"Hand me that front briefcase, Bobby." Meg said. She took it from the judge and riffled through it, drawing out a manila envelope. "You show me yours and I'll show you mine."

"My office is right over at the courthouse, Meg. Just across the park."

"Let's go." Meg Bryan pushed her chair back. "I'll be in the Southern Department at the library in a little while, girls. Probably by the time you finish your coffee. Would you mind meeting me up there with my briefcases?"

Mary Alice and I looked at each other.

"Fine." Meg Bryan and Judge Haskins exited the dining room.

"What the hell was that about?" Sister wondered.

"Who knows? Here," I cut Meg's cheesecake in half, "there's more for us."

"Your anorexia's better, isn't it?" Sister said. Sometimes I think she really believes I'm anorexic.

"I'm forcing myself."

Mary Alice had recovered from her slight bout with empty-nest syndrome and was in a good humor today. "What do you suppose is on that computer?" She pointed toward the chair.

"Nothing we would recognize if we saw it." I held the last bit of cheesecake on my tongue, savoring it. "Do you think this is Sara Lee?"

"Don't be silly. They make their own desserts here."

"Well, it could be. Sara Lee's great. Put your own topping on it and everybody thinks you made it yourself. Henry says a lot of restaurants do that."

Sister shrugged and looked thoughtful. "Maybe we ought to let Meg look up our family tree."

It was my turn to shrug. "You and Fred. And you know what you're going to find? Horse thieves. Murderers. You'd be as unhappy as that woman was at the wedding. That Camille Atchison. Who was she, anyway?"

"I have no idea. Somebody from Henry's list." She took her last bite of cheesecake. "It still might be fun. I'll bet we have all kinds of interesting ancestors. I wonder how much she charges."

I was chasing graham-cracker crumbs around my plate with my fork. "Meg? A lot. Probably by the hour."

"That's okay."

"Maybe for you, Miss Moneybags. Fred's going to do his own." I gave up on the last of the crumbs. "Come on. Let's go over to the library. See what's available."

We collected Meg Bryan's briefcases and headed for the Southern Department on the third floor of the research library. The downtown Birmingham Public Library should be added to the list of things that surprise people who come to the city for the first time. Actually two large buildings connected by a walkway over the street, it boasts the largest circulation of any library in the South. So much for stereotypes. Ala-bamians read.

The research library is housed in what was the main library. It has high vaulted ceilings, murals of mythological figures, and row after row of study tables and lamps that are well-used. And unlike the new, modern

building across the street, it smells like a library, a combination of old books, ink, furniture polish, floor wax. It's as distinctive as the smell of a school.