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Anne’s almost vibrating with excitement. “I absolutely could. School’s out next week and I don’t have plans. But now that you’re home, Halley, I can postpone for a while. I don’t want to intrude.”
Halley avoids the invisible fist pump, feeling only a tiny bit guilty at her internal reaction. This is the freedom she needs. No responsibilities for a few days so she can really dig into this situation with her sister. “Not intruding at all. I think that’s a wonderful idea. If you’re here to take care of Dad, and Ailuros ...”
Anne’s eyes are shining. “I am. They are both safe with me.”
“I’ll be up and around in no time,” Quentin bellows, and both women look at him and shake their heads in unison, sharing a sideways glance. He won’t be up and around, not for a few weeks at least, but with this surprise, now Halley has nothing to stop her from finding out what happened to her sister.
They catch up a bit—Halley always liked Anne Patterson—and when her dad starts yawning, Anne checks her watch. “Why don’t I let you two chat for a bit? I have some errands to run.”
She kisses Quentin on the forehead and pats Halley’s arm. “Want to have dinner tonight? I’ll cook. Lasagna still your favorite?”
“I was supposed to go out with some friends, but I can totally reschedule.”
“Oh, don’t do that. I’m sure you have loads of folks to catch up with. We’ll do it another time.”
When Anne’s gone, Halley looks at her dad with an arched brow.
He laughs, that nervous-hyena thing the drugs are pressing him into. “I know. I should have told you we were dating.”
“Ya think?” Halley grows serious. “We need to talk for a minute. I’m very happy for you, but I’m really upset with you, too. What else are you keeping from me? These are some pretty big life changes to take in all at once. Finding out about Mom, then Cat, now Anne? If there’s more, you better hit me now.”
“There’s not. I swear.”
“I need to talk about it. It’s too much. I’m starting to remember things.”
He immediately grows wary. “What are you remembering?”
“Snatches. Words. Flashes, images. Nothing that makes sense. I’m trying to fill in the blanks, but there’s nothing to work with. I need you to fill them in for me.”
“You should let this go, Halley. I know you’re a curious woman, and I know this seems like a grand mystery for you to solve. But it’s not. Chances are Catriona isn’t alive. And that would be a relief, to be honest. She had dark thoughts, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she hurt herself, ended her own life. When I say she was troubled, I am not kidding. There are things in this world best left alone.”
“I can’t. This is too big to ignore, Dad.” She fills him in on what she’s discovered, noticing with interest how he withdraws from her. She’s not the only one experiencing pain at these revelations. “It’s not fair that you won’t talk to me. I understand that you’re hurting, but this is huge.”
He takes her hand. “I know this week is throwing you for a loop. If there’s any way I can counsel you to not get involved, I will.”
“Dad. She murdered my mother.”
She watches his face for more, but his lids are heavy. This is exhausting him. As much as she wants to hear more, she needs to leave it alone for now.
“I hear you. I promise. I won’t take this too far. But if she is alive, and she is dangerous, finding out where she is won’t be a bad thing.”
“I love you, Halley. I don’t want to lose you, too. Please, let this lie.”
She squeezes his hand. “Don’t worry about me. I can handle myself.”
Chapter Thirteen
Halley stops for a sandwich at her favorite little café right down the street from Goode. The owner, a self-styled hippie named Sunshine, makes Halley a tuna melt and slides a Diet Coke across the tin counter, and in between bites, Halley deflects pointed questions about life, her marriage, and her dad. When she’s finished, Sunshine, who’s no dummy and can tell Halley’s avoiding talking to her, puts a bag of snickerdoodles on the counter with the check, and Halley gives her a grateful hug before she leaves. Snickerdoodles are her favorite.
She leaves the Jeep parked on Main Street and heads through the massive gates to the Goode School library. A bonus of being an alum—you are always welcomed back to campus and are free to avail yourself of its amenities. The gym, the pool, the library, the bookstore. All are places Halley has frequented over the years postgraduation. The library at Goode, funded by the massive alumni endowment, rivals that of any major college. It also has state-of-the-art computers and subscriptions to all the major news services and magazines. Combined with Halley’s own database accesses, she is pretty sure she can find Tyler Armstrong.
She checks her email, sees a message from Theo.
H—the missing persons report was filed by a woman named Alison Everlane. The phone number belongs to her, but it’s a private listing for a landline, and might not have voicemail. No idea if it’s hers or what.Everlane was a student at Harvard at the same time as your sister. She works for a nonprofit in DC now. Here’s their number. That’s all I’ve got for now.
Be Careful! Theo x
Theo x?What the hell is going on? Her husband has never signed anything with a kiss.
