Nonetheless, Gabriel had to be there. She needed answers and the St. Canard University library would have them.

Stepping foot on that campus after so long -- particularly with the way things ended -- brought with it a plethora of raw emotions. As though Gabriel needed anything else brought to the surface, so to speak, during such a typically overly-emotional time of year.

She was certain she would stick out like an adult at the children's table. Girls fresh out of high school would lean in to whisper to their sorority sisters, wondering who the old hag was. Boys would stare, admiring her body but too intimidated by her beauty -- as well they should have been -- to pursue the dangerous stranger.

But Gabriel was pleasantly surprised on her brief trek to the library from the metered parking stalls. Not only had the meter been left almost full from the stall's previous inhabitant, she'd managed to find one only a few feet from the library's front curb. Girls appeared to casually admire her trendy outfit in that jealous and catty way a proper woman perfects in her early teens, and the boys turned to ogle her as she walked by. It was peculiar how she wanted to blend in with the surroundings or maybe disappear altogether, but her vanity was so overwhelming that she couldn't do anything but walk with her head held high.

"Good afternoon," the librarian greeted Gabriel in a quiet but overly polite manner. "May I help you with something?"

Gabriel fidgeted, clutching the binder in her arms anxiously. "Yes, actually. How might I go about getting information on a person?"

The librarian lifted a full, well groomed and graying eyebrow. "I can help you with that," she said hesitantly.

"I'll also need some prescription drug information if I can get it." Gabriel startled herself by how quickly she pulled an excuse out of seemingly thin air. "I'm reviewing an old murder mystery for a -- a forensics class."

"Mmm. Well then, young lady, follow me."

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