Artifact by Gigi Pandian

object directly inside the doors. The metal bench in the shape of a book with its pages flipped open is one of my favorite items in the library as well.
    The main section of the library is open to the public. The reading rooms for specialized research are different. You need to apply for a reader’s pass with your credentials. Lane didn’t stop at the office to apply for a pass. Perhaps we’d crossed paths before without knowing it.
    We dropped off our bags in lockers before entering the reading room. Bags are prohibited in all reading rooms, along with coats, umbrellas, food, drink, and even pens.
    With all the hoops you need to jump through to gain access to the specialized reading room mini-libraries, you might think the rooms would be sparsely populated, quiet places. To the contrary, the room with the India Office Records seats a hundred and often fills to capacity, especially during the summer when visiting scholars are numerous.
    I wasn’t after a seat, though. I was after Jeremy, the librarian I had known while doing research at the library. He worked in the Asia, Pacific & Africa Collections. I spotted him right away. He was tough to miss.
    “Jaya Jones,” Jeremy said in his familiar, elegant voice. He rested his elbows on the high counter of the information desk. Though he’d only spoken two words, I was reminded of how well he could have fit into a film adaptation of a Jane Austen novel. Or maybe an audio recording. I didn’t recall any black aristocrats in Jane Austen. He leaned forward over the desk and kissed the air next to my cheek.
    “What brings you back to our fair city?” he asked. “Let me guess. You missed the challenge of walking in your fabulous heels on our cobblestone streets.”
    Jeremy is only a few years older than me. He looks even less like a librarian than I look like a professor. Like me, he appears younger than his true age. Unlike me, he’s happy about it. His brightly colored ensemble of purple corduroys and a yellow sweater fit too tightly, but he pulled the look off with great success.
    “A bit of a detour,” I said. “You were always amazingly ingenious in what you could find. I thought I’d see if you could help me. I’m looking for some Indian rubies.”
    Jeremy watched closely as I lifted a small notebook from the library-approved plastic bag. I removed a photograph from the notebook’s pages.
    I pushed the photo of the ruby bracelet across the desk for him to see. He glanced at the front with only moderate interest. He lifted it up to more carefully inspect the back.
    “Where’s the reference?”
    “That’s why I need you, Jeremy.”
    I filled him in on how I thought the bracelet was from a set of Mughal jewelry from at least a few hundred years ago, and told him I’d check in later that day.
    As I walked toward the exit, I felt a wave of apprehension wash over me. I looked around the high-ceilinged room. It was filled with people, some deep in concentration hunched over tables, some hurrying around. I spotted what I thought was the top of Lane’s head in a corner of the room. I hesitated, then walked over to him. The reference binders look much the same, so I couldn’t tell what he was looking up.
    His face lit up when he saw me. I felt my own face break into a smile. Was I blushing? What was the matter with me?
    “Got anything?” I asked.
    “I think so. It shouldn’t take too long to find something, now that we’re here.”
    “See you tonight,” I said, then headed out of the safe haven of the library to find out what Rupert had been up to.

     

Chapter 13

     
    If I didn’t want to sell my roadster to pay my phone bill, I needed a new cell phone to use in the UK. Especially if I was going to call Sanjay as I’d promised. I found a mobile phone dealer on Tottenham Court Road who popped out the sim card from my phone and gave me a new card with a prepaid UK plan. Before heading off, I sent Sanjay a quick text message to let him know I’d arrived