On Loan

A Reading Under Wraps Short Story

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When a mysterious book turns up on law librarian Mira Shepard’s desk, she’s officially intrigued. There’s no title, no author, and no publisher. She can’t make heads or tails of what she finds within its pages. At least not yet.

 

Together with friend and information super-sleuth, Maddie, she’s on the hunt for some expert assessment fast. Maddie’s found the expert she swears they need to get some answers but there’s a price to pay for a few minutes of his time. If Mira’s desire to know everything they could about the book hadn’t reached the curiosity-killed-the-cat level, she’d refuse.

 

But it had.

 

The road to knowledge isn’t always easy. Mira’s starts in Old Town Alexandria and comes complete with a guide, ghosts, good friend, and her own personal stalker. Between the eerie presence tracking them along the dark streets of Old Town and the strange assembly of fellow travelers, Mira isn’t sure whether to feel amused, spooked, or a little of both.

 

Maybe stuffing an irreplaceable artifact in her purse like it was a paperback she’d picked up at the drug store and walking around in the dark wasn’t that great an idea. Rabid readers, determined collectors, and sticky-fingered supernatural sorts could be anywhere tonight.

 

How far will they go to discover the secrets the book holds for themselves?

 

Mira Shepard is about to find out.