Free The Cracked Spine by Paige Shelton

been stolen or lost or damaged, so I don’t know where he got it, Delaney. I do think it’s real, but I was hoping tae have you help me know for certain.”
    â€œIs it in the warehouse?” I hoped beyond hope that the alleged Folio was locked up somewhere safe. If not a library or a museum or a bank vault somewhere, at least secure behind the red door at the shop.
    â€œNo, I gave it tae my sister, Jenny, tae care for it.”
    â€œDid she lock it up?”
    â€œI don’t know what she did with it. That was our argument yesterday. Well, part of our argument. We argued about other things first, but then about where she hid the Folio.”
    â€œOh, my.” Truth be told, I wanted to faint and cry. At least whimper a little.
    â€œI know what you’re thinking, Delaney, that I was stupid and careless, and you might be right, but perhaps if you understood my past with my sister, you’d know I was just trying tae rebuild something that broke a long time ago. Entrusting her with the manuscript was my way of telling her she was welcome into my life, that I believed that she’d moved on from her terrible past. I admit, it was probably a bad choice and one that I will regret forever, even if we find the Folio and are able tae mend our family anyway.”
    Edwin didn’t need to explain anything to me, to anyone really, but I appreciated the gesture. He was correct that I hadn’t walked a proverbial mile in his shoes, but I did think he’d made a terrible decision, no matter what the view from that walk might be. It wasn’t my place to point that out, though. Besides, he seemed to be beating himself up well enough without anyone else’s help.
    â€œDo Rosie and Hamlet know?”
    â€œThey know I gave the Folio tae Jenny, but they don’t know she wouldn’t tell me where it was. I would appreciate if you didn’t tell them that part. I would like tae do it myself. Tomorrow.”
    â€œOf course. Let me know what I can do to help,” I said.
    â€œI will.”
    I couldn’t dwell on the Folio. Well, I could I supposed, but it wasn’t going to do anyone any good for me to continue to be astounded by its possible existence and now disappearance. If the auction was any indication, I had stepped into a world that would hold many awe-inspiring items. I’d have to get used to it.
    The rest of the short ride back to the shop was silent; both Edwin and I had fallen deep into our own thoughts. I didn’t know what I could do to help him, unless just getting to work on something at the shop, perhaps in the warehouse, might help everyone.
    He pulled the car up to the curb, and I hurried out before he could hop out too and open my door. I waved as he drove away, but he was probably too distracted to notice.
    The bell above the door jingled as I went back into the store.
    â€œDelaney! How did it go? What did ye think of yer first auction?” Rosie said, still in the chair behind the desk.
    â€œFine. We didn’t bid on the item, but I got a good sense of how things are done.”
    â€œThat’s wonderful! How was Jenny?” Her smile flipped into a frown.
    â€œShe didn’t make it there,” I said as I moved to the corner of the desk and scratched behind Hector’s ears.
    â€œOh. I’m sure Edwin was disappointed. However, it will help…”
    â€œWhat will help?”
    â€œOch, ’tis nothing.”
    I watched as her eyes squinted, unsquinted. She scratched above her ear and then her chin.
    â€œYou okay, Rosie?”
    â€œFine, lass. Just fine.”
    â€œEdwin said that you could go ahead and show me the warehouse, if you have time. I don’t want to disturb a project.”
    â€œYer not! That sounds delightful.” She lifted Hector from the desk and tucked him under her arm.
    â€œWhere’s Hamlet?”
    â€œGone for the day. He’s here only part-time, the other times he’s an