“Sounds good,” North said.

CHAPTER 36

Harmony came down the basement stairs after dinner bearing twin piles of quilts, sheets and pillows. She gave one stack to Sierra and the other to North.

“There’s a bathroom down here in the basement,” she said. “It even has a shower. The library was originally built as a private house. Somewhere along the line it got donated to the town, and the local citizens voted to make it into a library. The heat’s working, so you should be warm enough. Get some sleep. You both need it. See you in the morning.”

She disappeared back up the stairs to the main floor and then continued on to the upper level, where her own quarters were located.

An odd silence gripped the basement. Sierra clutched her pile of bedding and reminded herself that she and North had spent two nights together. Granted, the first night had been dedicated to helping North overcome the effects of the poison infused into his special glasses. And sure, the second night had been spent on the hard floor of a cave, but still. Two nights together. To say nothing of the night when he had slept in her bed, which didn’t count. Or maybe it did. Regardless, they were both professionals. They could do this.

Sierra took a deep breath and studied the labels on the end panels of each book shelf.

“I’ll take ‘Fogg Lake Ancestry Records A–Z,’” she said.

North wandered down one aisle, turned the corner at the end and reappeared in the neighboring aisle. “‘Records of Nineteenth-Century Paranormal Organizations’ looks like an interesting section.” He pulled a volume off the shelves. “Ever hear of the Arcane Society?”

“I think my father may have mentioned it. Very secretive. Probably a legend. Why?”

North flipped through the old book. “Evidently a family named Jones was heavily involved in it.”

“Hmm. You’re wondering if Mr. Jones might be in some secret paranormal society? That wouldn’t surprise me. He’s been operating the Vault for a couple of years now, but no one knows much about him.”

“Jones is a common name,” North said. “Probably just a coincidence. Except—”

“There are no coincidences.”

“Right.” North put the book back on the shelf. “Okay, I’ll bed down in this aisle.”

Sierra went down the ancestry-records aisle and spread the thick quilt on the floor. She arranged a sheet on top and a pillow at one end. She was aware that North was doing the same thing two aisles over.

When she emerged from the small bathroom in the flannel pajamas she had manage to squeeze into her pack, she gave him a bright smile.

“Your turn,” she said.

“Right. Thanks.”

He vanished into the bathroom.

When he returned he flipped a light switch, plunging the basement into darkness. Sierra had been in the process of settling into her sheet and quilt. She jerked upright to a sitting position.

“No,” she yelped. “Please. I know you can see just fine in the dark but I can’t stand a totally dark room. We’re in a basement, for heaven’s sake. No windows.”