Black Beans & Vice (12 page)

The Fitzgerald twins were in a buoyant mood when they met
James on the library steps at a quarter to nine. In fact, both of
the young men, who had taken to riding their mountain bikes to
work, were so impatient to share their news that they dismounted
hurriedly and let their bikes drop unceremoniously onto the grass.

"Guess what, Professor?" Francis was flushed from exercise and
excitement.

Hoping the announcement would distract him from the image
of the dead crow, James paused in the act of unlocking the front
door. "You won the Mega Million jackpot?"

Scott shook his head. "It's way better than that! We entered a
contest for people who have ideas for groundbreaking new video
games and-"

"We won!" Francis shouted and the brothers exchanged celebratory chest bumps.

James shook each of their hands. "That's terrific. What was
your idea?"

Francis beamed. "This is why you're awesome, Professor. Everybody else asked us about the prize, but you want to know what
we dreamed up."

"Our proposal stemmed from our experiences working here, at
the library," Scott added.

Suddenly, James had a visual of Murphy's book cover. This
time, however, it had been shrunk to fit the box of a PC game. Pudgy sleuths made of megapixels scrambled around the screen,
picking up clues while simultaneously taking bites of junk food.
"Did your proposal have anything to do with the mystery genre?"
he asked woodenly.

"Nope! It's a game where you can travel between fantasy
worlds. For example, you start as Alice and play in Wonderland,
but as Alice advances in levels, she can travel to Tolkien's world,"
Francis explained.

"And there she can add an ally to her group, like Legolas, the
elf, or a wizard like Gandalf," Scott continued.

"So with each new world, the group grows by another character," Francis finished.

Relieved, James smiled at the twins. "It sounds brilliant and
complex and really fun. I assume there would be a final battle
scene once your group of characters has leveled out." When the
brothers nodded, James asked, "In what setting would this epic
fight occur?"

"Back in Wonderland," they answered together. "Against the
Queen of Hearts, of course."

James praised the two young men until they blushed with embarrassment. "Don't you two quit on me! I still haven't found a
replacement for Mrs. Waxman."

"Don't worry, Professor. The prize is that we're being hired as
consultants during the two years it'll take to produce the game."
Scott exchanged a look with Francis. "We'd never leave the library,
but for once, we won't have to skimp on some of the things we've
wanted to buy. Our bachelor pad is about to be totally transformed!"

"That should entertain your landlady," James remarked with a
chuckle.

"Mrs. Lamb is one feisty old lady," Francis said. "She said the
first thing we should buy is a disco ball!"

The librarians laughed and went inside to begin their workday.
All three of them had an industrious morning. Between the two
book club meetings (James led the fiction club's discussion at ten
while Scott led the biography club's at eleven), lunchtime arrived
quickly.

Watching Francis rush to the refrigerator with glee, James realized that he had no lunch of his own. There'd been no time to
stop on the drive from Jane's house to the library. He waited for
the twins to finish theirs and when he finally ventured into town,
he was starving. Only Dolly's Diner would do. It was Tuesday and
that meant Clint's perfect meatloaf sandwich and a side of garlic
mashed potatoes.

Dolly's was always packed on Tuesdays. The locals adored the
meatloaf special and as summer approached, Dolly began serving
her famous Blueberry Dream Pie. For a mere ninety-nine cents,
her patrons could feast on a generous wedge of pie with the purchase of any entree. Most of Quincy's Gap took advantage of the
offer.

"Professor Henry!" Dolly shouted from behind the hostess station. "Such a pleasure to see you!"

To most, this type of greeting was spoken out of politeness, but
Dolly meant every word. She'd known James and his family for
years and was now as fond of Milla and Eliot as she was of her
own kin. Dolly loved Clint, food, and gossip, and not always in
that order. Somehow, her customers shared their problems with
her despite the knowledge that their secrets would be circulated
the minute they left the diner.

"Not even a seat at the counter," James mourned and his stomach rumbled in protest.

"Lemme see if anybody's about finished up. If they are, I'll give
em a gentle shove out the door. I know you've got to get back to
the library." Dolly hustled off, her sharp eyes in search of dawdlers.

As James waited, a pretty young woman with shoulder-length
auburn hair, fair skin, and a dash of freckles across her nose got up
from her chair at a table for two. She squinted in his direction and
then slipped on a pair of tortoise-shell glasses. Leaving a paperback on her seat, she walked over to James.

"Did she say that you worked at the library?" she inquired in a
pleasant alto.

James nodded. "I'm the head librarian."

The woman gave him a bright smile. "I'm Fern Dickenson.
I'm supposed to have an interview with you at two." She gestured
toward her table. "I just ordered and since there aren't any open
seats, would you like to join me?"

"That would be great," James answered, feeling well disposed
toward the thoughtful young woman already.

Over lunch, James proceeded to ask Fern all the questions he'd
been saving for the afternoon's interview. Fern told him that she
worked as a freelance photographer for a dozen Virginia publications but was having a hard time making ends meet without a
steady paycheck. She loved all areas of the Humanities, was well
read, and extremely personable. She'd had experience serving the
public during her two years working part-time for the Virginia
State Parks Department and while she enjoyed the job, she was
ready for a change.

From what James could tell, Fern had a great sense of humor,
a solid work ethic, and a deep love of reading. She was perfect for
the job.

When Dolly arrived to clear their lunch plates, Fern excused
herself to use the restroom.

"Isn't she a little young for you, Professor?" Dolly wiggled her
eyebrows and then laughed, her whole body shaking in mirth.

James waved her off. "She's going to be my new part-time librarian. This meal became an impromptu interview."

Dolly was beside herself over being the first to hear such interesting news. "You all need to celebrate. Be back in a flash!"

Before James could protest, she was gone. By the time Fern returned from the restroom, two dessert plates containing slices of
Blueberry Dream Pie had been placed on the table by the diner's
exuberant proprietor.

"On the house!" Dolly told Fern. "And welcome to Quincy's
Gap. We're mighty glad to have you. Are you movin' to our town?
Are you on your own or do you have a significant other?"

Fern accepted Dolly's welcome and took her questions in
stride. "Thank you. I'm glad to be here. As for my living situation ... I'm apartment hunting and I'm single. I'm an only child
and my astrological sign is Libra. Blood type is 0 Negative." She
looked quizzically at James. "Wait, does this mean I got the job?"

"It's yours if you want it," James declared. When Fern nodded
enthusiastically, James gestured at his plate. "Shall we toast with a
forkful of pie?"

Dolly hadn't budged during this exchange and James didn't
dare offend her by turning down her gift of pie, so he loaded up
his fork, clinked it against Fern's, and popped it in his mouth.

A blend of cream cheese, fresh blueberries, and sugar coated
his tongue. Sighing as the fresh berries popped between his teeth,
he waited for the feeling of intense pleasure to overpower him, to
create that high he was accustomed to experiencing when eating a
sweet food, but it didn't happen. He enjoyed the treat, but wasn't
so focused on it that he couldn't pause between bites to converse
with his new employee.

"When should I start, Mr. Henry?" Fern inquired once she'd
cleaned her plate. "I'm available whenever you need me."

James wiped a blueberry smear from his cheek. "How about
tomorrow? I'll have Scott show you the ropes. I believe you two are
going to get along very well."

AFTER SPONTANEOUSLY HIRING FERN
over lunch, James returned to the library
with a light step. He hummed quietly
all the way into his office, stopping only
to listen to his voicemail. Jane had left
a message saying she'd filed a police report earlier that morning and the officer
she'd spoken to promised to have a car
assigned to patrol her neighborhood for the rest of the week. The
helpful lawman had also removed the dead crow from her front
door and buried the sad creature in the far reaches of the back
yard.

"I feel so much better today," she said and James could hear the
relief in her voice. "And I want to thank you again for last night." She
paused and he could easily picture the blood rushing to her cheeks
as the double meaning of her words became apparent. "Um, about last night ... I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but what we
did felt really natural and, well, pretty damned wonderful! I've
been acting like a pre-teen girl with a serious crush all day-wearing this goofy smile and writing your name all over my desk calendar... " she chuckled. "Okay, I'm trying not to make you blush or
anything. I just wanted to say that you make me happy. Bye!"

James smiled. He felt buoyant, as though everything in his life
was neatly falling into place. His reconnection with Jane had been
a unique experience. After all, they had been married, but she had
been a self-centered lover when they'd been together and had often seemed dissatisfied with their sex life. Last night, she was a different woman in bed. Playful and giving, she'd quickly put aside
her shyness and allowed him to explore her voluptuous body. In
return, she'd loved him with a mixture of tenderness and passion
she'd never shown during their marriage.

James could feel his pulse racing as he replayed the night over
and over, but then doubts began to worm their way into his mind,
disturbing his reminisces and causing him to question the wisdom
of being led by his libido.

We can't mess around like teenagers, he thought. No matter how
good it feels. There's Eliot to consider. If Jane and I are going to be together, it must be for all the right reasons. I've got to be one hundred
percent sure she and I are the real deal this time.

And therein lay the rub, James thought. He believed they'd been
the genuine article the first time around. He'd been so certain of
their future the night he'd knelt down and proposed. After he and
Jane divorced, he thought Lucy might be the love he'd waited for.
And then there was Murphy.

He'd been wrong about all of them.

"Let's face it," he remarked glumly to the photo of Jackson and
Milla on his desk. "I don't have clear judgment when it comes to
women. Yet you!" he pointed at his father. "You got it right-not
once but twice! And you're a cantankerous old man! How'd you
win the hearts of such wonderful women, Pop?"

"Talking to yourself again?" A teasing voice inquired.

James looked up to see Murphy Alistair standing in the threshold, her arms crossed as she leaned against the doorframe, mouth
upturned in amusement. If not for that expression, he might not
have recognized her right away, for she no longer looked like the
small-town reporter he'd once dated. Her hair had been dyed
to a rich, molasses-brown, chic Chanel frames had replaced her
academic-looking glasses, and she'd grown shockingly thin. Her
angular body was encased in a black sheath dress and she wore
a multi-strand red coral necklace. To James, she resembled a
younger version of Sarah Palin.

Out of politeness, he rose from his seat. "You look very cosmopolitan."