Shattered Silence (Ghostly Rhapsody) by Nieto Ron C

Author:Nieto, Ron C. [Nieto, Ron C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ron C. Nieto
Published: 2013-07-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

The librarian didn't remember us from our last newspaper-reading binge. Or if she did, she didn't ban us. This time we knew our way around, so we just made ourselves comfortable and began our search.

"Right," Alice said, dumping her things without bothering to search for the cleanest spot. "We have three hours and a half before they kick us out. Let's make it count."

"Should we start reading where we left off or something?"

Her only response involved rescuing a slip of paper from her jeans' back pocket.

"You have a list."

"I have two, actually. This one is yours. Those are the important events that went on in the timeline between the Nightray family coming to this place and the end of the bloodline. There should be articles referencing the events, and if something out of the ordinary went on, the reporters would have brought it up."

"Like... inaugural ball of Clensington theater? What kind of weird should I be looking for again?"

"Don't be silly. A maniac wouldn't have showed up and died in the middle of the ball, but if there had been any maniac at all dying or going batshit crazy, and this maniac were to be an acquaintance of some attendee..."

"Then the papers would talk about it just because it's something to gossip about," I said, catching on.

"Exactly." She was already pulling out binders that referenced other events.

"And what exactly are you looking for?" I asked, noting that her binders were more recent than mine.

"The same thing as you. Now start working. It's not getting any earlier!" she chided me with a small smile.

I rolled my eyes but sank down to my knees to work. The list she had given me had dates and names of places or social happenings, and then two blank columns labeled "corpse" and "relationship." The top entries were the stories we had found not that long ago, the links that gave us our tenuous knowledge of Beatrice, and I checked those first because it felt easier.

It took me a moment to recall how the papers were stored, but then it was a matter of minutes to find more bits of news that mattered. I wrote dutifully each name and what those persons had represented to the Nightray family. In a bout of inspiration, I added which particular family member they'd been attached to and the issue and page where the info could be found in the archive.

Fran Beckenridge, attorney, Jeremy.

Diane Garnett, friend and singer, Caroline.

Harrison Linwood, friend and musician, Conway.

Randall Hughes-Davies, betrothed, businessman and musician, Helen.

There was something of a routine to the job. And though the subject might have been disgusting and macabre, I genuinely enjoyed working with Alice. The companionship, just knowing we were together doing something as mundane as checking library records—even if we were trying to find some not-mundane stuff—was relaxing and lulling.

If I was very, very lucky, I could get a whole life of relaxing, mundane moments like this with her.

With a sigh, I tried not to keep thinking along those lines and to get back to work.

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