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“Start in the corner with the filing cabinet. I have everything backed up digitally, so you don’t need to worry about throwing anything important away.”
“Do you want to wait to do your bedroom, or should we start up there?” Cody asks from the door.
“Or we can work on setting up the security system around the property,” West offers.
“Yeah, go ahead and get that started. I’ll do my room next.”
Blake and I make good progress working in silence together. It’s mostly just throwing old invoices and camper logs away. Nothing of importance seems tampered with. By the time we’re sweeping up the glass and boarding up the window, Cody and West show up, Storm and Ghost faithfully at their side. It’s funny how the dogs seem to just know that they’re part of the family now.
“I’ll make something for us to eat,” Blake says as I start climbing the stairs to the loft.
I don’t respond as I get to the landing, looking around the destroyed room. The few photos I had of my parents are all damaged, and it looks as though someone intentionally tried to ruin them. I’m numb as I pick up clothes and fold or hang them back up. I’ve never felt so violated.
It’s not until I get to the chest in the corner that I realize something is majorly wrong. The box that was with all my mom’s stuff that Jennifer gave me the day of my graduation is missing. It was a small, cedar box that I thought was probably decorative. I didn’t have the key so I never unlocked it.
Panic rises as I frantically search the chest and the surrounding area for it. Anguish, then rage, lights my blood on my fire. One of the only things I had left in the world to connect me to my parents has been stolen.
“Guys,” I yell down at them. “I need help.”
Three sets of footsteps come pounding up the wooden steps.
“What’s wrong?” West asks, the first to reach me.
“The box that was with all the stuff your mom gave me is gone.”
“Maybe they just moved it.” Cody immediately starts moving things around. “What does it look like?”
“It’s a wooden box, heavy, with a black feather painted on top. It’s about the same size as a shoe box and has an old-fashioned lock.”
“What was inside it?” Blake asks as he moves stuff around in the closet.
“I don’t know. I didn’t have the key.” I keep looking, afraid that if I stop, I’ll lose it and cry. I’ve cried too much the last few days.
After a half hour of searching, we come up empty. That box seems to be the only thing, aside from some cash and jewelry, that was stolen. The guys force me downstairs and set a bowl of tomato soup in front of me along with a grilled cheese sandwich.
“Did you get everything set up for the cameras?” I ask Cody and West.
“No.” West wipes his mouth with a napkin and swallows. “It’s going to take a few days because the property is so big. The cameras on the cabins and yurts will be wired, while the perimeter will have wireless.”
I nod and go back to quietly eating as my mind races. What could my mom have had in that box? Jennifer said she’d had the box for a while before she died. What was it?
“It had to have been John,” I say suddenly. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. The box didn’t look special.”
“Do you think your mom might know what was inside it?” Blake asks West.
“I can ask, but I haven’t told them we’re here with Violet.” He looks at me. “Are you ready for them to know?”
“I think so.” The fact is that having the comfort of his parents might be what I need.
“Okay, I’ll call her.” He pulls his phone out and goes outside.
I finish my dinner and put the dishes away before slipping on a jacket and going outside to be with him. He’s sprawled on the steps with his back against the banister. Ghost is tucked in beside him as he chats with his mom on FaceTime. He glances up at me with a soft smile and it’s such a rare sight I feel butterflies.
“Do you want to say hi?” he asks me.
“Yes.” I drop down beside him as he changes angles to make room for both of us in the shot. “Hi Jennifer.”
“Violet.” Her eyes fill with unshed tears as she gives me a watery smile. She’s got a few more fine lines around her eyes and streaks of silver in her blonde hair, but otherwise looks the same. “My God, you look so much like your mother. How are you, sweet girl?”
