The Bookstore
A short story
Staring at the Brain Matter Books storefront, Jonas reflected on the past week: two coded books from the Sterling Library Egyptology room, a map buried in Grove Street Cemetery, three a cappella performances.
The big break came when combing through the New Haven Museum archives. Jonas found a transaction ledger for the DC Corporation, a shell company for one of Yale’s Big Three Secret Societies: The Owls. Immediately the log met the this-is-totally-sketch-read-more sniff test after Jonas found records of wire transfers from The Owls to companies worldwide, in industries from gold to Hollywood.
Most suspicious of all, the ledger abruptly ended with a multi-million dollar investment to open a new bookstore in New Haven.
Jonas spent the morning asking Yale students about Brain Matter Books. Most students didn’t know a new bookstore had opened on campus, and the few that knew anything just replied, “Cool! Can I order books from there on Snackpass?” Zero luck.
Jonas observed the clerk behind the counter at Brain Matter through the store window, who clearly didn’t mind the absence of foot traffic. The clerk busied himself dusting, rearranging, and reading the rows of books inside for hours.
Unable to gather any useful information from the locals nor from window-gazing (and because Jonas was growing annoyed by the conversations of passerby Yale students about how crazy “Woads” was last night), Jonas entered Brain Matter to find out more.
It was two years to the day that Jonas first learned about Lloyd’s Treasure. Then a hopeful history major with a love for mystery books, Jonas was singularly focused on finishing his senior thesis: an essay about the origins of Secret Societies at Yale. Jonas spent hours reading through primary resources, combing through testimonials, and cataloging each of the original three Society’s traditions.
In a tattered book, buried and filed away in the historical fiction section of Sterling Library, Jonas found a story about a hidden vault underneath Yale. The book described how Yale’s Big Three Secret Societies have been pooling their money since the 80s to consolidate their power and influence. It explained how the Societies used the fund to influence politicians and manipulate students at Yale.
In the foreword, the author, Max, explained their motivations for writing the book; they were a member of one of the Big Three and became a whistleblower. Max became disillusioned by the necessity of the fund and its intentions after he was instructed to smuggle funds across the border. Now an outcast, Max decided to write all of his experiences to document everything in hopes the Societies would one day have to pay for their transgressions.
Unfortunately, nobody believed him, and the book failed to capture an audience. Instead, most readers regarded the book as a clever but flawed novel that lacked plot and substance. To Max’s dismay, he could not provide definitive evidence from the outside to convince people otherwise.
For some reason, Jonas believed Max. Maybe it was because Jonas was desperate for material to write about or just that he was captivated by the idea of finding millions of dollars buried under Yale. Either way, Jonas was determined to do his own investigation.
The Brain Matter clerk made eye contact with Jonas when he entered the bookstore. “Good afternoon, can I help you, sir?” asked the clerk in a tone that made Jonas wonder if it was a rhetorical question.
“No… I’m just browsing. Great store you’ve got here,” said Jonas. The clerk returned to the new Life Magazine flipped open on the counter.
Jonas started from the front-most aisle of books and worked his way to the back to be thorough. Using his finger as a guide, he winded through hundreds of books, spine by spine.
Jonas then returned to the front of Brain Matter to analyze a stack of books artfully arranged into a spiral staircase.
“What are you doing. Looking for something?” asked the clerk, peering over Jonas’ shoulder.
Jonas jumped and rushed, “Oh… I am just looking for a book for my thesis.”
“What’s it about?”
“Just something about the history of Secret Societies at Yale. I’m looking for a book about The Treasure. I’m looking for more details about some interesting financial transactions by The Owls. But, of course, you wouldn’t know about anything like that, would you?”
The clerk’s eye widened, and his expression steeled. “Please, leave.”
Jonas couldn’t help but crack a slight smile. He‘d be back first thing tomorrow.
