“And...” Eve didn’t understand. “I think that’s only natural. He was her only son.”
“My grandmother has copies of all these photos,” Brian told her. “At first, I thought she was going senile. It could happen, she is in her late seventies.” His eyes narrowed. “But then, when she left, I went to her room and found the photo album of my father from the years he lived next door to that little girl in the photo.” He stopped and turned to Lila. “Who, by the way, bears a striking resemblance to you, Lila, and your mother.” He turned back to the photo. “This photo was gone. In fact, all the photos of my father and this little girl, or the people from next door, were gone.”
Eve’s heart thudded in her chest. “Why?”
“That’s what I thought you could answer for me,” Brian said, looking quizzically at Eve.
“You have pictures of this little girl’s parents?” Lila asked, leaning forward to study the photo more closely, and shifting the conversation away from Brian’s question. She turned to Eve,holding the photo up to the light. “Look, Aunt Eve. That is Mom.”
Eve took the photo, her hands trembling slightly.
It was definitely Mia. The eyes were unmistakable, that particular shade of green-gold that Lila had inherited. The shape of her face, the way she stood with one hip cocked slightly to the side.
Six or seven years old, maybe.
Eve’s mind caught onto one missing detail in the photo. There was no locket around the little girl’s neck. She knew Mia had been given the ruby heart locket on her eighth birthday. It was one of the few things Mia remembered clearly. Her mother gave her the family heirloom, making Mia promise to always wear it and keep it close, no matter what, on Mia’s eighth birthday.
Eve didn’t say anything about the locket.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have pictures of the little girl’s parents,” Brian said. “But I’m sure my gran did, as there are a whole lot of missing pictures in that photo album.”
“She could’ve just been cleaning up,” Eve pointed out, though the words felt hollow even as she said them. Her mind was reeling.What on earth was going on? Why would anyone hide photos?
“I asked my gran about the people who William let stay in his house,” Brian said. “She said she couldn’t remember and then acted senile about it.” He shook his head. “Now I’m intrigued. I got to thinking... why would you need me to get you into Circle Pond and then manipulate my gran into showing you around, when you know William so well?”
Eve and Lila exchanged glances again.
Brian was sharp. Too sharp to fool with half-truths.
“William was busy, and we were dying to see his house,” Lila told him with a grin. “We’re women. What can we say? We’re nosy.”
“Are you related to William?” Brian asked, not buying the excuse for a second.
Eve and Lila looked at each other.
“Look, I’m not going to say anything,” Brian told them. “Maybe I can even help you find what you’re looking for.” He raised an eyebrow. “I can also get you into the historical society and into the record rooms.”
“How did you...” Eve frowned, alarm bells ringing.
“It’s a small town,” Brian said with a shrug. “My grandparents are also on the board of the historical society. The woman who runs it told my grandmother that two tourists were unhappy about the early-closing policy one day a week. It was a woman and her niece.”
“Of course, your grandparents are on that board too,” Eve sighed, looking at Lila. “See, sweetheart, this is what happens when you make a scene. Word gets around.”
“I didn’t make a scene,” Lila defended herself. “I merely told the woman that if they closed early one day a week, it should be on their opening times board that was beside the door. Which it wasn’t.”
“That’s because the staff choose the day they want to close early,” Brian pointed out.
“That’s stupid, inconsistent, and really frustrating for tourists who want to go in there,” Lila said. “Is it any wonder we get frustrated?”
Brian’s lips twisted as he looked at her adoringly. “If you’re going to investigate anything in this town, you can’t go losing your cool. Word gets around.”
“Especially to your grandparents, who seem to be the gatekeepers to the town,” Lila stated.
Brian laughed. “My family has been here nearly as long as William’s. They know a lot about the town and the people.” He glanced from one to the other. “So what exactly is it you think you’re going to find there anyway?”
“How do you know we were looking for anything?” Lila asked before Eve could.
“You went right from Circle Pond, after getting my gran to give you the grand tour and trying to get information about William’s family, to the historical society,” Brian pointed out. “I may not be a detective, but...”
