Page 8 of Witch and Tell

“He left me a voicemail message, remember?”

I couldn’t argue with that. I opened my mouth to tell her there might be another reason for his disappearance— even though I had no idea of what it might be—but was interrupted by a voice at the entrance to Circulation.

“What is this?” Wanda, the retreat center’s new custodian, held up a copy ofPuss in Boots.

“Children’s reading hour starts soon. That’s this morning’s book,” I said. Mona, the volunteer who led the reading hour, fostered animals. Most of the books she chose featured animals, too. “Did someone leave it on the floor?” The children’s section rapidly became an obstacle course if I didn’t tend to it regularly.

Wanda flipped through its pages and raised an eyebrow. “It’s about cats.”

“Yes.Puss in Bootsis a classic. Kids love it.”

She stared at the book’s cover. I remembered her hesitancy with Rodney. Cats must really freak her out.

“Do you know what this story is about?” she asked with a tight smile.

Puss in Bootstried to respond, but its words slowed and garbled, lowering in pitch like a record player running out of power. Alarm quickened my pulse. It was happening again. Something was interfering with my magic.

“Sure,” I said. “It’s about a cat who helps his master win the hand of a princess.”

“Through lying. And murder.”

“An evil ogre is killed, as I remember.”

“Yes.” She nodded slowly. “Yes. I see. It’s a fairy tale.”

“Right.” What was her deal? “Can I help you find something?”

She seemed to snap out a reverie. “I’d like to volunteer here. Work at the retreat center is sporadic, and I want to put my skills to good use.”

This was a surprise, but a welcome one. “Your timing is great. Dylan, our intern, is off to college soon, and we don’t have a replacement. We’d love to have you. Could you come in, let’s see”—I called up the calendar on my computer—“the day after tomorrow?”

She didn’t even pause. “Definitely.”

“Hi, Josie.” Mona had arrived for the reading hour and had a box of crayons and stack of paper under one arm. Before long, the floor in Children’s Literature would be covered with scrawled drawings of cats wearing boots.

“Mona, have you met Wanda? She’s the new custodian at the retreat center. Wanda, Mona volunteers here, too. She runs the children’s reading hour.”

Wanda tappedPuss in Boots’s cover. “You chose this.”

“Isn’t it sweet?” Mona said.

“Mona loves animals,” I added. “She fosters them.” I’d have to mention Wanda’s phobia about cats to Mona. Maybe Mona would even be able to bring her around. One glance at a baby kitten suckling a bottle would melt anyone’s heart.

Wanda’s response, if she’d intended any, was interrupted by Sailor racing into Circulation with Rodney at his heels. Sailor jumped into Lalena’s lap, and Rodney froze a few feet from Wanda.

Her stiff smile unwavering, Wanda stepped toward Rodney, who lowered to his haunches and backed away. When he hit a chair, he spun and ran for the exit. I heard the cat door flap a second later.

Wanda’s smile momentarily faded, then lit up again, tense and firm. “Good day, Josie. I’ll see you soon.”

Chapter Five

The afternoon was quiet. I waited for the books to resume their chatter, but they were mute. I slid a novel from a shelf in Popular Releases, willing it to communicate some of the Louisiana swamp and thunderstorms of its setting, but it was lifeless between my palms.

Sighing, I returned the book to its shelf. I was on my way to my office when I saw one of the construction workers from the Empress hesitating at the entrance to the atrium.

“Can I help you?” I asked.

“This is a library? I know the sign outside says it is, but I’ve never seen a library like this.”