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Riss frowned. “I don’t think it has any real value. I just want it because it’s a part of my family history and since I won’t meet any of them, it’s as close as I can get.”
Siobhan walked into the room. “Do either of ya need anything? I’m about to close the shop.” She glanced at the cookie plate and then frowned at her grandfather. “Did you eat all those cookies?”
“Oh no. That was me. I was hungrier than I thought.” Riss offered her a smile.
Siobhan laughed and snorted. “Nice of you to try and take the blame.” She scraped one forefinger over the other at her granddad. “I know who the real culprit is.” She laughed and shook her head. “I’ll just go clean up then, shall I?” She grabbed the mugs and empty plate and left again.
“Riss, your sister was quite different from you. She had a hard edge to her. Life hadn’t been so kind and she chose to become hard. Not a bad choice, to be sure, but it made her unlikeable.”
Riss frowned. “You only met her once. How could you tell that?”
“With your sister, you only needed once.” He stood and walked to the end of the sofa leaning over the arm and looked at the bookcase.
Riss thought about what people had said or not said about Alicia. O’Toole might be right. There always seemed to be some hesitancy when people spoke about Alicia, as if they were choosing their words carefully. It didn’t matter now. Alicia was gone. Riss would never know what her twin was really like. It might be naïve, but she decided to believe Alicia was a nice woman. There was no value in doing anything else.
O’Toole stepped back from the bookcase and handed her a leather-bound book. It had uneven, stained pages, and was tied closed with leather straps. A faint smoky odor clung to the cowhide binding. “This is your family bible,” he said as he lowered himself into his chair again.
“How did you? I mean… Why do you have it?” She stared at the book in her hands. It was heavier than she’d anticipated. She wanted to rip the cords off and immediately read it, but she also wanted to prolong the experience. She wanted to read it when she was alone and could savor every word.
“After the fire, my wife and I came out to see the ruins. She found it underneath an old stone fireplace that had fallen down around it. The stones saved it from burning, I guess. Anna said we had to keep it just in case you or your sister ever showed up to get it.”
Riss stared at the book and then back up at the elderly man. “Anna sounds like a special person. I am so sorry you lost her and that I didn’t get to meet her.”
He nodded his thanks. “I didn’t give it to your sister because…well, because I didn’t think she’d give it the respect it deserved. She kept saying how it would make her rich.”
“Rich? How would it do that?” Riss asked rather absently as she ran a hand over the well-worn leather cover.
“No idea. I’m sure the land is worth something though.”
Riss looked up. “What land?”
“The farm. Your cousins worked it for a while and then over the years they just died off and eventually left. It’s just sitting there.”
Riss froze. Something happened in that moment that she couldn’t explain. A lightness filled her soul, as if the sun came out, although it was dark outside the window. She felt like she could breathe. Like her lungs could fully expand after being cooped up for years. Somewhere out there was land owned by her family. Land she owned. She could be a part of their legacy. She smiled. “Where is it?”
“Just outside Dublin.”
Siobhan came back into the room. “Are we all set then?”
“Yes,” Riss stood and tucked the bible into her bag. “Mr. O’Toole, I cannot thank you enough.”
“Bill, and it was a pure pleasure to meet you, Riss. Do come by and see me if you can. I’d love to hear how everything turns out.”
She moved around the table and hugged the older man. “I will let you know, promise.”
He smiled at her and then she followed Siobhan to the front of the shop. “Thank you so much. And thank your grandfather for me.”
Siobhan nodded. “You made his day. Thanks for the visit. Don’t be a stranger.”
Riss stepped outside the shop and then started down the street. It was dark out but there were still so many people about. She should be safe.
Ten minutes later, she knew she’d made a mistake. A man dressed in dark clothing was following her. He was vaguely familiar. She had no idea where she knew him from, but she knew he was after her. She sped up and so did he. She slowed down and so did he. She watched him in the reflection of one of the closed shop windows. She saw his gun when his jacket swung open. In her haste to get away, she’d missed her turn and now she was lost somewhere in Venice with no idea how to get back to the Society house and a killer on her tail.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Cash was crawling out of his skin. Riss had left hours ago. Who knew exactly how many, as there was no record of her leaving, something Archer was very pissed about. And no one had heard from her. He’d tracked her cell phone but was pissed to find it in her room. She was getting smarter about this kind of stuff and that wasn’t a good thing.
He stared into the darkness. Archer had him search the entire house as if she were a small child and was hiding from them on purpose. It was stupid. Riss wasn’t here. He knew it in his bones because he knew when Riss was close by. He could feel it. Not that he was going to tell anyone else that. It sounded crazy.
