Leaving Liberty (2 page)

           
He ran a hand over the back of his neck. His jaw was tight, lips a thin line.
Daisy knew that look. It was the expression of someone who had bad news and
didn’t want to share it. But nothing could be worse than losing Marie, could
it? A cold dread filled her stomach as she watched his eyes search the lobby,
as if looking for a way to say whatever it was.

           
“There won’t be a new librarian. The building needs repairs we can’t afford.
The library is closing for good.”

           
Daisy felt her eyes go wide with shock. She couldn’t find the words, couldn’t
form the questions. She shook her head, taking in all the rows of books. The
corner where she had spent the best moments of her childhood was just visible
from the landing and above it was the quilt she had come to retrieve. The
watery afternoon light from the window made it look like more than fabric, like
real books on shelves, with tiny titles stitched on the binding.

           
Her gaze snapped back to Lane. “Does the city manager still have her office in
City Hall?”

           
“Yes, but there’s nothing she can do. The library needs a new roof, and the
supports are rotting underneath. It’s not safe.” He sighed. “Look, I understand
how important this place is to you, to all of us.”

           
Something in her registered the pained expression on his face and promptly
decided to ignore it. Daisy turned on her foot, tugging the hood of her
raincoat back over her head. She passed him in silence, stuffing the key back
in her pocket. Yanking open the tall wooden door, she cringed at the blast of
cold rain. She couldn’t let them close the library. She felt as if her life
depended on it. And maybe for some child here in this wretched town, it really
did.

Chapter Two

           
“Hey!”
Lane knew he should just let her go. Her quick strides told him she was angry
and determined to take it out on somebody. Better if it wasn’t him.

           
She didn’t slow down, but he knew she heard him by the rigidness of her spine.
He felt a smile tug up the corners of his mouth. This was the Daisy he knew
from Marie’s stories. This was the little girl who made up her mind to read the
whole children’s section one summer, the one who decided to aim for a college
degree even though she was dirt poor.

           
“Daisy, just wait.” He caught up to her easily enough, matching her step for
step down the sidewalk. She didn’t respond but turned her head and shot him a
glare. He almost laughed out loud. He would have, if he could have gotten away
with it. She was a woman on a mission and no one had better get in her way. A
head shorter than he was and not a weapon in sight but she was radiating some
serious danger. Angry women didn’t float his boat, but he had to admit she was
beautiful even soaking wet and furious.

           
The picture Marie had in her office must be from when Daisy was in high school.
Jeans and a flowered top, pretty smile, hair up, arms crossed over her chest.
He could see it was the same girl, if he stretched his imagination. Okay,
really stretched. This was a woman, not a gangly teenager. And an angry one, at
that.

           
“The city manager may not be in her office. You should probably call and make
an appointment.”

           
“If she’s not there, she’ll be at the Country Club having lunch.” Her words
came out in a measured tone, but her face was stiff.

           
Lane had to admit she was right. The manager didn’t do much accept sit in her
office or hang around the Country Club. Manager Lindo wasn’t a bad person. She
was just happy to be presiding over a town that was as sleepy and comfortable
as she was. No matter what the city planners wanted, the worst thing that could
happen to Liberty would be for it to be discovered like Aspen had been.

           
They turned the corner and headed up the long cement walk toward City Hall’s
front doors. Lane noted the puddles near the foot of the stairs. Old Anna
Willems was always complaining about the lack of rain cover on the entryway,
but somehow the money never seemed to be in the budget. Of course, there was
always enough money for the Fourth of July fireworks or the Christmas parade or
whatever else Lindo wanted.

           
Daisy reached the handle of the all-glass door and paused. She turned and
seemed to see him for the first time. She didn’t look as tanned as he’d figured
a girl from California would look. Or maybe she was pale with anger. Her hood
dripped water onto her nose and she wiped a hand across her cheek. “You don’t
have to come with me.”

           
Was that what he was doing? His police cruiser was back near the library. He’d
bailed out of it after seeing Toby ride toward the busy intersection, his head
bobbing to the music on his iPod. Then he’d followed her into the library, and
now he was here, a block away. He felt his face go hot. He must look like he
had nothing better to do than follow her around, in between stuffing himself
with doughnuts and hanging out at Sal’s Diner.

           
“City Manager Lindo may not know who you are. I can introduce you.” It wasn’t a
great line, but it would have to do.

           
Daisy’s brows drew down. “Oh, we’re well acquainted.” And with that she opened
the door and trotted up the steps. He waited a moment, then gave in to the urge
to follow, yet again. He wanted to know what happened, invited or not. Trailing
behind a bright yellow raincoat full of angry woman, he wondered what exactly
Marie had left out of her many stories.

           
The secretary, Allison Goss, gave him a hopeful look and half-stood. He waved
and smiled, but didn’t stop. They’d gone out on a date once and she had talked
about her obsession with boy bands. Then she had pulled down the neck of her
top to show him the tattoo over her heart. Call him old fashioned but he didn’t
think he could kiss a girl with Justin Bieber grinning up at him, inches away.

           
The door was open and the city manager was flopped behind the desk, clicking
her mouse and frowning. She looked up with a scowl. With carefully coiffed hair
and manicured nails, she had a pleasant sort of smile that never actually
seemed friendly. It could turn downright frosty when she felt people were being
difficult. She gave them both a thorough once-over and said nothing.

           
“Hello, Manager Lindo. We need to discuss your plans for the old library.”

           
Lane couldn’t resist a smile this time. The girl was all business.

           
“Well, little Daisy McConnell. Why don’t you have a seat?” Mrs. Lindo didn’t
bother to stand. Her long, angular face was turning pink at the cheekbones. The
woman hated a change in her schedule and avoided anything that even hinted at
work. Daisy was definitely falling into both of those categories.

           
“Officer Bennett tells me the library is closing.”

           
Mrs. Lindo glanced at Lane as if to say she’d wished Lane had kept his mouth
shut. “It’s complicated, Daisy. And the residents of Liberty understand the
library needs more repairs than we can afford. I would be glad to go into more
detail, but since you’re not living here, I don’t really see the point. Maybe
you should ask your father about it. He might have time to tell you what’s been
going on here the last few years.”

           
Ouch. Lane cringed inwardly at the heavy-handed reference to Rocky McConnell,
the town drunk. Or he was until a few years ago. In a place where no one has
secrets and you can never outrun your past, McConnell would always be the guy
who racked up the most tickets for drunken public disorderliness. It didn’t
matter that he’d been sober for a while, kept a steady job. Small town folks
had a hard time forgetting and the city manager was as small town as they came.

Daisy was silent. She slowly reached up
and brushed back her rain hood, as if she’d just realized she was wearing it
indoors. Her dark blond hair curled damply against the nape of her neck, almost
completely unfurled from where she’d pinned it up in a bun.

           
“I just might. I’m considering moving back to Liberty.”

           
A small sound of surprise escaped him and he quickly covered it with a cough.
He didn’t figure her for the kind of girl who yearned for her home town. He
knew her type. They got out and never came back, except for funerals and
weddings. It had taken getting his heart broken to learn that lesson but he
sure knew it now.

           
 “Consider all you want. We’d love to have another teacher in town. Mr.
Gibbons is getting too old to wrangle high schoolers much longer.”

           
 “Has the library been condemned? Is it too unsafe for anyone to enter
it?”

           
 “Not exactly.”

           
“Not exactly, or not at all?”

           
You had to hand it to Daisy. She was going to get a straight answer out of the
woman whether she wanted to give it or not. The only problem was that Daisy may
not like what she heard. Lane wished that he could forestall the inevitable but
the moment was coming when she would understand Old Liberty was a lost cause.

           
 He jumped into the conversation, hoping to ease the tension. “The Mayor
had the library inspected last year. The list of repairs the contractor
suggested includes a new roof, repairing the foundation, ripping out rotten
supports underneath the floors, and new windows.” Those were just the
highlights. Marie hadn’t seemed too bothered about it, which was surprising.
Maybe she thought the city could pay for it. The city couldn’t manage to fix
its own front walk, so a project like that was in the realm of impossibilities.

           
“And that can’t be accomplished? There are grants available for small towns
like Liberty. The library is probably old enough to be declared an historic
building.” Daisy’s eyes searched his face, as if trying to gauge whether Lane
was telling her the whole truth.

           
“There are other factors, Daisy.” He hated giving bad news but Lindo made no
move to intervene. She wasn’t exactly a person of action, especially when
anyone else was willing to take the fall. “The old levee failed its
inspections, too. The Army Corps of Engineers has declared Liberty a flood zone
until we can fix it.”

           
Lane watched expressions cross her face, alarm, confusion. “So, is the entire
town evacuating? Why does that mean no one can go in the library?”

           
The city manager spoke, irritation creeping into her voice. “Of course we’re
not all
evacuating
. But we do have to purchase flood insurance until the
levee is repaired. That’s set to finish three years from now. Until then, every
structure in Liberty has to be covered with a national insurance company. The
library would have cost us thousands a year.” She turned her hands palm up, as
if to say there was nothing they could do.

           
Daisy looked from Lane to Mrs. Lindo, speaking slowly. “If the insurance was
paid, then could the city cover the repairs?”

           
“It’s paid through the end of the year. That’s not the issue.” Lane could see
the city manager losing patience. “We already decided that when Marie died, we
would close the library.”

           
Daisy flinched at her words but her voice was steady. “Did she know that?”

           
“No. but she knew the library was in trouble. Whenever I asked her about the
repairs, she said it would all work out. I thought maybe there was something in
her will. But all she left was a house full of books and a quilt, as you know.”
Her eyes narrowed, watching Daisy’s face.

           
She shuffled a few papers, obviously ready to end the conversation . “Are you
staying for a few days?”

           
“I fly out of Denver tomorrow. I suppose I could have taken a late flight
tonight but I knew I would be tired…” Her voice drifted off and he saw
something flicker over her face. Utter sadness and grief before she pushed it
behind a neutral expression but her eyes glinted with unshed tears.

           
Lane swallowed hard. He never could bear to see a girl cry. It was scarier than
being in the line of fire. “If you want, I can call Tom Perkins. He’s the
contractor who gave us the estimate on repairs. Maybe you can meet with him
tomorrow morning, before you leave.”

           
For a moment she looked as if she wanted to tell him off, but she must have
realized he was trying to help because the anger faded from her eyes. “I’d like
that.”

           
Turning back to Lindo, she took a step closer, jaw set tight. “Closing the
library isn’t the answer. I would think an elected official would do what’s
right for the community and not take the easy way out.” And she walked out
without another word.

                                                                       
Chapter Three

           
Daisy could feel her heart pounding in her chest and hoped her face didn’t
betray the fact she was ready to collapse in a heap of sobbing wretchedness. It
was shaping up to be a perfectly awful day, which was just the way things
worked for her in Liberty. Like a curse lain on her by the universe, once she
crossed the city limits, her life attracted more drama than a crowd of eighth
grade girls.