Page 32 of Fatal Fame
As she stood to leave, Evelyn paused. "Noah, about your daughter—she's eighteen, right? Old enough to make her own decisions about what risks she's willing to take?"
"She's old enough to think she can make those decisions," Noah replied. "That doesn't mean she understands the consequences of making the wrong ones."
"Maybe the answer isn't keeping her away from dangerous investigations. Maybe it's teaching her how to conduct them safely."
Evelyn left him sitting alone with his coffee and a dozen new questions about how much trouble Mia had gotten herself into while he'd been distracted.
The house feltdifferent when Noah returned that evening, quieter. He'd spent the day following up on the Luther Ashford lead in Saranac Lake, which had turned out to be another carefully constructed dead end.
Noah settled into his recliner with a beer and the case files he'd brought home, spreading documents across the coffee table in patterns that helped him visualize connections and timelines.
He was deep in concentration when he heard Mia's car in the driveway, followed by the sound of the front door opening and closing with the careful quiet of someone trying not to attract attention.
"Mia?" he called.
"Hey, Dad," she said as she appeared in the living room doorway. "How was your day?"
"Where have you been?"
The question hung between them, loaded with implications they both understood. Mia's hesitation before answering told Noah everything he needed to know about how she'd spent her time.
"Just around town. Research for my gap year project."
"What kind of research?"
"Local history, mostly. Newspaper archives, that sort of thing." Mia moved into the room but remained standing, asif she was preparing to make a quick exit if the conversation turned confrontational.
"Mia, I ran into Evelyn Cross today. She mentioned that you've been working with Pierce on his investigation. Is that true?"
The shift in Mia's expression was immediate —surprise, guilt, defiance, and something that might have been relief at having the secret exposed.
"Dad, I can explain?—"
"I thought we had an understanding about staying away from his investigation."
“No, we had a conversation where you told me what you wanted me to do. That's not the same thing as an understanding," Mia said. "I'm eighteen years old. I can make my own decisions about who I talk to and what I'm interested in. And I am not going to rehash this again.“
Noah set down his beer and turned to face her fully. "This isn't about your age or your independence. This is about your safety. Keith Dwyer is dead, Mia. Someone connected to this case committed suicide rather than face whatever consequences he was afraid of."
"Or someone killed him and made it look like suicide."
The words stopped Noah cold. "That's exactly my point," Noah said quietly. "If Keith was murdered, then whoever killed him is still out there, still protecting whatever secrets they've been hiding for ten years. And now you've put yourself on their radar by helping Pierce."
"Dad, stop trying to control me?—”
“I’m trying to protect you." Noah stood up, moving closer to his daughter. "You will always be my responsibility, Mia. Not because you're not capable, but because you're my daughter. And with Keith's death, this whole situation has become too dangerous for civilians to be involved."
Mia nodded slowly, and for a moment Noah thought he'd gotten through to her. "I understand why you're worried. But I can't just pretend I'm not interested in this case, and I can't pretend I don't have information that might help find the truth."
He exhaled hard, running a hand over his head. “What information?"
"Local connections, family histories, things that outsiders wouldn't know or wouldn't think to ask about." Mia's voice softened. "Dad, I'm good at this. I have instincts for investigations. Why is that something to be discouraged instead of developed?"
"Because instincts without experience can get you killed."
Mia was quiet for a long moment. "Is this really about my safety, or is it about you not being able to control what happens to me?"
The question hit Noah harder than he'd expected.
