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I grasped her hand again and gave it a reassuring tug. “If I think I need that, I’ll totally do that, but I promise you I’m fine, Mom. I didn’t mean to hassle you with all those questions. I was only curious.”
“If you’re sure,” she said, studying me so intently that guilt prickled through my gut. I definitely couldn’t pry anymore about Dad now, or she’d be convinced I was having some kind of episode of delayed trauma.
To my relief, Holand strode back into the room before I had to figure out what to say next. His hair was still slightly damp from the shower, and he carried a velour robe over his arm.
Thank God.
“Maddie!” he said with a welcoming smile. “It’s good to know Lindsay had company while I was gone.”
“I had to check in on her,” I said. “But why don’t I let you two have some time together, and I’ll be back in a bit. I need to grab some lunch from the dining hall.”
“Oh, yes, don’t go hungry on my behalf,” Mom said, waving me off.
I wasn’t actually hungry, but there was something else I wanted to check while I was here. It’d been twelve years since Dad’s last projects with the hospital, so my chances of finding out anything were slim. But I had to take whatever opportunities I could.
I rode the elevator to the fourth floor, where half of the wing was devoted to research offices. I’d visited Dad there several times as a kid, although of course even if I’d remembered exactly which room he’d used, his office would have been cleaned out ages ago. But maybe they stashed old job materials in a storage room somewhere. I just needed to talk to someone who’d be able to point me in the right direction.
I passed a couple of staff who looked to be in their late twenties, too young to have worked here at the same time as Dad. Then a woman with curly auburn hair walked out of one of the rooms, and recognition lit up in my head. Her face looked more worn and she’d put on a little weight, but she was a doctor who’d collaborated with Dad on some of his assignments.
She hesitated and took me in too, but it was probably harder for her to place me when I’d grown from a little kid to an adult in the same time.
“Rebecca?” I said, hoping I wasn’t totally mistaken.
Her eyes widened a bit. “Is that Madelyn Silver? It’s been such a long time.”
I couldn’t help grinning even as a pang ran through my gut at the memories stirred up. If Dad had still been alive, he’d have still been working here alongside her. “That’s me. It’s good to see you.”
Sadness tensed her expression. “I heard your mother was admitted a few days ago. You must have come by to visit her. Is she still doing all right?”
I nodded. “She’s being released tomorrow, and she can’t wait. Everyone’s taken good care of her here, though.” I paused. “While I was here, I was actually hoping to ask something about my dad too. So I’m glad I ran into you.”
“Of course. What can I help you with?”
I motioned vaguely to the rooms around me. “I realize it’s a long shot, but I know Dad must have had a bunch of work papers and stuff in his office when he died, since it was so sudden. I wondered if the hospital would have hung on to any of that—if it’s in storage somewhere, and if I could take a look through it.”
She cocked her head, considering. “I helped them clean out his office since I was fairly familiar with his work. There actually wasn’t all that much. I remember thinking it was a bit odd that the room was so empty—I assumed he’d taken a bunch of things home to work on after hours. Your mom should be able to tell you more about that.”
My stomach sank. Logan had told me that one of the reasons he assumed Dad’s death wasn’t natural was missing journals that had disappeared—probably stolen—from the hospital. It looked like he’d been right, since whatever documents Rebecca had expected to find in his office definitely hadn’t ended up at home.
Someone had gotten here first and cleaned out everything they’d thought might point back to them. Crap.
It was too much to drag Rebecca into this whole mess. I forced a light laugh. “I’ll have to ask her. Thanks anyway.”
“Of course. It was good to see you. You’ve come a long way from that little girl who was always skipping through the halls.”
She had no idea. Another pang of loss hit me, and my smile wavered. “It was great seeing you too.”
I turned and hurried back to the elevator before the heat behind my eyes could condense into tears.
After the elevator doors closed, I took several deep breaths to get a hold of myself. I probably should go down to the cafeteria and grab some food. I’d need lunch eventually, and then I wouldn’t have to lie to Mom and Holand when I went back to her room.
I got off on the first floor and headed for the cafeteria. I’d just stepped inside the white-walls space with its rows of rectangular tables when a familiar but unexpected voice rang out from across the room.
“There you are, Madds!”
I’d have known that energetic tone anywhere, but somehow my brain couldn’t quite believe it until I turned and found Summer jogging over to meet me.
My thoughts jarred, the world I’d been silently immersed in where I was investigating Dad’s murder colliding with the everyday life I’d been trying to maintain with everyone I was close to outside of the Vigil. For a second, I didn’t know what to say to my best friend, even though I should have been excited to fit in an impromptu visit.
