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"Who is not a good guy. Maybe he's the one who shot Mom. Maybe he's the one she's been running away from this whole time."
I hadn't made that connection, but it was a big one. "That's true," I said slowly. "But the problem is trying to find someone who can actually give us information. Mom's life has been lived in three parts: before she married Dad, her life with us, and what happened after she faked her death. I'm pretty sure she used a different name for each of those parts. Which is why witness protection makes sense. But no one will admit that she's in it."
"She had to have some help in starting her life over so many times."
"Maybe the friend she went to see in New Orleans. I need to ask Dad who that was. Because I get the feeling that person knows about her past."
"Can you give the phone to Dad? I want to talk to him, too."
"Are you sure? It's just going to stress you out."
"I'm already stressed."
"All right. He's downstairs. Hang on."
I left my mom's room and jogged down the stairs. Kade was in the kitchen, talking on his phone. I moved down the hall and into the living room, my jaw dropping as I saw the blanket on the floor and absolutely no sign of my dad.
"Dad," I yelled, checking the bathroom. It was empty. So was the guest room. I ran back to the front door and yanked it open. There was no sign of my father. I put the phone to my ear. "He's gone," I told Dani. "He left the house, and I have no idea where he went." Disappointment and more anger ran through me. "He had to know what disappearing would do to me. I just got through telling him how much it hurt when he didn't call any of us back, but he left anyway."
"I'll try calling him," Dani said. "Maybe he thinks you're pissed off at him."
"I am pissed off at him. In fact, my blood is boiling."
"I know. I get it. But let's not forget who we should really be angry with. That's not Dad— it's Mom."
"Maybe it's both of them," I muttered, feeling very much alone as I ended the call.
It wasn't just the distance between my parents and me that hurt—it was the growing space between Dani and me. She was so quick to jump to Dad's defense. I used to think we were on the same side. It was the two of us against the world. But right now, it felt more like me against the world.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
"What's going on?"Kade asked, as he came up behind me.
"My dad is gone." I stepped back into the house and shut the door. "Did you see him leave?"
"No, I got a call from the gallery, and I went into the kitchen to take it." Kade gave me a regretful look. "Sorry, I didn't think he was going to bail. He was feeling bad after your conversation. He said he never should have told you he wasn't your father, that he never wanted that to come out. He wanted me to know that he really loved you. I said he didn't have to convince me. It was between you and him."
"Anything else?"
"No. That was it." He paused. "I need to go to the gallery. There's an issue with an installation that I need to resolve. It shouldn't take more than an hour. Do you want to come with me? I don't want to leave you here alone."
I hesitated. After everything that happened, I didn't want to be alone, but I also wanted to be somewhere my dad could find me. "I don't know. My dad might come back, and I'd like to be here if he does."
"I don't know that he'll be back, Brynn."
"You're probably right, but you should go do what you need to do."
"It won't take long, no more than an hour."
"I'll be fine. I'll keep everything locked up tight, and while you're gone, I'll make some calls. I want to follow up with Inspector Greenman and Jeremy as well."
"If you talk to Jeremy, can you ask him to send the police report on my father's murder? It sounded like he had a copy."
"Of course. You haven't seen it before?" I asked.
He shook his head. "I was a little kid when my father was killed, and years later when I asked about it, I got stonewalled. The police assured me that the case was still open, that they hadn't given up, but it didn't seem that way."
"I'll text Jeremy now," I said, as I typed out the request. When I was done, I looked back at Kade. "I'll let you know when I hear from him. I'll call the hospital, too. Maybe today will be the day my mother wakes up."
