Governor George posed for several pictures with her grandson, who was excitedly admiring the lemurs, before she settled on a bench and pulled out her phone when it rang. Paradise hovered close and nodded for Blake to keep an eye on the kids. She overheard that phrase again, and once the call ended, she sidled over and sat on the bench too.
“I couldn’t help but overhear you mention something called rare earth. It sounds exotic.”
The older woman smiled. “Rare earth elements are not as fancy as the term sounds. REE is used in things like batteries and magnets. They wouldn’t be terribly important if China wasn’t cornering the market on them. Such necessary elements put the US at a disadvantage for energy independence. Alabama is in a goodposition to be able to extract it from REE feedstocks like coal. We need new technology to do it though. It’s costly to dig up and extract. We have to figure out cheaper ways to remove it from the earth and get it to market. It’s one of the things I’ve been working on. You seem very interested.”
“Just intrigued. I’d heard the term and wondered what it was.” She wanted to reveal what they’d discovered, but it wasn’t her news to share. If Blake or Jenna wanted to talk to the governor about it, they could. She’d make sure they knew Governor George had a particular interest in REE.
Paradise rose. “I have a surprise for the kids. There are new pups old enough to be handled. With your permission I’ll let Jackson hold one.”
“Wonderful!” The governor snapped her fingers at her aide and the photographer. “Get ready, she’s getting a baby lemur for Jackson.”
Paradise went to the barn where the babies were in a pen with their mother and grabbed a crate. “We won’t hurt your little ones, Mama. You can come with us to make sure.” Loki adored Levi. She would probably leave her babies to be with him.
The boys’ eyes widened when they saw the pups in the carrier and Loki loping along with Paradise into the petting arena.
Levi leaped to his feet and made a call that sounded amazingly like the noise Loki made the instant she saw him. Paradise opened the gate for the boys to come in, and the mama lemur immediately loped to Levi.
He petted Loki with a gentle hand. “I haven’t seen her in forever, Paradise. She didn’t forget me.”
“Of course she didn’t. You’re her favorite.” The other boys squatted by the pups, who proceeded to crawl onto their shoes.
The photographer was snapping pictures constantly, and hegestured for Governor George to join her grandson. Paradise let her in, and she settled on the ground with the pups around her. Paradise spotted the grin on Blake’s face and knew he was thinking about the great PR this segment would bring. They might weather this storm after all.
“Paradise, this has your name on it,” Levi called.
She turned to see him holding a music box with a monkey on top with cymbals. Her name was scrawled on a note on the side. “Where’d you find it?” It looked like one she used to own fromThe Phantom of the Opera,and it sent a sinister shudder down her back even though she’d loved the movie for years. She supposed there were many replicas.
“Loki found it and gave it to me.”
Paradise hesitated before she took it. “Thanks.” Opening it would have to wait until she was away from the children in case it contained something dangerous. For an instant she wanted to toss it into the bushes, but she couldn’t do that. Why did it frighten her so much?
Chapter 19
Loblolly pine trees swayed in the wind behind Blake and Paradise and showered them with their scent. Their guests had gone to enjoy the gourmet lunch the park had arranged for them. Blake stared at the music box in Paradise’s hand. The paint was battered and old. The trinket shouldn’t have filled him with trepidation, but his hand trembled when he reached for it. “It might be dangerous to open. Let me do it.”
She took a step back, moving closer to the trees. “I’ll do it, Blake.” Her voice held a sharp edge.
Was he smothering her again? He curled his fingers into fists and bit back a reminder that he’d been in the midst of bullets flying and knew how to handle explosions. Why did she struggle so much against letting him take care of her? It wasn’t that he felt she wasn’t strong and capable—it was that he had more experience with objects that could turn dangerous.
She exhaled. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. This might be an important clue, and I want to see it for myself. At the end of the day, I want to know I did everything I could to get to the truth.If I’m going to rid myself of the guilt that constantly haunts me, I have to do this myself. It’s my burden, not yours.”
They’d had such different upbringings—she’d been tossed from home to home, dragging her garbage bag of belongings with her. He’d always had the stability of his mother’s love, while Paradise had never been sure of anything, even where she would sleep the next night. It was no wonder she felt she had to prove her worth.
He put his hands behind his back and nodded. “Is it heavy?”
She hefted it gently in her hand and nodded. “But the monkey with the cymbals is the heavy part.”
“At least it’s likely not a bomb then. Go ahead.” Despite his outward show of confidence, he breathed a prayer for safety.
She turned it upside down. Taped to the bottom was an envelope with her name on it. Inside were two tickets, and Blake couldn’t see them well enough to identify them. He held his peace and waited until Paradise smoothed them out on her palm.
“The Phantom of the Operawas playing in New Orleans, and I went with my mom. I watched the movie over and over again. I can still quote it by heart.”
“Are the tickets from the showing in New Orleans?”
“No, they’re from Broadway. I’ve always wanted to see it there.”
“Whoever has been using the songs from the musical has to know how much you love it.”
