At Rodriguez Manor, Jason carried the books he had just sorted in his arms as he headed down the stairs. The stack was too high and unsteady, so he swayed along, inching down one step at a time while leaning against the banister.
A pair of hands settled in the middle of the stack and lifted off the top half. Jason turned and saw Schiller coming down the stairs. He smiled a little sheepishly and said,
"Professor, did I take too many? But Tim asked me to get him some detective novels. He loves those. And he's been talking about the books Constantine gave you that aren't sold anywhere for days."
"It's fine." Schiller quickly descended the stairs and set the books on the coffee table. He patted Jason on the back and said, "Go ask Merkel for some rope to tie them up. Otherwise, when Alfred comes to pick you up, you'll have to carry them all over like this."
Jason nodded and ran toward the back garden. Merkel was trimming the bushes with gardening shears. After hearing Jason, he set the shears down and headed for the nearby Tool Room.
Just then, the phone in the living room rang. Schiller walked over, picked it up, and said, "Hello... Oh, Gordon. What is it? The police station lost power?... All right, I understand. Bring her over."
Jason returned with the rope and began tying up the books. Schiller turned to him and said, "Gordon will bring Harley over in a while. The police station has no power, and he doesn't want Harley eating fast food. I'll reserve a restaurant and tell Alfred to pick you up later. We'll go out to eat together."
"Or neither you nor Harley has to go home tonight. Tomorrow morning, I'll take both of