Her confident voice rang from the walls of the library. ‘I’ve been told that I’ll find him here,’ she continued. ‘Do you know where he is?’ The man behind the desk sat bolt upright. At first she thought he was starting guiltily, but that idea seemed so absurd Lucy quickly brushed it aside. He glared at her ferociously and raised a finger to point at something behind her back. Coolly, she glanced at the sign above the doorway she had just walked through: SILENCE PLEASE, SPEAK ONLY WHEN SPOKEN TO. Without acknowledging the sign’s instruction, she turned her gaze back on the wizened figure and studied him carefully. Her lips thinned as she concentrated and her forehead wrinkled before her smile blossomed with understanding. It only took a moment to fathom his needs and his drives and, confident that she could exploit those tastes, Lucy decided that things were finally working in her favour. ‘You’re the record keeper, aren’t you?’ His frown flickered with uncertainty and she watched as he tried to impose his authority on the situation.
