The Winner by David Baldacci Read Free Book Online Page B

court. You have time? My treat. We could talk some more, catch up.”
    “Maybe another time. Like I said, I’m kind of in a hurry.”
    LuAnn observed Jarvis’s disappointment and felt a little guilty. She put Lisa down and gave him a big hug. She smiled as she listened to him breathe deeply into her freshly washed hair. As he pressed his hands against the small of her back, and the warmth and softness of her chest spread over his, Jarvis’s spirits were instantly rekindled. “You’ve done real well for yourself, Johnny,” LuAnn said as she stepped back. “Always knew you’d do just fine.” Things might have been different, she thought, if she had come across Johnny a while back.
    Jarvis was now treading across fine white clouds. “You did? I’m kind of surprised you even thought about me at all.”
    “There you go, I’m just full of surprises. Take care of yourself, maybe I’ll see you around.” She picked up Lisa, who was rubbing the stuffed animal against her mother’s cheek and jabbering happily, and headed for the door.
    “Hey, LuAnn?”
    She turned back around.
    “You gonna take that job?”
    She considered the question for a moment. “I don’t know yet. But I expect you’ll probably hear about it if I do.”
     
    LuAnn’s next stop was the public library, a place she had frequented when in school, but it had been years since she had last been there. The librarian was very pleasant and complimented LuAnn on her daughter. Lisa snuggled against her mother while she looked around at all the books.
    “Da. Da, ooh.”
    “She likes books,” said LuAnn. “I read to her every day.”
    “She’s got your eyes,” the woman said looking back and forth between mother and child. LuAnn’s hand gently slid against Lisa’s cheek.
    The woman’s smile faded when she saw no ring on LuAnn’s finger. LuAnn noted the look. “Best thing I’ve ever done. I ain’t got much, but this little girl’s never gonna be hurting for love.”
    The woman smiled weakly and nodded. “My daughter is a single mother. I do what I can to help out but it’s very hard. There’s never enough money to go around.”
    “Tell me about it.” LuAnn dug a bottle and a container of water out of her diaper bag, mixed some formula she had gotten from a friend together, and helped Lisa get a grip on it. “If I ever get to the end of a week with more money than I started with, I’m not going to know what to do with myself.”
    The woman shook her head wistfully. “I know they say that money is the root of all evil, but I often think how nice it would be not to have to worry about the bills. I can’t imagine the feeling. Can you?”
    “I can imagine it. I imagine it must feel pretty durn good.”
    The woman laughed. “Now, how can I help you?”
    “You keep copies of different newspapers here on that film stuff, don’t you?”
    The woman nodded. “On microfilm. It’s in that room.” She pointed to a doorway at the far end of the library.
    LuAnn hesitated.
    “Do you know how to use the microfilm machine? If not, I can show you. It’s not very difficult.”
    “That’d be real nice. Thank you.”
    They entered the room, which was vacant and dark. The woman turned on the overhead light, seated LuAnn at one of the terminals, and picked out a microfilm spool from one of the files. It only took a minute to insert the spool, and information appeared on the lit screen. The woman worked the controls and lines of text flashed across the screen. LuAnn watched her carefully as she removed the spool and turned the machine off. “Now, you try it,” the woman said.
    LuAnn expertly inserted the spool and manipulated the controls as the film advanced.
    “That’s very good. You learn quickly. Most people don’t get the hang of it right away.”
    “I’ve always been good with my hands.”
    “The catalogue files are clearly marked. We carry the local paper, of course, and some of the national ones. The publication dates are printed on