The Book Waitress (Book 1, The Book Waitress Series) (12 page)

As he drove over to the library, thoughts of conspiracy and a massive cover-up swirled in his head, and he now believed the library
to be
at the center of it all. What did he alre
ady know? First, m
ore than likely, t
he Missio
n still ran business as usual
, and the police department shielded its activities
. Second, t
hey used the basement of th
e library to store one of their ritual
objects
and it used to be their meeting place
. He bet
they housed
all sorts of paraphernalia
across many places so that no one would be the wiser.
Third, a
ll the missing boys had the mark designating them as a sacrifice and were six years old when they disappeared.
He didn’t know who led the cult at this point,
or
where they
met.
And
did
he
need to
be concerned
for
Camille
’s safety
given the fact she had the very same Mark of the Damned on her?

Chapter Eight

Camille looked forward to
the lunch
meeti
ng with Victor Langdon. After the past few harrowing days transitioning to a new life that now seemed riddled with evil tidings, this kind gesture on his part gave her hope that all may not be lost here.

He lived on the other side of the island, a good fifteen minute drive away from the heart of the tiny
town
. As if the island itself wasn’t isolated enough, there were
some
people who went to great lengths to secure their privacy. Victor seemed to be one of them. A long, winding unnamed road twisted its way up and away from the main road. Flanked on either side by high cement walls cloaked in pine and oak trees, it said t
o people in no uncertain terms to
stay out if you don’t belong.

Approaching his home rivaled Cinderella’s arrival a
t the castle. As the gates swung
open, she gawked at the sweeping mansion
,
with its multitude of chimneys
rising i
n splendor atop a slight hill. Victor Langdon
came home from w
herever
to see this
view
every day. Utterly astounding. The chauffeur stopped at the front entrance with its marble steps leading up to the intricately designed front doors.
He got out and opened her door.

“Here we are, Ms. Dutton. If you’ll please follow me.”

“Thank you.” She slid from her
seat and grabbed her backpack. It wasn’t a matching purse to her
outfit, a
flowing floral skirt and coral colored tank sweater
, but she didn’t live that way, nor could she imagine living like Victor Langdon. Nice place to visit, wouldn’t want to clean it.

The chauffeur ushered her into the foyer that
reminded her of
a rotunda
in an art museum,
and left her to the care of a woman whose heels click-clacked her arrival a good ten seconds before
she
ever
made her appearance
.
A cloying perfume preceded her, as well. Not surprising, she
dressed
in a conservative gray suit and
wore a
tight bun at the nape of her neck. The stiletto heels added enough height to make Camille feel
like the
small
, insignificant
child
of her youth
.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Dutton. Mr. Langdon is waiting for you on the terrace. Please follow me, won’t you?” Her soft as cashmere voice belied her severe appearance.

“
Are you sure we don’t need a golf cart to get there?”

“
Suit Lady
”
plastered a smile on her face but said nothing. Instead, she continued to guide her through a formal living space
accented with crystal chandeliers and
objects d’art
, a monstrous
state of the art
kitchen, which teased her
nose with
wonderful Italian aromas, and finally, to the back terrace
overlooking the lake
.

“Here we are.
Now, I just want to warn you,” she said in a hushed tone.
“
Mr. Langdon has some appreciable scars on his face
from a camping accident
recently
. Please don’
t be alarmed
.”

“Okay, thanks for the heads up.”
She didn’t recall seeing photos of him with scars in the Forbes magazine, nor could she picture the page where he might have talked about it.
Were they that bad as to have needed a warning? She took a deep breath and sighed. She hadn’t been anxious before, but now? Now her clamm
y hands testified to her nerves getting the better of her.

“
Mr. Langdon?” The tycoon, impressive in stature, with thick silver hair, turned when beckoned
,
a question on his
disfigured
face. “Ms. Dutton is here, sir.”

“Ah, Ms. Dutton.”
When he smiled,
it looked more like a grimace. “What a pleasure it is to have you here. Please, please. Come and sit down. Maritha has set us a fabulous array of delights to aid our discussion of library matters.
”

“
Thank you,
Mr. Langdon. It’s certainly a pleasure to meet you. I didn’t need to do an internet search to know who you were. I read an expose on you a ways back in Forbes magazine. I think it’s wonderful that you’re the president of the Library Board here
considering you’re multi-billionaire with real estate holdings on every continent on this planet
.
And
you certainly didn’t have to
go to this extent just for me.”

“Yes, well, we all choose our civic duties. I lov
e libraries, and I like to entertain, so do me the honor of enjoying every last morsel Maritha has prepared. Besides, you only live once.”

He ushered her to their table, and
just like a gentleman, sat her down. S
he was amazed at the lengths he’d gone to for her.

“Shall I pour you a
Mimosa
? I know it’s not brunch, but it’s our first meal together, so I thought it might be enjoyable.
It only has a splash of champagne, so you needn’t worry about completing your tasks at home.
”

“
I’ve never had one before
but I think
I’d like to try
it
today.”

“Wonderful!” He picked up the sunny orange colored crystal
pitcher and poured her a glass, throwing
in a
wedge of pineapple
. “Here you are. Wait to take a sip. I’d like to make a toast.”

“
Okay
.” She laughed
as she took the drink
. He picked up a different pitcher
with a rose color to it and started pouring another glass. “What are you pouring yourself?”

“I’
m allergic to oranges, so I had
Maritha make a cranberry mimosa for me.”

“I’d love to try that kind, too, I think. I’ve never had one of those before
either
.”

“Of course, you may. It’s not as delicious, I imagine, as yours, but you’ll have to tell me what you think. And now, for our toast
.
Please raise your glass.
”

“All right.”
He raised his and stood by his seat. She wished he’d sit down again, a little uncomfortable with the fuss made over her, a nobody. He loomed over their table as he began his speech.

“Thank you, Ms. Dutton, for coming to the rescue and gracing our humble library. I cannot begin to tell you what your presence here means to all of us. May your days here be so enjoyable they fly by, but may you be here long enough for us to miss you when you leave.”

She could feel the blush attacking her cheeks, but she didn’t care. His words were the loveliest she’d heard from anyone
in a long time
.
Even her boss didn’t say anyth
ing special to her o
n her last day.
He raised his glass and touched it to hers. He took a long draw and then nodded at her. She lifted her glass
, touched the rim to her lips, and took a sip. The tang of the orange and the dryness of the champagne played off each other in perfect harmony.

“
Mmm
. Delicious.”

“As I thought and as it should be. Now, tell me, how has your experience been here so far?”

“I think my house is adorable. Just the right size for me here.”

“I mean at the library, my dear. How are things at the library?” His stare pierced right to the heart of her.
Did he already know what’s been going on? Is he testing me in some way?
How do I answer?
Tread carefully, Cammy.

“The building certainly has an interesting history. The floor plan makes sense, and the collection of books is wonderful. I’m seeing volumes my home library d
oesn
’t have.”

“And how are you settling in there with Nancy and Susan?”

“Just fine. Women are fascinating creatures. It takes a bit for us to warm up to each other. I imagine after this week things will calm down.”
She picked up her champagne flute and took a sip.

“Hmm, yes, I don’t pretend to kno
w your gender whatsoever.
They’
re a couple of
high quality
women, but they’ve been friends forever and can be a bit exclusionary
on occasion
. They
just started living together. Susan’s husband recently passed away and Nancy was looking for
a
roommate to reduce costs. Did you know? They’re l
ike Laverne and Shirley
these days
.
But that
TV
reference may be long before your time.
”

“I
’ve seen that show on
TVLand
, so I
know what you mean.
Such good friends, but so different from each other.
I
didn’t know that
they were that close
.
It explains a lot.”

“You look very young
, Ms. Dutton
. If I may be so bold as to ask your age
?
”

“I’m twenty-four, sir. But I’ve been working in a library since my college days and have my degree in Library Science. I also have a Masters in Psychology.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to imply you were too young
or inexperienced
to work in our library. I merely wanted to know out of
personal
curiosity
. And let me guess…you’re a Gemini, aren’t you?”

He leaned forward in his seat, as if eager to know if he was correct.

“You’re right!
I am.
” She nodded
and took another sip of her
Mimosa
.
She wondered when they’d start eating. A headache was starting to rear its ugly head right between her eyes.

He leaned back and preened. “Ah, I have a knack for identifying astrological signs. You wear your personality on your sleeve, Camille. Based on what you say and how you say it, based on your body language and facial expressions, I can make an educated guess.”

“
And based on
my employee file
,
probably
sitting on your desk, I’m sure
it was easy to figure out my sign
.”

He belched out a hearty laugh that ended with a string of coughs. “Oh, my dear, you are delightful!
So tell me
something
about yourself that the file doesn’t say.
Like, do you have a boyfriend? Are you close with your parents? I am, alas, alone. No wife. No family
left alive.
”

He
freshened
her drink.

“
Well, I have no boyfriend at the moment and my parents died recently. They were older when they had me and each had their own unique set of health problems. Within six months of each other, they passed away. It’s been about three years now.”

“I am so very sorry for your loss. That must have been
very
difficult, being at such a tender age, and just starting to find out who you are as an adult and what you want to do with your life. Any other family to rely on?”