Chapter 19
The money I earned from Victor’s case meant I could now afford to concentrate solely on Lost Souls. This would make my upcoming winter break too wonderful to even think about, especially at this moment, in the midst of my final submission drudgery. I was sitting on a new floor rug purchased for my warehouse office, surrounded by photocopies and textbooks and my laptop. I had spent the last week here, having finally given up on my attempts to study in the library. Too many distractions there…
I heard my phone beep. It was a message from Neha.
Have made a HUGE decision for next year. V. V. excited. I’ll call later to tell you. BTW I saw your lover boy lurking about the library. He asked for your phone number. Naturally I gave it to him. I want first dibs on any date goss! Hee xx
I read her message twice. What was this huge decision she had made? Could she have found her “eligible” match? But when? She hadn’t mentioned anything till now. But more importantly, Will had asked for my phone number.
Hooray!
Later that afternoon, when I heard my phone ring, I felt a flutter in my stomach. It vanished when I saw Neha’s number flash on the screen.
‘So has Prince William rung yet?’ she asked as soon as I picked up.
‘Not yet.’ I smiled.
‘Tsk, very tardy. I’d be rushing to a quiet corner to whisper sweet nothings in your ear right now if I were him,’ she said breathing heavily.
‘Stop it, you goose! He probably just wants a reading or something…’ I laughed.
‘Sure, sure. That’s why he takes every single elective you’re in. He should just change his major to Shalini’s B.A. and be done with it!’ she teased.
‘Don’t you have better things to do than to call and tease your poor friend?’ I asked trying to change the subject.
‘As a matter of fact I don’t!’ She giggled.
‘So what’s this big decision you have made?’
‘Oh yes,’ Neha exclaimed, ‘I almost forgot. Okay are you ready for it?’ She paused dramatically. ‘I’ve decided that after we finish our course next year, I’m going to take an extended gap year in India.’
‘Wow that’s a big step.’ I was impressed.
‘I know, but it’ll get my parents off my back for a while about all this marriage nonsense.’
‘What did they say when you told them?’
‘I sold it to them by saying,’ her voice changed to comically Indian, ‘I want to go hiking and soul-searching in the land of my ancestors.’
We both collapsed into fits of laughter.
After we spoke, I thought about her decision at greater length. It was a brave move for my usually laidback friend. It also made me think about my own future. What was I going to do after I finished uni? I had always imagined myself continuing on with postgraduate study. But the last few months with Lost Souls had changed everything. My agency was finally materialising. Now, with my newly acquired funds, maybe I could even afford a receptionist? The more I thought about it, the more appealing it sounded. I hated note keeping and filing. I was also a little tired of being alone in the warehouse. I remembered my first meeting with Victor. It definitely would be good to have someone else around.
But who?
I made a mental inventory of the few people I knew. Other than Megan and Neha, I trusted no one. It didn’t seem fair to ask them.
The next day I decided to go to the library — the other library at Flemington, not at uni — to clear my head. I hadn’t been there for months, and missed talking to Roxanne. I had a niggling feeling that she had helped me somehow.
When I reached the library Roxanne was nowhere to be seen. I walked up to the blonde haired unsmiling librarian at the counter. I didn’t like the look of her at all. She had none of Roxanne’s affable charm. Blondie looked very bored.
‘Excuse me,’ I said. ‘Could you tell me where Roxanne is?’
‘Who’s Roxanne?’ Blondie barely acknowledged my question.
‘She used to be the librarian here.’
‘I’m the only librarian here.’
‘Well, she was here a few months ago.’
‘I have been here for over three years.’
‘Is there another librarian who works here?’ I asked surprised.
‘This is a council library. We don’t have the funds for one. We occasionally have casual staff, but that’s usually Peter.’
‘Could you have employed another librarian named Roxanne casually for a while?’
‘Not that I know of, and I handle all the rosters.’
‘That’s very strange.’ I was unnerved. Where was Roxanne?
‘Do you have a book to check out?’
‘No.’
‘Then can you please get out of the line.’ Blondie shot me a scathing look.
I turned to see two people queued up behind me. I walked away feeling very confused. How could a librarian just vanish without a trace?
Chapter 20
‘I know who you’re talking about.’ I turned around in the library, astonished.
‘Roxanne, the lady behind the counter doesn’t know you exist.’
‘Actually, Shalini, you are one of the few people who know I exist,’ she said rather sheepishly.
‘What?’ I was totally confused.
‘Do you want to go get tea somewhere? We can talk more privately,’ Roxanne said in hushed tones.
Five minutes later, we were at a table at the cafe across the road from the library.
‘Candice can be very abrupt.’ Roxanne seated herself comfortably.
‘Is Candice the blonde barrel of laughs behind the counter?’
Roxanne giggled. Then her expression became more serious. ‘Listen, Shalini, you were not meant to find me.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Okay. This might seem strange to you, but I was once married to a warlock.’
I remained nonplussed. A few months ago, I would probably have committed her to an asylum. But I had just dealt with a League of vampires. Witches and warlocks seemed tame in comparison.
‘My husband died a few years ago in an unfortunate accident, involving a boiling kettle,’ Roxanne paused, ‘but that’s another matter. I’m not a witch you see. So my husband, Greg, used protective spells to make sure I was always safe. When he died he didn’t have a chance to remove those spells. And I don’t know how —’
‘What does this have to do with me?’ I interrupted.
‘One of the spells Greg performed on me and our house was a non-detector spell. We would only be visible to the outside world if there was a need for us to be or if we wanted to be detected. Since I never knew who you were before you came to the library, I think there might have been some need for you to meet me. The spell wouldn’t have allowed it otherwise.’
‘So you think I was meant to meet you in the library?’ I was incredulous.
‘That’s where I usually like to sit.’ Roxanne smiled. ‘I feel like I am surrounded by old friends, my books.’ She continued more sombrely, ‘I haven’t really been able to talk to many people since my husband died. The non-detector spell is very good.’
I sipped my tea thoughtfully. Maybe I was meant to contact the supernatural world.
Roxanne looked at me. ‘You’re taking all this very well, Shalini. Please don’t think I’m crazy, I know this is a strange situation. Do you have any questions?’ She gave me a concerned look.
‘Do you know anything about The Mythical Weekly?’ I asked abruptly.
Now it was Roxanne who looked surprised.
‘How do you know about that?’
‘It started showing up in my office, not long before our conversations about the supernatural world.’
‘Oh dear, I hope I haven’t upset anyone.’ Roxanne looked nervous. ‘The Mythical Weekly is delivered only to a select audience, obviously those in the supernatural world. I used to read it when it was delivered to my husband.’
‘You don’t get it anymore?’
/> ‘Not since Greg passed away.’
‘So you didn’t tell them to deliver it to me?’
‘Oh dearie me, no.’ Roxanne looked genuinely bewildered. ‘I seldom have dealings with the supernaturals. They keep to themselves. In fact, I’ve been too scared to contact anyone about the spells around the house. I suppose they will dissipate when I am gone.’
I was a little disappointed Roxanne could not shed more light on the appearance of The Mythical Weekly in my office.
After a moment of consideration Roxanne added, ‘Actually I remember Greg saying that The Mythical Weekly was delivered in a different way to every subscriber. I’m sorry I can’t remember more because this was years ago. I know he said there was a connecting object in the area where it appeared. If Greg were here, he could explain.’
I wished I could ask Greg myself. Foiled by a boiling kettle! This was a mystery that was going to have to wait. Instead I sipped my tea silently, and thought about my search for a receptionist. A moment later I said, ‘Roxanne, I placed an ad in The Mythical Weekly about a dating agency some time ago, and a vampire named Victor answered.’
Roxanne’s eyes bulged from her head. ‘Are you okay? Did he hurt you?’
‘No, no, he was a perfect gentleman. In fact, I helped him…solve his dating issues.’
‘I don’t like vampires.’ Roxanne sniffed. ‘Greg always said that they were very untrustworthy.’
Greg sounded like he had a lot of opinions. ‘Victor was fine. In fact, he paid me quite a large sum of money when my contract with him terminated successfully.’
‘Well I’ve never heard of a decent vampire! Who would have thought it?’ Roxanne exclaimed.
‘It has helped me set up the agency. I’m actually looking to expand it and I was hoping you would be interested in joining,’ I said hopefully.
Roxanne stared intently at me. ‘In what role would you like me to join? I’m no good at matchmaking.’
‘Oh no, that would be my job. I really could use a receptionist and also someone to help me file all the paperwork I keep about my clients.’
Roxanne was silent.
‘I’m happy to pay you a good salary although it won’t be much at this stage,’ I said, somewhat embarrassed.
‘Oh that’s not a problem. I’m in no need of money.’
I waited for her to say more. ‘We can trial it for a while to see how you like it,’ I said hopefully.
‘I wonder how it would work with my non-detector spell. No good having a receptionist that no-one can see,’ Roxanne exclaimed.
‘But if there is a need for you to be seen won’t that influence the spell?’
‘That’s true, it might. Do you really have a need for me to be there?’
‘More than you know, Roxanne. I would really like some company,’ I said honestly.
Roxanne’s expression changed. She smiled kindly. ‘That’s settled it then. I’ll join!’
And just like that I found a receptionist for Lost Souls.
Chapter 21
I was walking to uni to hand in an essay after my talk with Roxanne when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I was keeping it very close to me, just in case.
It was a phone number I didn’t recognise. The voice that greeted me when I answered made my heart do an unusual little somersault.
‘I hope you don’t mind me ambushing your friend for your number,’ Will said cheerily.
‘I didn’t realise it was an ambush! I would have warned her otherwise.’ I smiled.
He chuckled. A heavy truck went past on the road heading for the Yarraville oil refinery and I couldn’t hear what he said next. I scowled at the receding truck.
‘Sorry, I’m on a noisy road and I can hardly hear you,’ I said loudly. I looked around for a quieter spot. ‘Hang on just a minute, I’ll duck into this side street.’
I was impressed by my jogging. In no time I was halfway down the tree lined street. Now my heart was racing even faster.
‘What were you saying?’ I said a little breathlessly into my phone.
‘I was wondering what you were doing for lunch tomorrow,’ Will said smoothly.
‘Peanut butter sandwiches,’ I said without thinking. Why did my brain turn to mush when I spoke to him?
He laughed. ‘Well I was hoping I could interest you in lunch by the river. I’m working at the National Gallery shop over the semester break. I could meet you there in my lunch hour?’
‘That sounds great!’ I said quickly. Too quickly? ‘Much better than peanut butter sandwiches.’ I grinned.
‘Well I haven’t tried the sushi at this shop close to the gallery, so I can’t guarantee it’ll be better!’ Will said good-naturedly. ‘I’ll see you there around one.’
I think I floated the rest of the way to uni.
***
The next afternoon, at quarter to one, I stood outside the National Gallery of Victoria. I’m surprised I managed to get here on time at all. It took me ages to decide what to wear. In the end I wore my old favourite jeans, a black and white striped long sleeved top, mustard cardigan and my beloved red elephant pin. I looked exactly as I did every other day. So why was there a mountain of clothes strewn over my bed at home right now?
Exactly fifteen minutes later, I saw Will emerge from the sliding doors at the gallery entrance. His tall frame was encased in a perfectly tailored shirt and dark blue pants. His hair shone coppery blonde from the reflection of the gallery’s display lights, so did his eyes, a deep blue. Why did he have to look so damned gorgeous? I wish I was sitting resplendent on a sofa, in a ball gown, sipping wine sophisticatedly, instead of in my jeans and silly elephant pin.
We walked down to Birrarung Marr Park and sat on the grass along the Yarra river. Will had brought some take-away sushi with him.
‘I hope you don’t mind me taking liberties with the roll selection.’ He smiled as he offered me some.
I didn’t. Chicken teriyaki, salmon and avocado, crispy prawns. He had picked most of my favourites anyway.
We had been chatting for about ten minutes when I heard his phone ring.
‘Ignore it,’ he said as he winked. ‘I’m just so popular you see.’
I giggled and shook my head. A second later his phone rang again. He frowned.
‘You can answer it if you like,’ I said.
‘Why should I when I have a beautiful lady to talk to?’ he smiled charmingly.
I felt my ears grow warmer.
When his phone rang a third time, he shook his head in frustration and took it out of his pocket to see who it was. His expression darkened.
‘I’m sorry, I’ll have to answer this.’ He looked apologetic.
‘Go ahead.’ I smiled.
He answered his phone with a cranky hello. I heard a male voice on the other end say a few quick words.
‘What, right now?’ Will said angrily. He paused as he listened. He looked into the distance, past some afternoon joggers. ‘Can’t I come by later? I’m in the middle of something, plus I have to be back at work in an hour.’ He looked at me quickly. I tried to smile serenely.
‘Really? Bloody hell. Okay, I’ll be there in a bit. And by the way you owe me big time.’ He hung up.
He turned to look at me with imploring eyes. ‘I’m going to have to cut our lunch date short. A friend needs my help…’ He didn’t elaborate any more.
‘Nothing serious I hope.’ I was concerned.
‘Serious enough to take me away from your fine company.’ He smiled with a slight grimace. Despite his making light of it, from his sombre expression I knew it was something concerning.
‘That’s okay, you can make it up to me some other time,’ I said congenially.
‘Oh I intend to!’ He sprung to his feet and held out his hand for me. I clambered up and hit my head against his chest. We both laughed and he gave me a quick hug. I felt myself melt, but almost in an instant we drew apart.
He looked me straight in the eyes. ‘I’ll call you soon.’ He walk
ed away hurriedly.
I considered his mysterious phone call. What could it have been?
Chapter 22
I arrived at the warehouse on Monday morning, found it already open and heavy with the aromas of brewing tea and blueberry and white chocolate muffins. I had forgotten that I had asked Roxanne to start from today. I congratulated myself on my choice of receptionist.
‘Morning, Rox, those muffins smell good.’ I sniffed the air hungrily.
‘Help yourself to one! I could lie and say I baked them this morning, but I just stopped by Verb on my way here.’ I wondered if the librarian ate anywhere other than that cafe. It might be the books — words — verb connection.
‘Grrfhanks.’ My mouth was already full of muffin. I smiled at Roxanne’s ability to thwart the magical non-detector spell for muffin procurement. I was glad to share her need for delicious food.
‘By the way, I took a message this morning from a gentleman who called about his daughter. I’ve left details on a note at your desk.’
I gulped. ‘What? I didn’t get any calls on my phone.’ I looked at my mobile phone to make sure and immediately felt silly. Roxanne could not have answered the phone in my pocket.
‘Oh I answered the telephone in your office. I hope you don’t mind, but there is no line out here for me to answer.’ Roxanne looked around the smaller office room.
‘We have a telephone?’ I walked quickly into my office and saw an old 1950s style push button phone, made completely out of bright red melamine.
‘Where the hell did that come from?’ I squawked.
‘I thought you had bought one for the office. It was there when I arrived this morning.’ Roxanne looked worried.
‘I definitely did not do that.’ I walked to the phone and lifted the receiver. There was no dial tone. Peculiar.
‘I hope I did the right thing.’ Roxanne looked at me anxiously.
‘That’s fine, Rox, you’re employed to answer phones. And here’s one to answer.’ I gestured sweepingly at it. ‘I just wish things wouldn’t materialise out of thin air in my office. I had just gotten used to The Mythical Weekly’s appearance.’
The Lost Souls Dating Agency Page 8
