The Burning Pages by Paige Shelton

Author:Paige Shelton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

TWENTY

Okay, so maybe Hamlet and Neil didn’t really know each other well. Maybe they’d only worked together briefly on a university project at the National Library, or maybe what I’d seen pass between the two of them was simply vague recognition because of their common membership in the archery team, though Hamlet joined about the time Neil stopped being so involved.

But I couldn’t deny to myself that it seemed like more than that.

And, despite what I’d said to Al, I was beginning to worry. Wyatt confirmed for me that Hamlet still hadn’t shown up to work, and he wasn’t answering anyone’s calls. Had he gotten himself into something he couldn’t get out of easily? Was he in danger? Had he done something horrible and was running away? My mind was conjuring unpleasant things.

I stood outside the National Library and gazed at the front façade. Made of large light-colored blocks of stone, the tall building was one of my favorites. No matter all the fabulous information inside it, the outside told a great story. And though I’d never been in there, I’d certainly admired the architecture.

One row of windows spread across the front, but they were small and not as impressive as many of the arched windows throughout the city. It was the sculpted additions that made the place so special. In a line, also across the front, was a row of carved allegorical figures.

Each of the statues represented a field of study: medicine, theology, history, poetry, justice, the arts, and science. The human figures, each in a pose representing its discipline, seemed to communicate that the entire world was right inside the building, waiting to be discovered.

Though my growing concern for Hamlet was real, I couldn’t help but smile at the memory of when I’d shown my parents and my brother this particular building. My mother had loved it, my father hadn’t thought much of it, and my brother had noted that the statues were “downright creepy.”

I planned to tell him later that I visited the library with the creepy statues.

But as I went through the doors, I discovered that even with the carvings, the outside was bland when compared to the inside. A long dark wood table with chairs filled the middle of the impressive main area. Shelves, painted a dark green, took up two levels and were topped off by a paned light in the ceiling. A reference desk ran along one side of the bottom level.

The National Library was the legal depository for Scotland. It had the right to every book published in the United Kingdom, though it wasn’t a lending library. Hamlet had mentioned that he’d visited here a few months ago to do so some research. I wished I’d asked him what he’d been researching.

There were some exhibits inside the library, including an excellent one on the history of golf; it was even decorated with artificial turf. Perhaps Wyatt would think it less creepy if I took the time to show him that exhibit.

A few

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