The following morning after showering under a lukewarm trickle1 of water, Jeremy slipped on a pair of jeans, sweater, and brown leather jacket and made his way to Herbs, which seemed to be the most popular breakfast place in town. At the counter, he noticed Mayor Gherkin talking to a couple of men dressed in suits, and Rachel was busy working the tables. Jed was seated on the far side of the room, looking like the back side of a mountain. Tully was sitting at one of the center tables with three other men and, as could be expected, was doing most of the talking. People nodded and waved as Jeremy wound through the tables, and the mayor raised his coffee cup in salute2.
“Well, good morning, Mr. Marsh3,” Mayor Gherkin called out. “Thinking of positive things to write about our town, I hope?”
“I’m sure he is,” Rachel chimed in.
“Hope you found the cemetery4,” Tully drawled. He leaned toward the others at his table. “That there’s the doctor I was telling you about.”
Jeremy waved and nodded back, trying to avoid getting corralled into a conversation. He’d never been a morning person, and on top of that, he hadn’t slept well. Ice and death, coupled with nightmares about snakes, could do that to a person. He took a seat in the corner booth, and Rachel moved to the table with
efficiency, carrying a pot of coffee with her.
“No funeral today?” she teased.
“Coffee, darlin’?”
“Please.”
After flipping the cup, she filled it to the brim. “Would you like the special this mornin’? People have been ravin’ about it.”
“What is the special?”
“A Carolina omelet.”
“Sure,” he said, having no idea what was in a Carolina omelet, but with his stomach growling7, anything sounded good.
“Why not?” he said.
“Be back in a few minutes, darlin’.”
Jeremy began nursing his coffee while perusing9 yesterday’s newspaper. All four pages of it, including a big front-page story on a Ms. Judy Roberts, who’d just celebrated10 her hundredth birthday, a milestone11 now reached by 1.1 percent of the population. Along with the article was a picture of the staff at the nursing home holding a cupcake with a single lit candle atop it, as Ms. Roberts lay in the bed behind them, looking comatose12.
He glanced through the window, wondering why he’d even bothered with the local paper. There was a vending13 machine out front offering USA Today, and he was reaching into his pocket to look for change when a uniformed deputy took a seat directly across the table from him.
The man looked both angry and extremely fit; his biceps swelled14 the seams of his shirt, and he wore mirrored sunglasses that had gone out of style . . . oh, twenty years ago, Jeremy guessed, right after CHiPS went off the air. His hand rested on his holster, right atop a gun. In his mouth was a toothpick, which he moved from one side to the other. He said nothing at all, preferring to simply stare, giving Jeremy plenty of time to
study his own reflection.
It was, Jeremy had to admit, sort of intimidating15.
“Can I help you?” Jeremy asked.
The toothpick moved from side to side again. Jeremy closed the newspaper, wondering what on earth was going on.
“Jeremy Marsh?” the officer intoned.
“Yes?”
“Thought so,” he said.
Above the officer’s breast pocket, Jeremy noticed a shiny bar with the name engraved16 on it. Yet another name tag.
“And you must be Sheriff Hopper?”
“Deputy Hopper,” he corrected.
“Sorry,” Jeremy said. “Have I done something wrong, Officer?”
“I don’t know,” Hopper said. “Have you?”
“Not that I know of.”
Deputy Hopper moved the toothpick again. “You planning to stick around for a while?”
“Just for a week or so. I’m here to write an article—”
“I know why you’re here,” Hopper interrupted. “I just thought I’d check it out myself. I like to visit with strangers who are planning to hang around for a while.”
He put the emphasis on the word “stranger,” making Jeremy feel it was some sort of crime. He wasn’t quite sure that any response would diffuse18 the hostility19, so he fell back on the obvious.
“Ah,” he said.
“I hear you intend to spend a lot of time at the library.”
“Well . . . I guess I might—”
Jeremy reached for his coffee cup and took a sip21, buying time. “I’m sorry, Deputy Hopper, but I’m not exactly sure what’s going on here.”
“Mmm,” Hopper said again.
“Now, you’re not hassling our guest, are you, Rodney?” the mayor called out from across the room. “He’s a special visitor, here to drum up interest in the local folklore22.”
Deputy Hopper didn’t flinch or turn his gaze away from Jeremy. For whatever reason, he looked downright angry. “Just visiting with him, Mayor.”
“Well, let the man enjoy his breakfast,” Gherkin chided, moving toward the table. He waved a hand. “Come on over here, Jeremy. I’ve got a couple of people I’d like you to meet.”
When he was close, the mayor introduced him to two people; one was the almost emaciated24 county lawyer, the other a heavyset physician who worked at the local medical clinic. Both seemed to evaluate him in the same way that Deputy Hopper had. Reserving judgment25, as they say. Meanwhile, the mayor was going on about how exciting Jeremy’s visit was for the town. Leaning toward the other two, he nodded conspiratorially26.
“Might even end up on Primetime Live,” he whispered.
“Really?” the lawyer said. Jeremy figured the guy could easily pass for a skeleton.
Jeremy shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Well, as I was trying to explain to the mayor yesterday—”
Mayor Gherkin slapped him on the back, cutting him off.
“Very exciting,” Mayor Gherkin added. “Major television exposure.”
The others nodded, their faces solemn.
“And speaking of the town,” the mayor suddenly added, “I’d like to invite you to a little get-together27 dinner this evening with a few close friends. Nothing too extravagant28, of course, but since you’ll be here for a few days, I’d like to give you the chance to get to know some of the folks around here.”
Jeremy held up his hands. “That’s not really necessary . . .”
“Nonsense,” Mayor Gherkin said. “It’s the least we can do.
And, remember, some of these people I’m inviting29 have seen those ghosts, and you’ll have the chance to pick their collective brains. Their stories might even give you nightmares.”
He raised his eyebrows31; the lawyer and the physician waited expectantly. When Jeremy hesitated, it was all the mayor needed to conclude.
“Say about seven o’clock?” he said.
“Yeah . . . sure. I guess that’s fine,” Jeremy agreed. “Where’s the dinner going to be?”
“I’ll let you know a little later. I assume you’ll be at the library, right?”
“Probably.”
The mayor raised his eyebrows. “So I take it you’ve already met our fine librarian, Miss Lexie?”
“I have, yes.”
“She’s quite impressive, isn’t she?”
There was just a hint of other possibilities in the way he phrased it, something akin17 to locker-room talk.
“She’s been very helpful,” Jeremy said.
The lawyer and the physician smiled, but before the conversation went any further, Rachel came slithering by, just a little too close. Holding a plate, she nudged Jeremy.
“Come on, darlin’. I’ve got your breakfast right here.”
Jeremy glanced at the mayor.
“By all means,” Mayor Gherkin said, waving his hands.
Jeremy followed her back to the table. Thankfully, Deputy Hopper was gone by then, and Jeremy slid back into his seat. Rachel set the plate in front of him.
“You just enjoy that. I told ’em to make it extra special, since you’re visiting from New York City. I absolutely love that place!”
“Oh, you’ve been there?”
“You should go. It’s like nowhere else in the world.”
She smiled, looking coy. “Why, Mr. Marsh . . . is that an invitation?”
Rachel, on the other hand, didn’t seem to notice his expression. “Well, I just might want to take you up on that,” she twittered. “And I’d be glad to show you ’round the cemetery, any night you’d like to go. I’m usually finished here by three o’clock.”
Over the next twenty minutes, as Jeremy ate, Rachel came by a dozen times, refilling his coffee cup a quarter inch each time, smiling at him unrelentingly.
Jeremy made his way to his car, recovering from what was sup
Deputy Hopper. Mayor Gherkin. Tully. Rachel. Jed.
Small-town USA was way too much to deal with before coffee.
Tomorrow he’d just grab a cup of coffee somewhere else. He wasn’t sure eating at Herbs was worth it, even if the food was great. And, he had to admit, it was even better than he’d thought it would be. As Doris had said yesterday, it tasted fresh, like the ingredients had been gathered from the farm that morning.
Still, tomorrow would be coffee elsewhere. And not from Tully’s gas station, either, assuming he even had coffee. He didn’t want to get stuck in a conversation when he had other things to do.
He paused in midstep, amazed. Good Lord, he thought, I’m already thinking like a local.
He shook his head and retrieved36 his keys from his pocket as he walked toward the car. At least breakfast was over. Checking his watch, he saw that it was coming up on nine o’clock. Good.
Lexie found herself glancing out the window of her office the exact moment Jeremy Marsh pulled into the library parking lot.
Jeremy Marsh. Who’d continued to creep into her thoughts, even though she was trying to work. And just look at him now.
Trying to dress more casually37 to blend with folks around here, she supposed. And somehow he’d almost pulled it off.
But enough of that. She had work to do. Her office was lined with bookcases crammed38 from top to bottom: books piled every which way, vertical39 and horizontal. A steel-gray filing cabinet stood in the corner, and her desk and chair were typically functional40. There was little in the office that was decorative41, simply for lack of space, and paperwork was piled everywhere: in corners, beneath the window, on the extra chair perched in a corner. Large stacks were also present on her desk, which held everything she considered urgent.
The budget was due at the end of the month, and she had a stack of publishers’ catalogs to go through before placing her weekly order. Add to the list finding a speaker for the Friends of the Library luncheon42 in April and getting everything set for the Historic Homes Tour—of which the library was part, since at one point it was a historic home—and she barely had enough time to breathe. She had two full-time43 employees, but she’d learned that things worked best if she didn’t delegate. The employees were fine for recommending recent titles and helping44 students find what they were looking for, but the last time she’d let one of them decide what books to order, she’d ended up with six different titles about orchids45, since that happened to be the employee’s favorite flower. Earlier, after taking a seat in front of her computer, she’d tried to lay out a plan for organizing her schedule, but she hadn’t gotten anywhere. No matter how hard she’d tried to squelch46 it, her mind kept wandering back to Jeremy Marsh. She didn’t want to think about him, but Doris had said just enough to pique47 her curiosity.
He’s not what you imagine him to be.
What was that supposed to mean? Last night, when she’d pressed, Doris had clammed48 up, as if she hadn’t said anything in the first place. She didn’t mention Lexie’s love life again, or Jeremy Marsh, either. Instead, they circled the topic: what happened at work, what was going on with people they knew, how the Historic Homes Tour was shaping up for the weekend. Doris was the chair of the Historical Society, and the tour was one of the big events of the year, not that it took a lot of planning. For the most part, the same dozen homes were chosen every year, in addition to four churches and the library. As her grandmother rambled49 on, Lexie kept thinking about her pronouncement.
He’s not what you imagine him to be.
And what might that be? A big-city type? A ladies’ man? Someone in search of a quick fling? Someone who would make fun of the town the moment he left? Someone out for a story and willing to find one any way he could, even if it ended up hurting someone in the process?
And why on earth did she even care? He was here for a few days, and then he’d be gone and everything would return to normal again. Thank goodness.
Oh, she’d already heard the gossip this morning. At the bakery, where she’d stopped in for a muffin, she’d heard a couple of women talking about him. How he was going to make the town famous, how things might get a little better around here business-wise. The moment they saw her, they peppered her with questions about him and offered their own opinions as to whether he’d find the source of the mysterious lights.
Some people here, after all, actually believed they were caused by ghosts. But others clearly didn’t. Mayor Gherkin, for instance. No, he had a different angle, one that regarded Jeremy’s investigation50 as a wager51 of sorts. If Jeremy Marsh couldn’t find the cause, it would be good for the town’s economy, and that’s what the mayor was betting on. After all, Mayor Gherkin knew something that only a few others knew.
People had been studying the mystery for years. Not just the students from Duke. Aside from the local historian—who seemed to have fathomed52 a plausible53 explanation, in Lexie’s opinion—at least two other outside groups or individuals had investigated the claim in the past without success. Mayor Gherkin had actually invited the students from Duke to pay the cemetery a visit, in the hope that they wouldn’t figure it out, either. And sure enough, tourist traffic had been picking up ever since.
She supposed she could have mentioned that to Mr. Marsh yesterday. But since he hadn’t asked, she hadn’t offered. She was too busy trying to ward5 off his advances and make it clear she wasn’t interested in him. Oh, he’d tried to be charming . . . well, okay, he was sort of charming in his own way, but that didn’t change the fact that she had no intention of letting her emotions get the better of her. She’d even been sort of relieved when he left last night.
And then Doris made that ridiculous comment, which essentially54 meant that she thought Lexie should get to know him better. But what really burned her was that she knew Doris wouldn’t have said anything unless she was certain. For whatever reason, she saw something special in Jeremy.
Sometimes she hated Doris’s premonitions.
Of course, she didn’t have to listen to Doris. After all, she’d already done the “visiting stranger” thing, and she wasn’t about to go down that road again. Despite her resolution, she had to admit that the whole thing left her feeling a little off-balance. As she pondered it, she heard her office door open with a squeak55.
Swiveling in her chair, she noticed he’d draped his jacket over his shoulder.
“Hey there.” She nodded politely. “I was just trying to get caught up on some work.”
He held up his jacket. “Do you have a place I can put this? There’s not much room at the desk in the rare-book room.”
“Here, I’ll take it. The coat hanger’s behind the door.”
Entering the office, he handed Lexie the jacket. She hung it next to hers on the rack behind the door. Jeremy looked around the office.
“So this is mission control, huh? Where it all happens?”
“This is it,” she confirmed. “It’s not too roomy, but it’s enough to get the job done.”
“I like your filing system,” he said, gesturing at the piles of paperwork on the desk. “I’ve got one just like it at home.”
“Nice view, too. Why, you can see all the way to the next house. And the parking lot, too.”
“Well, you seem to be in a spunky mood this morning.”
“How can I not be? I slept in a freezing room filled with dead animals. Or rather, barely slept at all. I kept hearing all these strange noises coming from the woods.”
“The word ‘rustic’ doesn’t quite do the place justice. And then this morning. Half the town was at breakfast.”
“I take it you went to Herbs,” she remarked.
“I did,” he said. “I noticed you weren’t there.”
“No. It’s too busy. I like a little quiet time to start the day.”
“You should have warned me.”
She smiled. “You should have asked.”
He laughed, and Lexie motioned toward the door with her hand.
Walking to the rare-book room with him, she sensed he was in a good mood despite his exhaustion59, but it still wasn’t enough to make her trust him.
“Would you happen to know a Deputy Hopper?” he asked.
She looked over in surprise. “Rodney?”
“I think that was his name. What’s his deal, anyway? He seemed a little perturbed60 by my presence here in town.”
“Oh, he’s harmless.”
“He didn’t seem harmless.”
She shrugged61. “He probably heard that you’d be spending time at the library. He’s kind of protective when it comes to things like that. He’s been sweet on me for years.”
“Put in a good word for me, will you?”
“I suppose I could do that.”
“Thanks,” he said.
“No problem. Just don’t do anything to make me take it back.”
They continued in silence to the rare-book room. She led the way inside, flicking on the light.
“I’ve been thinking about your project, and there’s something you should probably know.”
“What’s that?”
She told him about the two previous investigations63 into the cemetery before adding, “If you give me a few minutes, I can dig them up for you.”
“I’d appreciate that,” he said. “But why didn’t you mention them yesterday?”
She smiled without answering.
“Let me guess,” he said. “Because I didn’t ask?”
“I’m only a librarian, not a mind reader.”
“Like your grandmother? Oh, wait, she’s a diviner, right?”
“Actually, she is. And she can tell the sex of babies before they’re born, too.”
“So I’ve heard,” Jeremy said.
Her eyes flashed. “It’s true, Jeremy. Whether or not you want to believe it, she can do those things.”
He grinned at her. “Did you just call me Jeremy?”
“Yes. But don’t make a big deal out of it. You did ask me to, remember?”
“I remember,” he said, “Lexie.”
“Don’t push it,” she said, but even as she spoke64, Jeremy noticed that she held his gaze just a little longer than usual, and he liked that.
He liked that a lot.
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1
trickle
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| vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散 | |
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salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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cemetery
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| n.坟墓，墓地，坟场 | |
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ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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grits
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| n.粗磨粉；粗面粉；粗燕麦粉；粗玉米粉；细石子，砂粒等( grit的名词复数 )；勇气和毅力v.以沙砾覆盖（某物），撒沙砾于( grit的第三人称单数 )；咬紧牙关 | |
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perusing
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| v.读（某篇文字）( peruse的现在分词 )；（尤指）细阅；审阅；匆匆读或心不在焉地浏览（某篇文字） | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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milestone
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| n.里程碑；划时代的事件 | |
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comatose
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| adj.昏睡的，昏迷不醒的 | |
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vending
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| v.出售（尤指土地等财产）( vend的现在分词 )；（尤指在公共场所）贩卖；发表（意见，言论）；声明 | |
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swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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intimidating
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| vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词) | |
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engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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diffuse
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| v.扩散；传播；adj.冗长的；四散的，弥漫的 | |
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hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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rumbled
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| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
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sip
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| v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量 | |
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folklore
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| n.民间信仰，民间传说，民俗 | |
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scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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emaciated
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| adj.衰弱的，消瘦的 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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conspiratorially
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get-together
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| n.(使)聚集；(使)集合 | |
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extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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eyebrow
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| n.眉毛，眉 | |
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eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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glamorous
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| adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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retrieved
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| v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息） | |
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casually
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| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
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crammed
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| adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式) | |
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vertical
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| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
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functional
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| adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的 | |
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decorative
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| adj.装饰的，可作装饰的 | |
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luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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full-time
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| adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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orchids
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| n.兰花( orchid的名词复数 ) | |
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squelch
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| v.压制，镇压；发吧唧声 | |
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pique
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| v.伤害…的自尊心，使生气 n.不满，生气 | |
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clammed
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| v.（在沙滩上）挖蛤( clam的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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rambled
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| （无目的地）漫游( ramble的过去式和过去分词 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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51
wager
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| n.赌注；vt.押注，打赌 | |
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52
fathomed
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| 理解…的真意( fathom的过去式和过去分词 )； 彻底了解； 弄清真相 | |
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53
plausible
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| adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的 | |
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54
essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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55
squeak
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| n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密 | |
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56
poking
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| n. 刺，戳，袋 vt. 拨开，刺，戳 vi. 戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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57
peeked
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| v.很快地看( peek的过去式和过去分词 )；偷看；窥视；微露出 | |
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58
rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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59
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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60
perturbed
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| adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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61
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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62
witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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63
investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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64
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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