Leith stopped, thought for a moment, then said sadly, “That’s all, just those four plus myself now that poor Claudia won’t be with us.”
Jenna considered those descriptions, searching for anything that might signal danger or connection to Claudia's murder.Nothing stood out immediately.“Has Gregory Ashton ever been part of your book club?”
Leith snorted, a surprisingly inelegant sound from the usually whimsical bookstore owner.“Gregory?Heavens, no.That man has never even set foot in my store.Too busy shouting at amateur actors to bother with literature, I suspect.It would probably do him good, though—might learn something about character development.”
“Did Claudia ever speak with you privately, especially during the last meeting?”
Leith's gaze drifted to the window, where dust motes danced in a shaft of afternoon sunlight.“She did, actually, but just to ask some questions about literature.”
“About anything specific?”
“Wanted to talk about fairy tales, of all things.I assumed it was related to her teaching.”
Jake raised an eyebrow.“Fairy tales?”
“Yes.”Leith said emphatically.“She asked whether I thought violent and scary fairy tales ought to be toned down for children.We had quite the discussion about it.”
“And what did you tell her?”Jenna asked, feeling a prickle of interest, the kind of sensation she often experience when her intuition—her gift—was trying to tell her something.
“I told her that children should probably get their fairy tales from Disney or other adapted versions,” Leith said, absently rearranging a stack of bookmarks.“I mean the originals … are you familiar with them?”
“No, I can’t say that I am.”
“Well, they’re quite… different,” Leith said with a faraway look.Then she returned her gaze to Jenna and added, “But I’ve always said that adults could benefit from reading the original stories.They teach us about the brutality of the real world, wrapped in the guise of fantasy.The original tales are warnings, you know.Not bedtime stories.”
Jenna felt that prickle intensify.“Leith, do you know any fairy tales that involve cutting open a wolf's belly?”
The question seemed to please Leith rather than surprise her.Her eyes lit up with the particular joy of someone asked about their expertise.
“Oh yes!Come with me,” she said, moving toward the stockroom door with unexpected purpose.“I'll show you exactly what you need to see.”
CHAPTER TEN
Jenna hoped that she and Jake weren’t just wasting time here as they followed Leith back through the main area of the Dénouement Café.Several of the bookstore patrons looked up as though they expected to chat, but this time the bookshop owner didn’t stop for any of them.With nothing more than a wave, she plowed right past her patrons, heading for a back corner of the store.
"Here we are," Leith announced when they reached a display case where books were visible through the slightly darkened glass sides.Her voice took on a reverent quality as she added, "My most prized possessions."
Peering into the case, Jenna could see rows of leather-bound volumes, their spines cracked with age, titles faded to near illegibility on some.
Leith’s usual dreamy demeanor had hardened into something more protective, like a mother guarding her children.Her expression was serious and her voice stern as she told them, “These are absolutely not for sale.Not at any price.”
Jake caught Jenna's eye, one eyebrow raised slightly in amusement at Leith's sudden shift in temperament.
“I understand,” Jenna suppressed a smile.“They look quite valuable.”
“Value is such a limiting concept,” Leith replied, fishing a small key and a pair of pale blue vinyl gloves from a pocket of her purple dress.“These books aren't merely worth money.They're worth history, worth wisdom.This case isn’t perfect for them, but it does provide some temperature control and keeps out the most damaging light.”
She put on the gloves, which looked to Jenna much like those that she used when collecting evidence, then inserted the key in the lock.As the lock clicked open, Leith added, "This book contain a certain kind of truth that's worth knowing about."
With her gloved hands, Leith carefully extracted a volume bound in dark brown leather.The book was substantial, its edges worn but still gilded, its corners rounded from centuries of handling.
“What is it?”Jenna asked.
“Grimms' Fairy Tales,” Leith announced, cradling the tome as if it were an infant.“First English edition, translated directly from the German original.Uncensored.”She emphasized this last word, her eyes flicking meaningfully between Jenna and Jake.
Leith carried the book to a nearby reading table.“This light is all right for a quick look.No sunlight, nothing harsh or immediately damaging.”
She placed the old book down gently and opened it carefully, the spine crackling slightly in protest.