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Piper pulled a face and sagged back in her chair. “Remember what I said about trying to see the greenhouses before we have to solve the next clue?”
“Yup.”
“I’m kind of wishing this basket had been a date and time to visit the greenhouses for my professional advice. I’m currently not feeling hopeful about solving this clue.”
“I’m kind of wishing that, too. Because, as usual, I don’t have a clue where to start with this clue either.” He rolled his eyes.
Piper sighed and put her head in her hands. “I was hoping this would get easier.”
He could see the little lines around her eyes. She looked tired. And even though she was wearing pajamas, Piper Davis still looked great.
Dawson took a sip of his coffee. “I don’t want to jump in too soon. But space. Is that like—the final frontier stuff. Do you think they’re talking about our sixteenth astronaut?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I wonder how we’d find out that?”
“They must have a list somewhere on NASA we can look at.”
Her phone started to ring as she stood up. “Piper Davis.”
Dawson immediately looked around, wondering if he should head into another room to give her some privacy. But Piper started gesturing at the phone right away, mouthing at him. “It’s them.” So, he stayed seated, right where he was.
Piper switched into professional mode, nodding and agreeing to a few things before finally hanging up.
“You can do today, can’t you?” she asked, a hint of panic on her face.
He searched his brain, thinking of the few things he had planned that he could easily change. “Sure.”
“Great,” she said, running to the stairs in her house, and then running back. “Make yourself at home.” She waved her arm. “Drink more coffee. I’m just going to pull on some clothes.”
Dawson stared at the clue again, making an attempt to find the sixteenth astronaut on his phone with little success. Piper came back down the stairs in jeans, a pink sweater, and thick boots. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. She gave a little wiggle and made her own dance tune. “I’m getting in the greenhouse. I’m getting in the greenhouse.”
Dawson laughed as he stood up. “Anyone would think you were excited by this.”
She held her finger and thumb up. “Oh, just a little,” she teased.
“Want me to drive?”
“Oh no.” She shook her head. “We’re being picked up.”
She opened her door just as another black car pulled up outside. The driver opened the door and they climbed inside, Mr. McNally already waiting for them.
Piper gave him a sympathetic glance and pulled a notebook from her pocket. “When was the last time you were in the greenhouses?” she asked.
He gave her a surprised look and opened his mouth. “It’s… been a few years.”
Dawson kept quiet, interested in reading the dynamic in the car. Piper had already hinted that she suspected there may have been more than friendship between Mr. McNally and Margaret Smith. Maybe there had been—but what he was sure of was that at the very least, there had been a deep-rooted friendship. McNally clearly admired the woman, and had obviously been upset by her passing. Piper seemed to have instantly picked up on the fact that this might be a difficult visit for him.
They moved quickly through the traffic and pulled up at Margaret Smith’s old house. Neither Mr. McNally nor Piper even glanced in the direction of the house, both walking around the side toward the greenhouses. Dawson tried not to let himself get stuck on looking at the land toward the back. Even a little glimpse made him imagine some kind of ballpark there, and after seeing that third clue, he understood why Piper hadn’t wanted to risk her dream on those clues.
A few of the panes of glass in the greenhouses were patched—and only one of those patches was his, and even from outside, Dawson could see that some plants looked overgrown. Mr. McNally pulled something from his jacket, and glanced at it, before punching in a code at one of the doors.
It was security, but not exactly very meaningful. The greenhouses could literally be broken into by anyone who wanted to do them damage.
Dawson turned his head to the side. “Got it,” he mouthed to Piper.
She bit her bottom lip. Maybe she disapproved of him memorizing the code, but Mr. McNally hadn’t really made any attempt to hide it.
The door slid open and all three stepped inside. For a moment, things seemed odd.
