have any plans.
Thanks.
A pause, and Chloe watched the little grey bubble as Gwen typed.
I’ve missed you.
Chloe didn’t know how to respond honestly, so she left her sister on read. She hadn’t even seen Gwen the previous evening, both women ignoring each other and spending time in separate parts of the house.
Chloe fully expected Hannah to close up shop for the next few days, but on her way to work, the scent of coffee filled the street and there were the usual few customers inside.
Supposing she’d better spend the money Mrs Cook had given her for its intended purpose, she went inside to order the caramel lattes.
‘Hi, Chloe.’ Hannah looked tired but managed a smile. ‘I’m just serving this customer, one second.’
The man in front of her accepted the two lattes she gave him, then he turned and nearly crashed into Chloe.
‘Oh good,’ said Harry, sounding only a little sarcastic. ‘You’re here.’
‘Oh. Hey.’ Chloe wasn’t in the mood to see Harry right now, but there was no sense in being rude. ‘Wait, why is it good that I’m here?’
He held up one of the coffees. ‘I had a business meeting in here the other day, and you’re right, the coffee here is delicious.’
Hannah looked thrilled.
‘I’m glad I bumped into you here. Saves me a trip to the library. I made the deal I was after, so take this as a thank-you.’ He held out the coffee.
It took a moment to process what he had said. ‘Oh. Hm. Are you sure?’
Last time they’d seen each other, they’d had an argument. An olive branch?
‘Don’t be making me drink two coffees, Chloe. I’ll be buzzing all day.’
He raised his eyebrows and she huffed a reluctant laugh, taking the coffee. ‘Well, thanks.’ She remembered Mrs Cook. ‘But I need two.’
‘Jeez.’ Harry rolled his eyes, handing her the other cup. ‘You’ll drink me out of house and home at this rate.’
Chloe spluttered, coffee in both hands now. ‘Don’t be daft.’
‘Oh, let him buy them,’ said Hannah, a look of delight on her face. ‘He tips well,’ she mouthed over his shoulder.
Thoroughly confused, Chloe left the café with two coffees she hadn’t paid for.
Chloe was working on the computer, going through the customers’ accounts. Mrs Cook had asked her to check if there were any books that hadn’t been returned. It would be up to Chloe to contact them and remind them the book was due.
A list sat in front of her now. All the members had their names, and some had their phone numbers, email addresses, and mail addresses, depending on what details they had provided when they’d signed up. There was also a history of the books they had checked out.
She couldn’t resist taking a peek at Alice Cook’s data after quickly checking that the lobby was empty. Only Clementine hung around, wandering over the lobby desk and sniffing at the papers and stationery there.
Mrs Cook had checked out several books over the years, but only one at a time and separated by several months each. Witching for Beginners . English Herbs and Their Natural Healing Properties. And . . .
‘Oh,’ said Chloe softly.
The most recent book Mrs Cook had checked out of the library, just before Chloe had started working here, was Finding Love in Your Senior Years.
A noise startled her, but it was only Clementine knocking a pencil off the desk. Chloe clicked off the page of data and watched the cat in amusement. His amber eyes fixed on her in defiance as he pushed another pencil, letting it roll off the desk and bounce off the carpet.
Moments later, Mrs Cook walked in, giving them both a motherly smile.
Good kitty, thought Chloe and petted him.