Tymber Dalton by Out of the Darkness Page B

again.
    Sami wondered if this was because the buyers bailed out. The last quit claim deed back to Johnson was December over a year ago.
    The tax office wasn’t busy, so Sami approached the clerk on duty.
    “Excuse me, but I’m trying to research the history of a property we’re renting, and I wondered if you might be able to help me. I’ve found a strange pattern I don’t know what to make of.”
    The clerk followed her to the terminal. Sami scrolled through the records. The clerk frowned.
    “The name George Simpson rings a bell. Can you hold on a minute?”
    Sami nodded, and the clerk disappeared behind the desk into a back office. In a few minutes she returned, an odd look on her face. “You probably want to take a trip over to the library. They’ve got a lot of items over there, local newspapers, documents, all the way from before the turn of the century. Talk to Jane McCartyle, she’s the head librarian and president of the historical society.”
    Sami thanked her and gathered her notes. Outside it felt muggy, but the breeze and shade made it tolerable, with the afternoon sun casting golden shadows onto the courthouse steps. The library was only a block away, so she walked.
    Jane McCartyle was in the middle of directing a children’s reading session, but one of her assistants led Sami to the newspaper archives and showed her how to use the indexing system to locate what she wanted. There was also an online computer archive linking the library to a newspaper database at Sami’s disposal, and she didn’t know if she’d have enough time before the library’s closure to finish her research.
    She started reading about the area in old newspapers, and lost track of time. Before she researched George Simpson she looked at her cell phone and realized the library would close in a few minutes. She’d return another time to flesh out the details. McCartyle had finished entertaining the third graders and shook her hand when she introduced herself.
    “Your husband’s books are very popular with our patrons. I’m a fan of yours as well. Could I impose upon you to set up an author’s talk while you’re here?”
    “We’d be more than happy to, but what I came for is to research the house we’re staying in. It’s an old place in the middle of the Croom park.”
    The librarian’s face clouded. “Oh. The old Simpson house.”
    “Yes, I think that’s the name of the man who built it.”
    The librarian glanced around. “How long are you staying?”
    “Well, I’m not sure. Originally we agreed to rent for six months, but there’s a good chance we’ll buy.”
    Jane McCartyle studied her for a moment. “Unfortunately we’re closing, but can you come back another time? I’ve got some information you might find…interesting.”
    “I’d love to. I’ve got a bunch of things to do this week, but I can come back on Friday.”
    “That would be fine. About noon. We can have lunch here in town and—” She looked around. “We can talk privately.”
    What’s going on? “Sure,” she agreed. “I’ll be here at noon.”
    Sami left the library without much more information than she started with. All she had now was a weird purchase history, some names, and dates. Don’t forget a librarian who apparently enjoyed cloak-and-dagger tactics to greet new residents.
    Steve stood outside with the horses when Sami drove up.
    “Well hello, stranger,” she said. He looked a little sheepish when he walked over and kissed her. “Whatcha doing out here with the boys?”
    “Got a little cabin fever. Want to go riding?”
    He never wanted to ride. Especially not after Jeff threw him the last time. “Didn’t the last time cure you?”
    “You ride Jeff this time—I’ll take Mutt.”
    She glanced at her watch, then at sun over the tree line. “We’ve still got enough light, I guess so.” Steve followed her to the barn, and she realized he’d already groomed the horses. All that remained was to saddle them, which Steve