Page 74 of Code Name: Reaper
Reaper looked over my shoulder when I pointed at the tallest girl. “The oldest one looks like she could be my mom.”
“Did you know she had siblings?”
“No.” I set the photo down and rubbed my temples.
Reaper immediately put his arms around me, and I leaned into him, so thankful he was with me.
“Why didn’t they show me any of these when they were still alive?”
I felt him shake his head. “It doesn’t make sense to me either.”
I leaned away and looked up at him. “Thank you for not saying something trite like, ‘I’m sure they had their reasons.’”
He laughed. “Have you ever known me to be trite?”
“Honestly? Never. Thank God.”
He raised a brow. “Hang on a sec. Are you admitting that there’s something about me you actually like?”
I nudged him with my elbow. “You’d be surprised at how many things I do.”
“I feel the same way about you.”
“If two months ago, someone had told me I’d be here, with you, looking at family photos, I would’ve told them they’d lost their mind.”
“Especially since we hadn’t met yet.” He winked.
I picked up the photo again and studied it. There was something about the girl’s posture that tugged at me.
“What about the others?” Reaper asked. “You said she looked the oldest.”
“I’m not great at gauging kids’ ages, but regardless, I have no idea who any of them are.”
“Typical-looking boy. Hair’s a mess, gap in his front teeth. But look at this.” Reaper pointed. Most of the letters were obscured except for the last three. “AMP. Think it says camp?”
“Like Hyde Camp?”
We stared at the photograph. The connections were thin and speculative. But in intelligence work, sometimes all it took was fragments to form a whole picture.
“Do you think the neighbor would know anything about these?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
“We could go now and still be back by the time Vera arrives. And we can take a look around in the daylight.”
The drive through Newport News took me past landmarks I’d ignored for years. The corner store where my grandmother bought me candy. The park where I’d learned to ride a bike. The library where I’d spent summer afternoons.
When we pulled into the driveway, Mr. Hill was out front, raking leaves.
I got out of the SUV and took another look at the house’s exterior. “It looks really good, both inside and out,” I said when I approached him.
“I try to make it look the way Norm would’ve wanted it.”
My throat constricted with emotion. “I don’t think I pay you enough for all the work you do over here.”
He leaned on the rake and smiled. “Keeps me out of trouble. Anyway, I keep it up in case you decide you want to sell the place.”
“Yeah. I guess I should start thinking about it.” I glanced at Reaper, and he winked. “So, we found some photos in the attic last night that I don’t remember seeing previously. Do you know where they came from?”
