Page 75 of Booked for Theft

“Except most librarians live in service of the people, and the fastest way to be unable to serve is having to do time in jail for making use of the wrong book in an unreceptive society.”

“Is it true that the banned book list must be a direct match for the banned book?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

With a skip in my step, I went around the table, picked up my copy of Schindler’s Ark, and held it up for her to see. “So I could digitize this, send it to all media outlets, and it would not be a felony. It wouldn’t even be a crime.”

Her eyes widened, and she sucked in a breath. “Where did you get that?”

“It was a gift.” I handed it over to Bradley’s father. “Can you get a reading off this?”

He took the book, turned it over in his hands, and spent a disconcertingly long time staring at it through narrowed eyes. “A long, long time ago, one of Representative Forsythe’s relatives had been incarcerated in one of the German concentration camps. She somehow survived, escaping to Australia. When Schindler’s Ark was released, she purchased a copy, and it has been passed down from generation to generation. In order to prevent history from repeating itself, Representative Forsythe has chosen to pass his family’s legacy on to you. This book has a great deal of weight to it. And before you worry, no, he doesn’t want it back. He wants this book to become a pillar of salvation, so that what happened to his family never happens to anyone else. He knows what the government does, and he understands he cannot stop it—but you might be able to. The weight is as much a hope for the future as it is heritage and legacy.” Bradley’s father turned the book over in his hands. “He has inscribed something on the last page of the book in invisible ink. It will require a special light to read, but the imprint is strong enough I can tell what was written.”

I grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from my kitchen junk drawer and returned, ready to take notes. “What does it say?”

“It is a quote from Winston Churchill, which goes as follows: ‘I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the ordeal of meeting me is another matter.’”

A chill crawled up my spine, creeping along with the slow progress of forming ice, crackling the entire way. “He knows he might die.”

“That does seem to be the case. I sense resignation tinged with the tiniest trace of hope. But I can’t tell what we need to do to prevent his murder.”

“Could the second warehouse be involved? The one where we have a due date to destroy or liberate?”

Bradley’s father shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’ve already begun looking into the warehouse with the campaign material, and it will be an easy hit. The security company handling the building is in process of going bankrupt, and they’re short-staffed. I won’t have any problems handling whatever security measures they do have in place, and I have two good men with the appropriate abilities ready and willing to cause problems for the government.”

“You can trust them?”

“I would trust them with your life as much as mine. They’ve lost loved ones to the government’s machinations. They will be among those who will be establishing my European offices.” With another pained sigh, he regarded the copy of Schindler’s Ark. “I feel a great deal like the protagonist of that book. He certainly wasn’t what anyone would consider to be a hero, neither before nor after his decision to save as many as possible from the Nazi regime. In fact, he was rather unscrupulous according to some. But when it mattered, he acted, at great personal cost. His people viewed him as a traitor for defying Hitler. But those he saved? They cared nothing about the man’s flaws. Because of him, they lived. We’re doing similar, although we’re hiding our efforts under a veil of wealth and ceremony. The money is an issue, but I would rather be poor when this is all done and have my employees safe when the smoke settles. If I could save everyone, I would.”

“The money isn’t an issue,” Bradley announced.

Well aware of what my fiancé had to hide, I went to work opening books. While the first edition of Pride and Prejudice and three editions of War and Peace would be the crowned jewels of my new additions, the boxes contained a wealth of banned books. Judging from their descriptions, in some fashion or another, they dealt with defiance of some sort.

Sometimes, the defiance involved the government. Sometimes, it involved society as a whole. In a few rare cases, the defiance came in the form of recollections of historical events the government attempted to erase.

“It’s an issue,” his father countered. “You spent forty-five million dollars in travel fees alone, including my employees. Then there is an issue of the cruise costs, which were over sixty million dollars including animal transport. That was the cost for just one ship. We needed two ships, and you insisted on paying for both of them.”

“Well, it’s my engagement with my woman, and due to my station as your brilliant son, I have to do grand gestures. As you, my father, surely can’t go on a sojourn for such a length without it also serving as a business function, my only choice was to bring all the employees who would be involved with your expansion plans into Europe. It’s not my fault that worked out to be almost six thousand people. It would have been twenty thousand people if more of your employees were willing to do such a venture.”

“I even offered to bring pets and family to make them more comfortable with the trip, but they would rather stay home and take advantage of overtime shifts,” Bradley’s father complained. “It doesn’t hurt that I made it clear that any overtime I issued while I’m on my sojourn with the rest of the employees would be triple pay.”

As Bradley’s father paid well, triple time would give his workers staying in the United States many reasons to like him. “Triple pay is impressive.”

“The company is doing well, and I increased some of their other perks as well. I’m trying to position everyone to be relatively safe from the government’s efforts. I can’t protect everyone, but I’m trying. That still doesn’t change the fact it’s almost six thousand people, you bought this penthouse, and you went on a book buying bender to appease your fiancé.”

I snickered. “You’re in trouble with your daddy, Bradley. Remind him you also have two new daughters.”

“We have two new daughters, Dad.”

“Your daughters, fortunately, will not be a massive financial burden.”

“We’re fine, Dad. Really. As I am a most excellent son, I have remained out of debt, and that includes all costs of the cruise, the venture overseas, and the wedding ceremony, engagement party, and attire for all associated events.”

“I don’t see how that can be possible. I know how much all those things cost. Also, we need to have a discussion regarding your choice of marriage venue!”

My eyes widened. “You picked a venue, Bradley?”

My fiancé winced. “An opportunity knocked, so I accepted it without hesitation. I was cornered by the clergy at the cathedral, and they offered to host our formal wedding ceremony. Due to the nature of our relationship, your physical challenges, and your sacrifices, they’re willing to overlook any living in sin we may be indulging in, as it appears we have been doing the Lord’s work. They’re really impressed with you in general, and while we aren’t practicing members of their faith, we’ve been bestowed honorary status. They would appreciate if we attended services for a period of three months. It would be once a week starting next week. They’d be extra happy if we made the time to come weekly until our ceremony unless we have a prior engagement or need to do cell work. They’re aware we’ll be processing our civil paperwork at the engagement party, but the current forms we have satisfied them. I told them I’d call early next week after talking with you. The cell work, to them, is also doing the Lord’s work. I didn’t bother questioning it. The offer was too good to pass up, and the cathedral does a lot of public outreach, so it looks good all around.”