Leaving Carolina by Tamara Leigh Read Free Book Online Page B

disbelief I feel hanging from my face like a sign swinging by its last nail. “I am a changed man—”
    A loud scrape is followed by a rumble at my back, and Axel calls out a warning. I leap forward and whip around to see the last of a dozen books hit the floor amid a cloud of dust. Only a few remain on the uppermost shelf, and one appears ready to throw itself overboard. But something is there that doesn’t belong in any library. “What’s that?”
    My cousin drops his jaw. “Wow, what
is
that?”
    “Night-vision goggles,” Axel says dryly.
    Bart jerks his head around. “You think?”
    “I know.”
    So do I, though I’ve only seen them in spy movies. I scale the ladder and retrieve the binocular-eyed object from the dusty shelf. “Axel’s right.”
    “Interesting,” Bart murmurs.
    I descend and cross to where he, Axel, and Errol stand in the library’s arched doorway.
    I expect Bart to reach for the goggles—they had to cost a small fortune—but he merely smiles. “Wouldn’t you love to know why our reclusive uncle keeps such a high-tech piece of equipment lying around?”
    “Perhaps in the event the power is shut off?” Axel says.
    I exchange a knowing look with him, the depth of which surprises me given our brief acquaintance.
    “Let me tell you, they would have come in handy tonight. I could barely see a hand in front of my face.” Bart lifts one and wiggles his fingers.
    It’s halfway convincing. So either he’s innocent, or Bart is goodat what he does, meaning he may have crossed the line between habitual lying and pathological lying.
    Something slaps my hand, wetting it from fingertips to palm. “Ugh!” I jump back, but the dog reaches again with his slimy tongue.
    “Errol, sit.” Axel commands.
    Errol lowers his rump as I wipe the drool on my once-favorite pants. Disgusting!
    “I’ll see you around.” Bart starts down the hallway.
    “A changed man, hmm?” Axel murmurs as we hear the front door open.
    I don’t know why I feel the need to defend my cousin, but I say, “He may not have known about the goggles.”
    Axel opens his mouth and then closes it, as if realizing it isn’t his place to argue.
    With a growl, Errol lunges into the hallway.
    “Hey!” Bart halts a few feet from where the dog stands between him and us. “It’s just me.”
    “Down!” Axel says.
    The dog whips his head around, and—I declare!—he looks frustrated.
    Axel shrugs. “I’d let you, boy but Ms. Wick appears to be fond of her cousin.”
    I am
not!
    “I was thinkin’”—Bart glances at the goggles—“Uncle Obe would probably want me to have those.”
    I do a double take. “Oh?”
    “For animal watching, a new interest of mine.”
    “And you need night vision for that?”
    “For the ones that come out at night.”
    “Nocturnals.”
    “Right.”
    “I’m sure they would be useful, but I’m not at liberty to give away Uncle Obe’s possessions without consulting him. However, when I visit him tomorrow, I’ll ask on your behalf.”
    Though his wallet has to be pinching him, Bart says, “Nah, I’ll ask him myself.” He starts to turn away. “Of course, maybe I could just borrow them for a little while.”
    So he can return them to some unsuspecting merchant for a refund? “Sorry.”
    He sighs. “’Night.”
    The front door closes, and I peer down the hallway to be certain Axel and I are truly alone. “So the goggles
are
his.”
    Axel extends a hand. “May I?”
    I pass them to him, and our fingers touch. I did
not
feel that tingle. As I fold my arms over my chest, I recognize the gesture as defensive and drop them back to my sides.
Exude confidence—feet planted shoulder-width apart, arms loosely held at sides
.
    Axel examines the eyepieces that project from beneath the headband. “Not military issue, but they’ll do the job.” He taps a small third eye. “Built-in infrared illuminator for total darkness. Relatively light so they can be worn for extended periods of time.