There was another girl behind the desk instead, older, plain-looking, with thick, round glasses—the traditional dry librarian type. She asked to see his university library card, and when he didn't produce one she obviously debated whether or not to refuse him use of the library. But when he put on the charm, showing her some of his articles and promising to send her a copy of one of them, she relented. "Do you have any idea what happened to the girl who used to be here?" he asked, trying to sound casual. The librarian got a self-satisfied look on her face. "I was told she took a couple of weeks' vacation. But if you ask me, she got into some sort of trouble. She looked like the kind that would get into trouble. I doubt she'll be back." Seeing the look that crossed Mark's face, she added suspiciously, "Why do you ask?" Mark smiled. "She was pretty helpful to me, that's all. But I'm sure you know just as much about this place." "I should hope so," the girl said, "I've worked in state university libraries for ten years." Mark breathed a sigh of relief that Fay was not there.
