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Luna peered up at Ellie. “Hear me out. Let’s say it was Jimmy in the fire. He’s sent to foster care. His sister has gone missing. He recovered the trunk, but it was in need of a makeover. Who does a better job than Cullen?” Luna was ticking off her summation. “Jimmy works with metal. Maybe it’s his way of coping with the trauma.” She took a breath. “The woman who came to see me was distraught. There was a sadness, a remorse about her. And she ran away with her boyfriend when she was in her teens, who is now her husband. And I am willing to bet, Tori is the missing sister.”
“But the diary was signed with aV. Her name is Tori,” Ellie reminded her.
Luna jumped up. “Yes, but Tori is a nickname for Victoria.” She knew she couldn’t keep her voice to a library whisper any longer. “Come on!” She grabbed Ellie’s arm and turned to the librarian. “I cannot thank you enough. Please come by the art center. We will give you a personal tour and treat you to lunch.”
“Really?” The woman’s eyes lit up. “That would be splendid.”
Luna fished one of her business cards out of her bag, and Ellie did the same. “Please get in touch.”
Luna chimed in. “You have no idea how much this has helped. Thank you, and yes, please come visit.”
Luna couldn’t help but give the woman a big bear hug.
Luna and Ellie hurried out the door. Their excitement was overflowing.
They returned to the center to see if Cullen had finished the trunk.
Luna rushed in. She was out of breath. “Cul! Cul! You are not going to believe what we discovered!”
“Easy there. What’s going on?”
“I’m pretty sure we solved this entire mystery.” She pointed to the trunk.
“How?” Cullen looked skeptical.
“The librarian! She found an article about a fire that took place around twenty years ago. It was in a mobile home. A twelve-year-old kid was burned on the side of his face. The parents weren’t around.” She paused. “And the father’s name was James T. Conover.”
“So?”
“That’s Jimmy Can-Do’s name! Ellie said it’s the name on the lease. James T. Conover, Jr.”
“Holy smoke! For sure?” Cullen leaned against his workbench. “So now what?”
“I’m waiting for Chris to see when he can get the handwriting analyst to look at the note and diary. If it’s a match, then that client is Jimmy’s sister.”
“That is some crazy theory.”
“Cullen, I know it. I know it in my gut. The article said the sister’s name was Victoria, and ‘Tori’ is a nickname for Victoria. It’s as plain as day.”
She went through the list of facts with him. The fire, the extent of the boy’s injuries, the names, the sister, the metal craftsmanship. She explained working with metal was probably his way of coping with his burns. No one has ever seen his face, including Ellie. Now they surmised it might be due to some disfiguration.
“But why go to all the trouble of sending me this trunk?”
“That I cannot say, unless it was his way of reaching into the past and maybe hoping there were some clues to his sister’s whereabouts.”
“But you don’t know if he even has a sister, much less that he’s looking for her.”
“But the name is James T. Conover, Junior and Senior. That cannot be a coincidence.” Luna was emphatic about it. “I’m going to call Chris and bring him up to speed. Maybe he’ll have some idea when we’ll have something from the handwriting expert. If it’s a match, then we’ll know for sure. She’s coming here on Saturday. I plan on prying more information out of her.”
“But you’re the psychic.” Cullen was trying to put it together in his head. “Shouldn’tyoube tellingherinformation?”
“Yes, and I will in so many words. I know I’m right about all of this. And I don’t think Tori even knows her brother is here. I don’t think she knows where he is at all.” Luna’s arms were akimbo.
“OK, let’s say you are correct. What are you going to do about it?”
“Ellie and I will figure it out.”
* * *
