Page 18 of Booked for Theft (Vigilante Magical Librarians #3)

EIGHTEEN

Pleased I’d managed to make a difference, I returned to work.

Aware that the true goal of the politicians was to put literary felony into my hands along with notes tucked away within the sacred pages, I made it my goal to pretend I was nothing more than the perfect librarian. In turn, the visiting politicians played their part, opening their wallets for my branch and offering a ‘small’ gesture of their appreciation. Representative Allany of Nevada brought me a collection of ten books, earning a delighted gasp out of me as he stacked wrapped presents onto my desk.

I didn’t need any of the notes within his books to catch his point. The titles, nine books and one ancient poetry manuscript, were all literary felonies and whispered of revolt, rebellion, political defiance, and societal injustice.

The youngest of the books had been printed shortly before the calendar change, and the oldest of them had somehow endured through the centuries, penned sometime in the 1370s according to the note accompanying it.

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

Animal Farm by George Orwell.

The Iron Heel by Jack London.

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

The Death of Artemio Cruz by Carlos Fuentes.

Piers Plowman by William Langland.

1776 by David McCullough.

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela.

The Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy.

Like my copy of The Hunt for Red October , The Cardinal of the Kremlin was a signed first edition, and it contained the most notes from the representative, referencing specific parts of the book and how it applied to our current situation—and our country’s fate if we were not careful. The poem, according to a rather lengthy letter included with it, had been the foundational writing for the Robin Hood stories, which had somehow survived the purge of history, myths, and legends.

1776 would teach us all we needed to know about how the United States had come to be, knowledge that had been reduced into being a felony.

If most Americans understood how the country had come to be, it might rise up once again into a state of civil war, determined to dismantle their oppressive and lethal government.

Then, tucked within the pages of A Tale of Two Cities , was another address to a warehouse. Who owned it and why it was of interest remained a mystery we would need to solve, but the back of the paper indicated if we couldn’t get our hands on what was within, it would be better for the nation as a whole if everything were to come to a permanent end.

Something about the way he suggested the contents be destroyed bothered me. It screamed of a lie somehow, especially in the way his handwriting had changed, as though he hadn’t wanted to write the words at all.

The date and a second note scribbled underneath the warning indicated we had an October deadline to make the warehouse and its contents disappear.

Interesting.

The second warning mentioned nothing about destruction, only that the contents needed to vanish.

Friday morning, Representative Forsythe’s doctor, who had come to New York, requested my assistance with his procedure after confirming my findings and locating a hospital willing to accept the waivers I needed to do my share of the work. Rather than take my regular lunch break, I headed to one of Manhattan’s more prestigious hospitals, donned a pair of scrubs, gloves, and a mask, and waged war against one of my most hated foes, cancer. As promised, I finished within thirty minutes, making certain I took the time to do another head to toe check for anything else that might cause him issues that I might be able to detect.

I found nothing, and pleased I’d managed to make a difference, I returned to work until my dinner date with my fiancé and two rival representatives.

Representative Dareth of New York and Representative Dimitris of Texas had gone all in on their competition, resulting in two boxes filled with wrapped books. Their posturing made me laugh during most of the dinner, and between the two of them, their contributions would keep my branch in full operations for at least twenty years, including sufficient funds to hire six new librarians.

Representative Dimitris loved coming to our branch, and he wanted us to have sufficient staffing to handle an entire pox of politicians. Representative Dareth refused to be outdone by his Texan rival. After the meal, as planned, Bradley’s parents came to pick us up, and we loaded the books into the back. Bradley’s father eyed the boxes, shaking his head.

I assumed he didn’t want us to say a word until he had a chance to check over everything for bugs, something I agreed with.

Once in the comfort of home, I put the boxes in the dining room for Bradley’s father to deal with while I scooped Ajani up, praised her for being the best kitty, and cuddled her while Bradley introduced our new daughters to his parents.

Within twenty minutes, Bradley’s father declared the box and its contents to be free of bugs, making use of his magic to check within the books without removing the wrapping paper. “If there are any bugs, neither politician is aware of them—and they were being diligent regarding the selection of the books, how they put the notes inside them, and even how they wrapped them. All were chosen trying to send messages—more than just in the notes within. Representative Dareth’s box has fewer notes, but I suspect they’re of more importance; he had a higher sense of general urgency when packing his box than Representative Dimitris did. That said, both men are heavily invested in you bringing change to the government. That much is clear from their behavior.”

I gave Ajani a few pets before setting her loose, and she went to check on her kittens, sitting beside Bradley while purring. “I don’t suppose you can confirm if books are being chosen because President Castillo views them as fairly worthless?”

“It is definitely playing a role. One of the books was actually recommended by President Castillo to be offered as a gift; the impression from that one was rather strong. He is of the opinion that librarians are much like dragons. If given a book, it will be hoarded and never shared. He projects his personal views of the world onto you, so he views you having these titles as a way to earn grace and respect.” Bradley’s father picked up one of the books from the box and set it on the table. “It’s this one, for the record. The book used to belong to Representative Dareth, purchased at an auction overseas.”

I nodded. “I’ll go get my other acquisitions, and if you could scan them, I’d be appreciative.”

“Of course. Have you gotten anything of use from them, Bradley?”

My fiancé shook his head. “I haven’t invested much effort in trying, truth be told. I’m only going to get the strongest things, and I’d be concerned I’d end up trying to peek into distant past—and I do not want to deal with that sort of headache.”

While I wanted to stick around and eye my future husband over his comment, I went to my office, put on my gloves, and ferried all my new books back to the dining room, handing them over with another pair of gloves. “If you want to handle them without gloves, wash your hands first. The soap to use with books is labeled books in the hallway bathroom.”

The older man chuckled, put on the gloves, and went to work checking everything over. “I can work with gloves on in this case, but if I need to have direct contact, I’ll wash my hands appropriately.”

I picked up the book President Castillo had recommended, tore off the paper, and raised a brow. Rather than one book, it turned out to be a set of three in tattered cloth and publisher’s board, so old I worried it might fall apart with any incorrect handling. Careful to support all three, I turned them to view the spines.

“ Pride and Prejudice ?” I blurted.

The book wasn’t on any banned lists, and I’d first read it as a child as part of a reading assignment, loving everything about the title, from its dated romantic elements to the foreign nature of the characters’ behaviors.

“It’s not just Pride and Prejudice , it’s a first edition of it. Those used to belong to a library overseas, but after the place burned, these were among the few that survived, and the set was sold so the library could be rebuilt. Representative Dareth wrote the book off as a charitable contribution, and while he loves old things, books included, he made the purchase because of its rarity rather than for any love of the book. President Castillo believes there are many overlaps with you and Bradley, so he thought it would make a good gift. Surprisingly genuine coming from him. President Castillo was truly delighted when he realized Representative Dareth was considering the set as a gift for you.”

“Can you tell when this happened?” I asked.

Bradley’s father nodded. “President Castillo, from what I can tell, had paid a personal visit to Representative Dareth’s home to discuss how he was to play his role in an upcoming bill. Representative Dareth then asked for President Castillo’s opinion on all the books in his box. They were all approved, although the representative did take the time to explain the reasoning for the choices. Fortunately for our cause, the reasons boiled down to a certainty you hadn’t read anything other than Pride and Prejudice before. President Castillo took the bait hook, line, and sinker.”

“He really just thinks I’m a book addict, doesn’t he?”

“Basically. You’re a book addict who put some sticks in the spokes, but the way you put the sticks in the spokes has ultimately served him well—at least for the moment. He’s satisfied that you are not a threat, however. You were discussed. When President Castillo asked Representative Dareth about your general inclinations, especially for politics, the answer was rather illuminating. The representative broke down laughing and said the only time you might be a risk to anyone about anything is if there were imperiled books nearby—or if Bradley got into trouble. As long as the library systems are preserved, you’ll be readily contained. You have no aspirations nor talent for politics. In fact, Representative Dareth doubts you could lie even if you wanted to. And President Castillo agreed with him on that score. Genuinely, I might add.”

How interesting. “I don’t suppose the subject on why so many of these books are a felony came up, did it?”

“To a degree. Representative Dareth asked why one of the books was on the banned list.” Bradley’s father went through the box and pulled out a thicker title. “This one, specifically.” A second book of similar length joined it in a pile beside me. “Those are actually the same book. The first one is in Russian. The second one is a later translation into English.” He rummaged even more, pulling out a package of a different size. “This is going to be one of the crowned jewels of your collection, I’m sure. This somehow survived the ages, and is the original partial printing spread across numerous periodicals. Much like Pride and Prejudice , it came from an auction to rebuild a library following a disaster. The owner was a private collector, however. Do take care with opening them. They’re all first editions.”

“How can one title have three first editions?”

“One is the first edition of the fully completed book, one is the first view the world got to see of the title as it evolved, and the last is the first edition printed into English,” Bradley’s father informed me. “It counts, although it only counts because of the nature of the book. The wife is going to be ridiculously jealous, as her copy is from the last print run before it was purged from American libraries, bookstores, and digital collections.”

I turned to Bradley’s mother. “What do I have to do to get that copy out of your hands?”

Bradley’s father laughed. “You won’t have to do anything. I saw it in the boxes we brought over for you. I’m sure the wife is going to be over frequently to visit that one. She rereads it with alarming regularity.”

“I’m sorry,” I told Mrs. Hampton.

“Don’t be sorry. If I didn’t want you to have them, I wouldn’t have given them to you. But yes, all four of those books are definitely felonies, quite serious ones. The banned list has the title in every language it was ever printed in.”

“My office is going to be a one massive felony, but it will also be a thing of beauty, Bradley.”

My fiancé chuckled. “That’s one way of putting it. Are you even going to have enough shelves in there?”

“I’ll have to move out all of my permitted titles to our library, but for now, I’ll probably manage.”

In reality, I would have at least six empty bookcases even after unloading all my new boxes of books.

I selected the English first edition and took care with taking off the wrapping paper, revealing a copy of War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. I’d heard of the title, but thanks to its status as banned, I hadn’t known what it had been about or why it had a reputation for being obnoxious. “Do you know why this was banned?”

Bradley’s mother shrugged. “I suspect it is due to Tolstoy’s views regarding how history should have been recorded in the era he wrote it. It challenges the standardized norm, and such challenges are viewed as particularly dangerous, especially by our government. Any book that challenges the norm, for the most part, made the banned book list. Those that openly challenge rather than subtly do so were turned into felonies. The government’s stance regarding the legal gifting of these books preserves the ability of the rich to maintain their wealth. The smart read and learn, and they play the game within the government’s rules, preserving their life and perceived liberties. There is little care for everyone else. Most don’t even know these books once existed.”

“It becomes the domain of librarians, who have to check the banned list during the acquisition process,” I muttered. “You would think President Castillo would be more wary of a librarian with access to the banned book list and the books figuring all this out and deciding to expose everything.”

“Except most librarians live in service of the people, and the fastest way to be unable to serve is having to do time in jail for making use of the wrong book in an unreceptive society.”

“Is it true that the banned book list must be a direct match for the banned book?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

With a skip in my step, I went around the table, picked up my copy of Schindler’s Ark , and held it up for her to see. “So I could digitize this, send it to all media outlets, and it would not be a felony. It wouldn’t even be a crime.”

Her eyes widened, and she sucked in a breath. “Where did you get that?”

“It was a gift.” I handed it over to Bradley’s father. “Can you get a reading off this?”

He took the book, turned it over in his hands, and spent a disconcertingly long time staring at it through narrowed eyes. “A long, long time ago, one of Representative Forsythe’s relatives had been incarcerated in one of the German concentration camps. She somehow survived, escaping to Australia. When Schindler’s Ark was released, she purchased a copy, and it has been passed down from generation to generation. In order to prevent history from repeating itself, Representative Forsythe has chosen to pass his family’s legacy on to you. This book has a great deal of weight to it. And before you worry, no, he doesn’t want it back. He wants this book to become a pillar of salvation, so that what happened to his family never happens to anyone else. He knows what the government does, and he understands he cannot stop it—but you might be able to. The weight is as much a hope for the future as it is heritage and legacy.” Bradley’s father turned the book over in his hands. “He has inscribed something on the last page of the book in invisible ink. It will require a special light to read, but the imprint is strong enough I can tell what was written.”

I grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from my kitchen junk drawer and returned, ready to take notes. “What does it say?”

“It is a quote from Winston Churchill, which goes as follows: ‘I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the ordeal of meeting me is another matter.’”

A chill crawled up my spine, creeping along with the slow progress of forming ice, crackling the entire way. “He knows he might die.”

“That does seem to be the case. I sense resignation tinged with the tiniest trace of hope. But I can’t tell what we need to do to prevent his murder.”

“Could the second warehouse be involved? The one where we have a due date to destroy or liberate?”

Bradley’s father shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’ve already begun looking into the warehouse with the campaign material, and it will be an easy hit. The security company handling the building is in process of going bankrupt, and they’re short-staffed. I won’t have any problems handling whatever security measures they do have in place, and I have two good men with the appropriate abilities ready and willing to cause problems for the government.”

“You can trust them?”

“I would trust them with your life as much as mine. They’ve lost loved ones to the government’s machinations. They will be among those who will be establishing my European offices.” With another pained sigh, he regarded the copy of Schindler’s Ark . “I feel a great deal like the protagonist of that book. He certainly wasn’t what anyone would consider to be a hero, neither before nor after his decision to save as many as possible from the Nazi regime. In fact, he was rather unscrupulous according to some. But when it mattered, he acted, at great personal cost. His people viewed him as a traitor for defying Hitler. But those he saved? They cared nothing about the man’s flaws. Because of him, they lived. We’re doing similar, although we’re hiding our efforts under a veil of wealth and ceremony. The money is an issue, but I would rather be poor when this is all done and have my employees safe when the smoke settles. If I could save everyone, I would.”

“The money isn’t an issue,” Bradley announced.

Well aware of what my fiancé had to hide, I went to work opening books. While the first edition of Pride and Prejudice and three editions of War and Peace would be the crowned jewels of my new additions, the boxes contained a wealth of banned books. Judging from their descriptions, in some fashion or another, they dealt with defiance of some sort.

Sometimes, the defiance involved the government. Sometimes, it involved society as a whole. In a few rare cases, the defiance came in the form of recollections of historical events the government attempted to erase.

“It’s an issue,” his father countered. “You spent forty-five million dollars in travel fees alone, including my employees. Then there is an issue of the cruise costs, which were over sixty million dollars including animal transport. That was the cost for just one ship. We needed two ships, and you insisted on paying for both of them.”

“Well, it’s my engagement with my woman, and due to my station as your brilliant son, I have to do grand gestures. As you, my father, surely can’t go on a sojourn for such a length without it also serving as a business function, my only choice was to bring all the employees who would be involved with your expansion plans into Europe. It’s not my fault that worked out to be almost six thousand people. It would have been twenty thousand people if more of your employees were willing to do such a venture.”

“I even offered to bring pets and family to make them more comfortable with the trip, but they would rather stay home and take advantage of overtime shifts,” Bradley’s father complained. “It doesn’t hurt that I made it clear that any overtime I issued while I’m on my sojourn with the rest of the employees would be triple pay.”

As Bradley’s father paid well, triple time would give his workers staying in the United States many reasons to like him. “Triple pay is impressive.”

“The company is doing well, and I increased some of their other perks as well. I’m trying to position everyone to be relatively safe from the government’s efforts. I can’t protect everyone, but I’m trying. That still doesn’t change the fact it’s almost six thousand people, you bought this penthouse, and you went on a book buying bender to appease your fiancé.”

I snickered. “You’re in trouble with your daddy, Bradley. Remind him you also have two new daughters.”

“We have two new daughters, Dad.”

“Your daughters, fortunately, will not be a massive financial burden.”

“We’re fine, Dad. Really. As I am a most excellent son, I have remained out of debt, and that includes all costs of the cruise, the venture overseas, and the wedding ceremony, engagement party, and attire for all associated events.”

“I don’t see how that can be possible. I know how much all those things cost. Also, we need to have a discussion regarding your choice of marriage venue!”

My eyes widened. “You picked a venue, Bradley?”

My fiancé winced. “An opportunity knocked, so I accepted it without hesitation. I was cornered by the clergy at the cathedral, and they offered to host our formal wedding ceremony. Due to the nature of our relationship, your physical challenges, and your sacrifices, they’re willing to overlook any living in sin we may be indulging in, as it appears we have been doing the Lord’s work. They’re really impressed with you in general, and while we aren’t practicing members of their faith, we’ve been bestowed honorary status. They would appreciate if we attended services for a period of three months. It would be once a week starting next week. They’d be extra happy if we made the time to come weekly until our ceremony unless we have a prior engagement or need to do cell work. They’re aware we’ll be processing our civil paperwork at the engagement party, but the current forms we have satisfied them. I told them I’d call early next week after talking with you. The cell work, to them, is also doing the Lord’s work. I didn’t bother questioning it. The offer was too good to pass up, and the cathedral does a lot of public outreach, so it looks good all around.”

“Us? Be married there ?”

Bradley smiled. “You love everything about that building, so I figured you’d like it. And I, of course, informed the clergy that we would be making a sizable donation to the church for use of the cathedral and to have the clergy oversee the vows. And if things work out as we want, well, it will bring the cathedral a rather impressive amount of prestige.”

No kidding. “We could make them a copy of the prayer book. I don’t know if it’s even the same religion as theirs, but it’s a beautiful old thing, and we can loan the original to them for services if it is related to their religion.”

“I’ll take pictures of it and inquire with them if they’d like a copy. Mom? Do you know anyone who can make accurate duplicates of old books?”

“I do,” his mother confirmed, and she smiled. “I’ll hire to have copies of your specialty antiques made. I’m sure you’ll want duplicates of the Roman codices made.”

I straightened, and unable to contain my enthusiasm over the idea, I blurted, “You better get three of those done. I want my branch of the library to have one, I want one so I can handle it without fear, and I’d like to have one available to gift if a good situation comes up. I’ll pay for it.” I sighed and bowed my head. “I mean, I’ll ask Bradley to pay for it, because I’m pretty sure I can’t afford that bill.”

“Easily done. Now, knowing how much the trip is costing, how are you two not in the poorhouse?”

“I may have lied about how many shares I purchased,” Bradley confessed. “I was uncomfortable with my portion of the earnings, so I was a little less than forthcoming regarding my wealth.”

Both of his parents stared at him, and in unison, they raised a brow.

I recognized their expression: they waited for their child to dig himself his own grave, which would take him all of twenty seconds if I didn’t intervene and come to his rescue. After learning the truth and the reason for why, I decided to be the white knight for a change. “He was depressed and felt he deserved to lose a bunch of money on a big gamble, but he wasn’t courageous enough to actually wager the money on a bad gamble. The gamble was such he was willing to invest for you and my parents, but the depression ultimately made him commit more money than he should have. Then the stock hit big, and he sold wisely, resulting in him having a great deal more money than he’s comfortable with having. Please have mercy on him. I’ll be taking him in for therapy on it, but he told me about the problem, why he’d done it, and how he’s struggling to cope with his fiscal success. He is not happy about sharing familiarities with Midas right now. Have mercy on his soul. But he really can afford the entirety of the trip, and he has good reason to handle it as he is.”

My fiancé sighed. “That was merciless, Janette.”

“Your pride will eventually survive. Even after spending all that money, you’re still a spoiled little billionaire. I’ve decided I’m an expensive trophy wife, and my tastes involve old books, preferably ones that are on the felony list.”

“You can’t buy those books,” he reminded me.

“I can if they’re like Schindler’s Ark .”

“I’m not spoiled.”

Like hell he wasn’t. I pointed in the direction of our new robotic litter management device. “You bought how many of those automated contraptions?”

“Three. We have one per cat. Each cat deserves their own automated throne.”

“I rest my case.”

“I also dislike scooping litter, and these scoop the litter for me. I just have to lift the bag out, tie it off, and escort it to the garbage chute. As my librarian has long and strenuous days of walking to work, wrangling politicians, and herding books, it is only fair that I, the homebound gentleman, make certain our felines have pristine litter thrones.”

I giggled, went on a hunt for Ajani, and discovered she had made off with her kittens, taking them back to bed. “They aren’t even our kittens. They’re Ajani’s kittens, and we’re just lucky we’re permitted to pet them.”

“I’m thinking I’ll name the white one Flufflestiltskin and the black one Tika Meowsala.”

My mouth dropped open. “Flufflestiltskin? Tika Meowsala?”

“You love Indian food, and it was the punniest name I could think of. Smacking you with a book pun also seemed wise. And we can call them Fluff and Tika for short.”

My fiancé had found a way to weaponize his kittens’ names, and I couldn’t decide if I needed to kick his parents out so we could have some energetic evening entertainment or scream over the assault to my sensibilities. “As they’re your kittens, I cannot protest your naming of them. But Ajani is my fluffy goddess, and I will fight you for her. But aren’t people going to think Flufflestiltskin is a little demon? A boy demon at that.”

“I am foreseeing that she will take after her mother and be a little demon, yes. And then I will point out cats don’t particularly care if their names are masculine or feminine. We’ll be calling her Fluff, and most will agree that Fluff is inherently skewed feminine.”

“It’s true,” Bradley’s mother stated, and she snickered. “I do not think of strong, manly men when I hear the name Fluff.”

“But being serious. Bradley has the money, he’s not comfortable nor happy with having the money, and if we could limit how much teasing is done until he has a chance to go to therapy over the money situation, I’d appreciate it. He told me about it, and that’s what matters. But the money is not going to be an issue.”

“I recommend investing at least a hundred million in overseas stocks, bonds, and real estate.” Bradley’s father made a thoughtful sound. “I can help you if you need.”

“I’m buying a castle in France for my librarian. The library is one of its predominant features. We’ll be hosting some of the trip things at the castle, so it won’t come across as suspicious. I have already entered into an agreement with France regarding tourism. We’ll be opening the property for a week out of every year for those who wish to view the interior of the castle. I will definitely need to hire your security firm.”

“Hire?” his father asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Hire. That shit is expensive, and I can afford to pay my father’s employees a fair rate. It’ll also give you a place to send employees on work trips. There’s a guardhouse on the premises that can hold six families. There are also a few guest cottages that could be turned into homes for guards if six living on castle grounds isn’t sufficient.”

“Six on castle grounds should be sufficient if we have homes nearby for the rest of the permanent staff. I’ll add it to the list of things to do while abroad, and that’ll give me all the cover I need for bringing along a hefty chunk of the employees, especially if I offer to send pairs to work the castle for two weeks a year. I approve of your use of the money. Do more of that, and I’ll provide the security. It’s an excellent cover. Well done, Bradley.”

My fiancé grinned at the praise. “Italy and Greece are possibly on the agenda, as it seems Janette has an infatuation with their architecture.”

“We can help look for properties,” he replied. “All right. So, you need therapy. That’s fine. If you need someone to go to the sessions with you, just let us know. Let’s get the important business done first. When do you want to hit the warehouse storing Senator Maybelle’s campaign materials?”

“Tomorrow night, late. I think that’ll be the least likely to be detected. We want to strike when it’s quiet.”

“I have a few illusionists who are eager to stretch their legs and test some new methods. Three of them can even trick cameras. I’ll have them help you get out of your condo so that anyone observing will believe you’re still at home. I’ll have a package delivered to Ren, that way you can go out while the courier is going in. That will also keep Ren’s alibi intact, as he will be able to say he ran into you outside of your condo when you got home, which will collaborate with the security folks and their footage.” Bradley’s father rubbed his hands together. “How do you want to handle destroying the evidence at the site?”

Bradley smiled. “We’ll use copious amounts of fire. We will not tell Janette’s mother we’re picking up bright careers as arsonists. The warehouse and the neighboring gas station will be our targets. We’ll put fuel in the tanks, let the fumes gather, blow it up, and have the fire catch the warehouse next door. Your illusionists can cover our presence at the site, and they can disguise us. We’ll wear disguises, though—and burn those as well. We won’t use the same site for that, though. Perhaps your fireplace at home?”

“Our fireplace works,” his mother confirmed. “We’ll wear dark clothing made of cotton so it’s easier to dispose of. I’ll handle the attire. I have plenty of cotton fabric at home, and I can whip up ghost costumes in ten minutes flat.”

Ghost costumes would work. “Wouldn’t cheap sheets be easier at that stage?”

Bradley’s mother shook her head. “I don’t have any cheap sheets in dark colors, but I have cotton I’m willing to sacrifice to the cause. We’ll bind your chest so if someone does see something, you appear more masculine—and I’ll install shoulder pads for everyone to help change our body sizes. I’ll handle that tomorrow. You two act normal tomorrow until it’s time to go. I’ll text you when it’s time for you to leave the condo for the adventure. Just make sure you go out with Ren sometime in the late afternoon.”

“Who else should we involve?” Bradley asked.

“Beatrice and Mickey,” I suggested. “It can be a play date. We’ll have them head out after we get back with Ren, which will help with the illusion that we’re not there, then they can find somewhere to get a lift with you. If we can rope Mr. Tawnlen in, we should. He can help us on the forensics front.”

“I’ll invite him over to go over my non-fiction collection to see if there are any particularly good titles for your history project at work. I’m sure we can get him to dance to our tune. What about Meridian?”

“What she doesn’t know can’t bite us all in the ass later,” I replied, sighing over excluding our friend and accomplice. “For this hit, we need perfect silence. But we can give her an important assignment for the cell. I propose we have her follow the money of the victims. She loves talking with the money, so we should give her a chance to shine. Who knows? Maybe she’ll find something we missed. Just remind her that charitable donations are public information, and the government requires that records be kept for twenty years. That should give her a lot of important work to do.”

Bradley’s father smiled at me. “You, Janette, are brilliant. It’s good cell work, and she won’t feel at all excluded this way. And when we do get our hands on the campaign information, once we leak everything of importance to the media, we’ll have her sniff the money there, too. For some reason, I suspect we’ll be able to get a lot of media outlets biting on their campaign information once it’s anonymously submitted to everywhere in the nation—and elsewhere, too.”

“How are we going to pull that off, Dad?” Bradley eyed his father. “You sound confident.”

“Just trust me.”

My fiancé regarded me with wide eyes. “I wasn’t worried before, but I am now.”

Like father, like son. Shaking my head, I began the process of unwrapping my gifts so I could admire the collection of books the sneaky politicians believed might help us topple our corrupt government. “One way or another, everything will work out, Bradley. While they make preparations for our hit tomorrow, we should go put my new books away and prepare to have a lengthy discussion about Italy and Greece while in the comfort of the tub.”

Bradley’s mother shot to her feet, gathered her things, and headed towards the door. “I love you both, and we’ll see you tomorrow. Come along, dear. The children need tub time. Don’t get into trouble without us.”

“I think we can handle that much,” I replied, smiling and escorting them to the door.

Tomorrow would be a good day.