“No,” Millie whispered. “I didn’t fall, but I’m not all right. I heard the drop box top fall, so I rolled in the back to retrieve the books. I’ve found a pipe in the return slot and . . .”

Colby gunned the van.

Two blocks later Hank jumped from the car before Colby had time to stop. “Don’t touch it,” he kept telling her. “Move away from it and put a wall between you and the slot. Then head for the front door.”

The Ranger tried to keep up with Hank. “What’s happening? I couldn’t hear her.”

“My librarian just found the next bomb.” He returned the phone to his ear. “Millie, we’re at the front door. Let us in.”

The ranger was calling in the sheriff while Hank swore.

As they ran up the steps, Colby said, “When this is over, I plan to ask you why your librarian kisses you goodbye. She’s never kissed me goodbye.” Colby knew his job. He headed toward the back door.

Hank didn’t reply. His mind was packed with scenarios of what might happen. A little library in someone’s front yard had been a target, now the college library. Not a pattern, but a clue. His dad’s house had just been a coincidence, and the vacant houses were just practice. The targets the bomber picked made no sense.

Hank took a deep breath as Millie opened the front door.

He pulled her outside and away from the glass doors. “Stay here. I’ll go take a look.”

She must have seen the worry in his eyes. “Don’t go close to it. You could get hurt.”

He gently pulled her finger free of his shirt. “I know what I’m doing. I’ve done this kind of thing a few times.”

A tall, bone-thin deputy showed up at the front door before Hank could move away from Millie. He looked like he’d run the half block from the office. “Sheriff’s officer Pecos Smith.” The kid was loaded down with equipment.

He couldn’t have been more than a year into his twenties, but he was on duty.

“Step back, sir. Let a professional handle this. We don’t want any people getting hurt. I’ve been trained. Just point me toward the bomb’s location.”

Hank grinned, knowing that any training the kid had was probably done over coffee and donuts. He’d already made a half-dozen mistakes, but he got an A for effort.

“All clear of people inside the library. I did not go near the drop-box.” Colby stepped from the storage room. “Deputy Smith, I’d like you to meet Captain Norton of the Houston police.” Colby hesitated, then added, “He’s with the bomb squad.”

Pecos Smith looked skeptical, but he obviously respected Colby too much to argue.