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I blinked at him. Here I’d been thinking he was wanting to see Luna for personal reasons and he was worried about the case.
“What makes you ask?”
He shook his head dismissively. “It’s nothing. Just a feeling I got right after you both found Carmen. I got the impression she was holding something back from me.”
I said staunchly, “No way. For one thing, Luna is a terrible liar. She doesn’t appear to have the capacity to deceive anyone at all. And I don’t think she has a violent bone in her body. She’s always looking out for animals and won’t even kill insects. She’s a vegan. I just can’t imagine a vegan as a killer.”
Burton looked a little less certain that vegans couldn’t be murderers, but he still seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He gave me a quick look and then glanced away. “Okay, thanks. I’m sure you’re right. There was something else I wanted to ask you, too. You don’t happen to know if Luna is dating anyone, do you?”
I hid a smile and said, “I know for a fact she’s not.”
Now Burton’s relief seemed even greater. “That’s good. Even if it’s a little surprising. I’m sure she’s probably really picky about who she would go out with.” His forehead puckered at the thought.
“Well, I think she looks out for herself, of course. But the truth is she’s been really wrapped up with work and trying to get more engagement with teens at the library. And her mom keeps her busy, too.”
Burton leaned in a little. “Engagement with teens? That’s something my department is interested in, too. What kind of program is she thinking about?”
I said carefully, “It’s nothing that’s been approved by our director yet, at least as far as I’m aware. But Luna’s really eager to host a study hall type event so kids can think of the library as a good place to get their work done. And, I guess, a relaxing and fun place too, because she wants to have snacks there and things like that.”
Burton nodded. “Good ideas. Maybe it’s something the police department could collaborate on: maybe we could even contribute to the cost of the food and drinks. We want to have an event to show the local police in a friendly light. I could speak to the director about it.”
If the police were involved in the event, I was sure there would be absolutely no food fight happening. I said, “It would probably be good to speak with Luna first because I’m not sure she’s approached Wilson yet about it. Then maybe the two of you could talk to him together.”
Burton looked relieved. “Great idea, Ann. Thanks. And thanks for all the info.” He hurried out the door with a backward look toward the children’s area.
That night, I took Fitz home with me again just to have his company. He was, as always, the perfect guest—he contentedly watched me cook spaghetti for supper as if my work at the stove was fascinating (he was rewarded with a little bit of ground beef). Then he curled up next to me on the sofa as I struggled through my chapter (in this book, they’re called ‘episodes’) of Ulysses before picking up my September book in relief. When I turned in, he silently jumped up on the other side of my queen-sized bed and politely gave me plenty of space as he curled up in a ball with his fluffy tail covering his face and purred loudly until we both fell asleep.
The next morning, I awoke with a start. Had I remembered to tell Wilson about Tanya James’s request? I’d meant to, but then I’d gotten either pulled into helping a patron or into the Ask Fitz column. I squinted at the clock. I certainly wasn’t going to call Wilson at six o’clock, although I knew he was probably up. He was probably already ensconced in his suit, for heaven’s sake. I decided I could let him know once I got there. Because it was Tanya, he definitely wasn’t going to reject her request.
When Fitz and I finally pulled up to the library, we were there about thirty minutes before it opened to the public. I raised my eyebrows and grinned in surprise as Luna laboriously pedaled up, wearing a backpack and a strained smile in response.
“I’m early!” she said, puffing out breath. “But I knew it was safe to come this early because you have a key and you’re always early.”
“And you’re making me feel lazy for not exercising,” I said. “Good for you! How did you end up with a bike?”
Luna was still trying to catch her breath. “Oh, I’d texted my mom yesterday after we talked about it. She knew a neighbor who was trying to downsize because her youngest left for college. Sure enough, she had a bike. Let me have it for ten dollars.”
I was still getting the library key out of my purse (Wilson, always very rules-oriented and security-conscious, hadn’t yet seen fit to give Luna one) when we heard a car pulling up behind us.
“Oh good,” breathed Luna amid gasping breaths, “Wilson is here to witness my early arrival.” She took the cat carrier from me so I could grab the key.
And indeed, we gave a quick wave to his astounded visage as he parked.
Luna followed me in and gently set the carrier down, crooning to Fitz as he pranced out of it and rubbed against her. “I wonder how many early mornings it will take before he sees I’m really committed,” she mused.
I knew Wilson could be pretty stubborn and tended to cling to his opinions, but I didn’t mention this. “Why don’t you just take it one day at a time?” I asked.
Luna nodded. “And Mom mentioned she’d like to come spend the day here with me tomorrow. It’s a good thing—she needs to get out of the house when I’m gone all day.”
“And film club is tomorrow,” I pointed out. “Didn’t she really like it the last time she went? She seemed to.”
Luna lit up. “She did! All right, that’s a no-brainer then.” She glanced back to see Wilson making his way toward the door. “Okay, no dilly-dallying for me today! I’m off to the children’s section to make some bulletin boards. And update the social media accounts for the teen patrons! And maybe clean the breakroom!” Luna continued on as she disappeared into the stacks of the children’s section.
Wilson walked up to me, nodding his head courteously at Fitz as if the cat understood the greeting. Being Fitz, however, maybe he did. The cat purred at Wilson and Wilson gave him a smile. I’d known Wilson hadn’t seemed completely on-board when the library had first adopted Fitz, but now he was definitely sold on the orange and white cat. In fact, his attitude toward Fitz was almost as if he were a colleague and not an animal at all.
I said, “Good morning. Everything okay this morning?”
Wilson nodded absently, looking around him as if he’d misplaced something. “Where is Luna? Didn’t I see her walking in with you? But I didn’t see her car. Did you have to pick her up? No wonder she’s so early, if that’s the case.”
I quickly shook my head. “No, Luna is bicycling to work now. She was here when I arrived and she said she’s getting started with new bulletin boards in the children’s section.”
Wilson’s eyebrows flew up in surprise. But he seemed eager to change the subject instead of letting me wax poetic about Luna’s great work ethic and punctuality.
“I did want to talk to you about the Ask Fitz column,” he said briskly.
My heart sank. Hadn’t we already talked about the column yesterday? What more could possibly be said?
“Do you have a response ready for today? It might be good for Fitz to answer a question a day. I think we need to show Fitz is very responsive.”
Fitz rolled over on his back and languorously stretched.
I said slowly, “I did have an answer ready for the column, yes. I’ve been starting out with topics that are fairly straightforward and then I figured I could move on from there. I’ve also been sure to list additional resources for the patrons writing in so they can find further help.”
Wilson said, “Just make sure Fitz’s response is all over social media.”
“And the library, right?” I asked. “I figured you’d want me to print it out and put it on the bulletin board near the circulation desk.”
“Well, that too, yes. But mostly, I want to see it on social media. That way, a lot more patrons will be able to see Fitz’s advice. And then people can share the post and comment.” Wilson’s face, so frequently stern, suddenly became more animated. “Actually, that will be very interesting, now that I think about it. Perhaps some of the people reading Fitz’s response will want to add their own advice or experiences in the comments. Or perhaps they will even disagree with Fitz’s advice.”
My advice, I thought glumly. At least I had good sources to help me give helpful tips.
“I’ll be sure to share it both in the library and on social media,” I said.
Wilson said, “I’m sure you will, Ann. I always have great faith in you, you know.”
He was about to move toward his office when he stopped again, abruptly. “I hear a lot about video these days.”
Once again, my heart sank. “Video?”
“That’s right,” he said brusquely. “People sharing video and watching video. The popularity of video.”
“YouTube is very popular.”
He nodded. “YouTube, yes. Perhaps Fitz should have video responses.”
I could feel myself balking. I said lightly, “The only problem with that is we don’t have a talking cat.”
“Don’t we?” asked Wilson. “I think we could show Fitz lolling around on the floor or chasing a toy and do a voice-over in the background. It could be another way to get more audience engagement.”
I had the sinking feeling Wilson had been attending too many social media workshops at the library board meetings. “I could try to set that up,” I said in an unconvincing manner.
“We have all the equipment,” he said, waving his hands expansively. “I know the board would like to see it put to use, especially for projects that generate engagement.”
Engagement certainly seemed to be the keyword here.
“This sounds as if it could be that kind of project,” I agreed, sticking a smile on my face. Before he could mull this over any further, I interjected, “By the way, speaking of the board, Tanya James asked if I could run by her house around lunchtime to help her carry out some books for the Friends of the Library sale.”
Wilson said, “Tanya James? Naturally! By all means, help her out. Take as much time as you need.”
“Thanks,” I said dryly as he hurried off. I’d figured I could count on Wilson to be very generous whenever a trustee was in need.
I glanced up as the sliding doors to the library opened and saw Burton there. He seemed to have taken special care over his appearance today and I also had a whiff of aftershave lotion, which I was pretty sure I hadn’t smelled on him before. I wasn’t surprised when he walked up to me and immediately asked if Luna were around.
Which is when Luna came around a corner and joined us. “Hi,” she said. She still seemed completely oblivious of Burton’s interest in her. In fact, she seemed to have something else on her mind entirely.
Burton said, “I was just looking for you. There’s something I wanted to speak with you about.”
I was about to find an excuse to make a speedy exit when I saw that Luna’s face had completely drained of color. “You know,” she whispered.