Read Murder Most Witchy (Wendy Lightower Mystery) for Free Online

him at the end of the night if he stayed close by.
    "This beer is excellent. Please bring another for Wendy."
    Wendy's stomach dropped into her too-tall shoes and did backflips back to its original position. Her beer arrived as though by magic. Now that, she thought, would be a 'parlor trick' worth learning.
    The first long drink broke the barrier of her lips like cool river heading out to sea. After her nervousness about the outfit, followed by literally falling on the most attractive man she had ever seen in real life, it was more refreshing than any drink she could consciously remember.
    She was actually smacking her lips by the time she swallowed.
    "Good, isn't it?"
    Wendy heard the smirk in his voice. She'd been caught off guard in their first encounter, so this seemed like a good time to go on the offensive. "So what kind of a name is Archer, anyway?"
    He was completely nonplussed. "A middle name. My first name is Richard. Never liked it much."
    "Fair enough. It took me years to get used to Wendy."
    "What brings you here tonight, Wendy?" He lingered over her name.
    If she didn't know any better, she would think this guy was flirting with her. "I work here," her answer was shorter than she had intended, but he didn't seem to mind.
    "Fascinating. In what capacity, if you don't mind my asking."
    "I don't mind." Wendy took another very satisfying sip of her beer. "I'm the head librarian on the other side of the building." Even talking about the two halves of the North Harbor Historical Library and Museum demarcated the difference between the museum end the library side. There was a very obvious physical barrier between the two in the form of long hallway that led back to the offices - museum offices on the right, library offices on the left. Through no fault of anyone, perhaps it was just human nature, there wasn't much interaction between the two sides. Wendy, as the head librarian and only restorer, did some restoration work as needed for the library, but she was really the only one who did much crossing over. Wendy's thoughts strayed to Carrie, and she realized, with a pang of guilt, that she should be looking out for the girl. Carrie didn't know many people aside from Magda and herself. As fond as Wendy was of Magda, she knew her friend wasn't the sort to seek out and shelter an eighteen-year-old girl who happened to find herself out of her element.
    "Head librarian," Archer repeated with a knowing smirk. "Why does that make me feel like you are going to rap my knuckles with a ruler?"
    "Only if you're naughty," even as the words fell from her mouth like vomit, Wendy was aching to take them back. She hadn't meant to say anything provocative. Really, she hadn't, but the way the word rolled off her tongue, it was barely short of obscene.
    Archer raised one eyebrow and studied her, his expression showing shock but not the distaste she anticipated. When he answered, the flush that infused Wendy's cheeks darkened from pink to purple.
    "I'll try to behave."
    Wendy began feeling extremely flustered and increasingly uncomfortable. This conversation was taking a turn into an unknown area for her. She changed the subject, "What do you do?"
    Archer noted the change in her tone, and her question brought a smile to his lips. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised."
    Wendy frowned. She could tell that he was laughing at her, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why. "Surprised at what?"
    "That you don't know who I am."
    "Should I?" Her curiosity warred with a mounting sense of annoyance. Although he didn't seem to be bragging in his claim that she should recognize him, she definitely sensed smugness in his manner that grated on her nerves.
    "No," he replied, "come to think of it, there isn't really any reason why you should."
    Now her curiosity had waned, and she was just plain irritated. "Well," she demanded, "who are you?"
    "Richard Blackly," he said, extending his hand and flashing her the cheesiest smile she had ever seen,