Larceny at the Library by Colleen Shogan

Author:Colleen Shogan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Epicenter Press
Published: 2020-03-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

W

I continued down the long corridor linking the House of Representatives offices to the Library of Congress’s James Madison Building. Doug worked in the historic Thomas Jefferson Building, so I was less familiar with the floor plan of Madison. But I did know my way to the cafeteria, and Joe Malden said his office was nearby.

After taking the elevator to the sixth floor of the building, I followed the signs to the General Counsel’s office. The main door was locked, and I had to use a buzzer to speak to the receptionist.

“My name is Kit Marshall. I’m here to see Joe Malden,” I said loudly.

“Ma’am, you don’t need to continue to hold the button when you speak,” said the female voice. “It continues to buzz in my ear when you do that.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” I took my finger off the button. Why aren’t instructions provided with complex machinery?

“I’m letting you in now,” said the voice.

The door made a clicking sound, and I pulled it open. Inside the foyer, the same voice greeted me. “Hello, Ms. Marshall. Joe’s office is in the back of the suite.” She pointed behind her.

I headed in the designated direction and found the office with Joe’s name on it. The door was open, but I knocked softly before entering.

Joe was at his desk, reading a document. When he saw me, he smiled and motioned with his hand. “Please come in, Kit.”

I took a seat across his desk and looked around. Joe’s office was roomy, probably three times the size of my work space. He’d decorated it with a smattering of Boston Red Sox paraphernalia. There was a framed jersey, a 2018 poster of the World Series team, a fancy photograph of Fenway Park, and even a baseball bat with signatures on it. On top of all this, there was also a picturesque view of the iconic Jefferson Building dome. Although not quite as grand as the United States Capitol’s world-famous structure, the Jefferson dome was no slouch. Doug had told me its architecture and design had been based on the Paris Opera House.

“This is an impressive workspace, Joe. I’m trying to hide my jealousy,” I said.

Joe’s face turned pink. “I try to remind myself how lucky I am. Sometimes I take it for granted. It is a beautiful office with a spectacular background.”

“And you’ve surrounded yourself with your baseball memorabilia,” I said, pointing to the bat resting against the wall.

“That’s a Mookie Betts signed bat from 2018,” he said proudly. “He was the league MVP that year.”

“Quite a treasure,” I said. “Why do you keep it at work?”

“I don’t usually,” said Joe. “A few people wanted to see it, so I brought it in. Quite frankly, I kind of like having it around. It makes me happy.”

I understood. Having Clarence at work made me happy, at least when he wasn’t stealing ice cream cones from toddlers visiting Congresswoman Dixon’s office. That actually happened. I never needed to exaggerate when it came to Clarence’s antics.

“Staff must still be quite unsettled about what happened yesterday,” I said.

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