“What?”
“Why didn’t tell me you were back here to figure out who your dad was?” The hurt in Ava’s voice was unmistakable. “You told Ryder.”
“Not right away.” Kinley turned toward her best friend, risking valuable minutes. “I didn’t tell anyone, not even Fiona. Not until I realized I’d probably never get the answer. I just . . . I didn’t want to burden anyone. I didn’t want to risk finding out my dad was—What if me finding out the answer meant someone else got hurt? It could’ve been anyone, Ava.”
“I get it. But I’m yourbestfriend. Remember that for next time, okay?” Ava’s scowl softened.
“I promise I will.”
“Let’s get this over with. You have an hour, two tops if the coffee doesn’t run out.”
Kinley poked her head through the trees, relieved she couldn’t see any other houses on either side of the property. The thick trees and massive acreage kept Melba’s mini mansion tucked away and private. Though the overcast sky was dusky, she wouldn’t have the cover of darkness on her side. “Let’s go.”
“Can I just wait—”
“I need you to be the lookout,” Kinley said. “You don’t have to go in.”
“Fine. Go!”
The two hurried across the lawn, headed for the garage door. Kinley suspected if any of the doors were unlocked, it’d be this one. She wiggled the knob. “Dang. Locked.” She trotted around the back of the house, toward a sunroom entrance. “Bingo.”
“What if there’re cameras?” Ava asked from outside, refusing to cross the threshold into the sunroom. “Or an alarm? You really think Melba Daniels of all people doesn’t have a top-notch security system?”
“If we hear an alarm, we run. And I’ll tell the cops I made you do it. I blackmailed you or something.” Kinley twisted the knob leading into the main house, relieved to find it open. She waited a beat to see if an alarm triggered, but only silence greeted her. “Whistle or something if someone comes, okay?”
“What if it was asilentalarm?” Ava hissed, but held her post.
Kinley crept inside, using her phone’s flashlight app to guide the way. Natural light poured in through the few windows not covered with blackout curtains, but mostly the house was dark. She welcomed the reassurance that no cleaners or visitors lurked inside to catch her.
Once through the most expansive kitchen Kinley’d ever stepped foot in, she saw Melba’s home office. French doors stood open directly across from where she lingered. The room was larger than Fiona’s entire cabin, decked out with bulky antique furniture—a desk, bookshelves, hutches filled with expensive souvenirs from all over the world.
“Hurry up, Kinley,” Ava’s voice called into the house.
“Someone coming?”
“Not yet. But I think the meeting got out early.”
Kinley recognized the Chippendale slant front desk only because she had the good sense to Google it before she trespassed. Pre-mission planning she could thank the Army for instilling in her. “How do you know?” she called back, opening drawers and riffling through the contents, running her hands along every edge in search of any secret compartments.
“Facebook.”
“Freakin’ social media,” Kinley muttered, searching the last drawer without any luck. At least, it offered a key for the top. She let down the top slant, searching through the nooks and pigeon holes.
“Kinley!” Ava shouted, her voice more urgent. “Time to go. Now!”
The pinkish document sat in a top compartment, hidden in plain sight. With trembling fingers, Kinley removed it and shined her flashlight on it. “Melba, you have some questions to answer,” Kinley mumbled.
“Kinley Ann James! Now!”
She closed the desk but didn’t waste time locking it. If Melba wanted to incriminate her later, she’d have a hard time explaining that Kinley stole her own birth certificate.
Headlights illuminated the windows. “Ava, go!” Kinley shouted as she sprinted for the sunroom door. “I’ll meet you on the trail.”
“But—”
“Go!”
Kinley caught a glimpse of her friend leaping into the cover of trees as she closed the exterior door. Relief washed over her for that small victory. Headlights shone over the grass, forcing Kinley to plaster herself against the house and wait or risk being revealed.
