I realized that someone was standing over me. When I looked up, I was startled to see the head librarian, Phyllis Barrier.

“Are you still researching property lines?” Barrier asked.

“Does the town ask you to monitor out-of-state users of your system?” I asked, puzzled by her attention.

“I like to keep track of all our users. What can we provide that they can’t find on their own computers, I wonder?”

“My computer is out of commission.” I smiled and got to my feet. “I’m grateful to the library for letting a stranger use one here.”

She didn’t smile back, but she didn’t try to question me further, just watched me as I walked to the stairs. Perhaps Marlon Pinsen had sent her a National Security Letter, demanding to know what websites I visited. Librarians are not allowed to discuss the receipt of a National Security Letter with anyone, not even their counsel, let alone a Chicago private eye. The longer I stayed in Lawrence, the more beleaguered I felt.

I sat on a bench in the park across from the library to call Troy Hempel’s mother—I hoped she could help determine whether the body that had disappeared from the morgue might have been Ferring’s.

“The pathologist who died as he started the autopsy sent her dental X-rays to his technician. The dead woman had two gold teeth. Do you know, did Ms. Ferring—”

“No. Ms. Emerald had beautiful teeth. Perfect white teeth. What makes you think she’d go around looking like a pimp?”

“I don’t,” I said wearily. “I just need to make sure we didn’t overlook the possibility that we’d misidentified the dead woman.”

Ms. Hempel said sharply that my lack of progress in finding Emerald was making her son and all the neighbors—not to mention Ms. Hempel herself—doubt whether I could really do the job.

“We’re meeting tonight to decide whether to keep you on the job.”

“Fair enough,” I said. “Get in touch when you’ve made up your minds.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she bristled.

“That I’m not going to try to argue with you if you decide to cut me loose. I’m more frustrated than you are, because I’m down here slogging around, finding whiffs of disturbing secrets without turning up any new traces of August Veriden or Ms. Ferring. I want to come home, but I can’t, or won’t, until I get things sorted out in Lawrence.”

It was private on the park bench, but it was also cold. I drove back to the B and B to shower and then went to Free State Dogs to collect Peppy.