I felt my face freeze into grim lines. In recent years, I’d had more than one very similar discussion with law enforcement. Though the people in law enforcement did indeed know what they were doing, it was my experience that they also tended to think in straight lines, always assuming the noise of the hooves was horses, and not accepting the possibility of zebras until the black-and-white-striped hides zoomed past them.

“Innocent until proven guilty,” Kelsey said. “I’ll ask my husband.”

I turned to Josh. “And you’ll ask Mia?”

Josh’s square face turned soft at the mention of his wife. The two had been married not quite six months ago in a hastily planned ceremony arranged for the sole purpose of pleasing Mia’s grandmother. In spite of the shortest engagement I’d ever heard of—three hours—the couple gave every indication of delirious happiness that would last for decades. “Sure,” he said. “I can ask, but you know she doesn’t get out much.”

I did. Mia was also in IT and was the poster child for shyness. But there were signs that being married to the gregarious Josh was peeling back some of her social reluctance.

“Thanks,” I said. Just then, something tingled in the back of my brain. “Say, isn’t Mia’s grandmother’s last name Conti?”

Josh shrugged. “Guess so. Why?”

“Can you also ask Mia if her grandmother is related to a Vittorio Conti? He was a sculptor.” I sped on to answer the inevitable questions. “This isn’t anything to do with Ryan. It came up on the bookmobile, is all.”

He shrugged again. “I can ask, but if Nana was related to anyone famous, everyone would know.”

Since I’d met Mia’s grandmother, I was sure he was right. “Thanks.” Then, doing my duty as assistant library director, I reminded everyone that Graydon Cain, our boss, would be out of town the next week.

“On vacation, right?” Kelsey asked.

I nodded. “He and his wife are flying to Southern California.”

“He’s not combining vacation with a job interview, is he?”

“What?” I frowned. “Why on earth would you say that?”

“Just checking. He’s the best director we’ve ever had. Other than you, I mean.” She grinned. “It’d be a shame if he bolted after only a year.”

During the brief time I’d been interim library director, more than one person had tried to convince me to apply for the permanent position. But I hadn’t been ready to give up driving the bookmobile, and there was no way I would have had time to do both jobs.

I could almost hear the conversation. The library board president would have looked at me over the top of his reading glasses. “Minnie, you do understand the responsibilities of library director, don’t you? That they will preclude you from so much dedicated time on the bookmobile.”