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“And?”
“Pierce sent some research a short while ago. It has a connection to a group that formed back in the 18th century. I’m not sure what to make of it yet, but it’s also connected to Emmaline Swisher.”
“And what does any of this have to do with Cate?”
“Her sorority uses the same symbol on its letterhead. Emmaline is a member of the sorority, too. Which reminds me, I had Pierce looking into someone Emmaline was communicating with online. I have to check on his progress on that front.”
“Do we have someone keeping a close eye on our sister?”
“Scott.”
“Good. I’ve been working on another case, but I’m going to delegate it to Brady. It sounds like you could use a hand.”
“That’d be great. I have Kenneth doing interviews in Philadelphia. Maybe you could join him, or follow some leads down that way.”
“You going back to Philly?”
“I might be, but I want to check out a few more things here first. There is a cold case about a missing businessman that might be the missing link to all this. He had the same symbol on several items in his personal effects.”
ThreedayspassedsinceSamantha had last heard from Gavin. Which was fine by her. She had too much to do to spend time worrying about him and his unofficial missing person case. At least that was what she was telling herself.
She’d spent hours staring at her computer monitor and sorting through family documents in an attempt to build her family tree. Her uncle told her he could trace his ancestry back to the Mayflower, but she’d never asked him for more information. Now she was left to put the pieces together herself.
Where they came from didn’t much matter to her, but she did want to find out more about the mysterious symbol she’d discovered in his belongings. She was certain she’d seen it somewhere before, but she couldn’t figure out where. Something told her to dig through family documents, but she’d gone through all the important documents he’d given her, and there was nothing of consequence to be found there.
Stepping away from her desk, she headed to the bookshelf. Maybe a good book would be enough to keep her mind off Uncle Richard. Shaking her head, she realized her uncle wasn’t the problem. She’d accepted that he was probably dead years earlier.
The real issue was Gavin. Somehow, she’d let him captivate her once again. If she wound up with a broken heart it would be her own fault. He’d as much as admitted to toying with her emotions while he’d be involved with another woman, yet here she was throwing herself at him once more. No. She hadn’t done that, not yet. But if she spent much more time with him, she could easily see herself giving into his charm.
Caressing the spine of an old book on her shelf, she pulled it out. This one had been her uncle’s. She took it with her to an armchair and settled down to read. When she opened the cover, she found the mysterious symbol. This time with words to accompany it. Continental Alliance. Founded in 1787. She stared at the symbol. Maybe this was what they needed to learn more about this group. A name and a year. It was big.
She flipped through the pages. It wasn’t much more than a members list. The book contained information on members of the alliance and their ancestry. Flipping through the pages she found a familiar name. Cleveland. It wasn’t her uncle, but it could be one of their ancestors. She pulled up her family tree. She hadn’t traced it that far back, but the name of her mother’s great-great grandfather was the same. Edmund Cleveland.
Her phone buzzed with a text message.
Gavin: Found something? Can we meet?
She needed to share this with him, but if she had to consider whether she might be somehow implicating her own family in his case. Swallowing her fear, she typed a response.
Sam: Sure. I found something, too. Let’s meet at the coffee shop on the main drag in Benton.
Gavin: The one with the sidewalk sign?
Sam: That’s it.
Gavin: Ten minutes?
Sam: Make it thirty.
She wasn’t about to show up in her sweats with her hair tied back in a messy bun. While she had no intention of giving her heart to the man, but she had more self-respect than to leave her house looking a mess.
Chapter Eleven
Gavinkepthiseyesglued to Samantha as she came inside. She wore jeans and a casual blouse with an over sized brown leather purse slung over her shoulder. He wasn’t used to seeing her with a handbag, but he shook off his confusion. Women carried them. It wasn’t all that unusual. He’d brought his satchel with his laptop inside. She wore her hair long and straight, and though not overdone, he was almost certain she was wearing makeup. He liked her fresh-faced look, but this was nice, too. She was pretty. He’d known that, of course, but seeing her now he recognized it on a deeper level. His attraction to her was growing. If he was smart, he’d put a stop to whatever was developing between them before one of them got hurt. Nobody ever accused him of brains when it came to women though.
“What are you staring at?”
He grinned. “You.”
