I grinned. “That’s super true.”
“So, we need to find out what Brandy knows and why she’s returning the jewelry.”
I hummed in agreement, leaning closer to the computer screen with a frown. “Isn’t that your dad?”
Dylan mimicked my stance and frowned. “Yep.”
“Why’s he going into Ms. Long’s room?” I asked.
Her eyes didn’t leave the screen, but she gave a small shrug. “Dad used to be pretty tight with Ms. Long’s nephew. They don’t talk anymore, but maybe he still checks in on Ms. Long. She was like familywhen I was growing up.”
“You’re probably right, but we should check and see when Ms. Long’s jewelry went missing.” I scanned the notepad in my hand, checking for the date. Damn. It was the same. Holding it up so Dylan could see, I asked, “Coincidence?”
Dylan shrugged. “Maybe.”
“It doesn’t mean he did it, buddy. Let’s not jump to any conclusions.”
“You’re right. I just...let’s keep going.”
As we watched, Dylan tallied nurses, doctors, and visitors, checking for consistency against the dates the jewelry went missing. Unfortunately, Dylan’s dad was the only one there for each theft.
Dylan turned off the video and shook her head.
“He could still be innocent,” I said, even though I didn’t see how. “Maybe someone’s framing him.”
Dylan dropped the remote onto the bed and lowered herhead.
I rubbed her back. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on in that overactive brain of yours.”
She took a deep breath. “He’s guilty, Addie. He did it. There is no setup.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because this isn’t the first time,” she whispered.
* * *
Dylan
Feeling sick to mystomach I closed my eyes, but it didn’t help. I could still see the footage of my father going into eachof those rooms. I knew he was guilty. To be honest, I’d had a hunch from the moment he called me, which is why I didn’t want to get involved. This would have been so much easier had we just hired a private investigator from Klamath.
“Ohmigod, would you open up to me already?” Addison asked, gripping her pillow. “Talk before I beat it out of you.”
“Okay, okay.” I threw my hands up in surrender,maybe talking about it would help loosen the knot in my stomach. “It happened the summer before I came up to Portland.”
When I didn’t immediately continue, she gave me her signature death glare. “You’re gonna have to give me more than that.”
“Fine. Just chill the hell out. This isn’t exactly easy for me.”
Her expression softened, and she gestured for me to continue.
“Right after I was acceptedto your school I started taking odd jobs...mowing lawns, walking dogs, cleaning, babysitting, whatever I could get. We were broke and I knew I wouldn’t fit in.” I was silly and naïve. “I thought if I raised some money and got some new clothes, maybe I wouldn’t stand out so much.”
Addison gaped at me. “You were what, eleven?”
“Something like that. It’s not a big deal. Lots of people here workedthat young to help their families. I mean, nothing full time. Just little jobs. Builds character. Anyway, I saved up a couple hundred dollars, and...”
My throat constricted and I couldn’t force the words out. For so long, I’d convinced myself Dad needed the money. He had to support us, and he was going through a rough time. But now that I was older and fully understood his addiction, the betrayalhurt even more. Which in turn pissed me off, because as a grown-ass woman I should be over it by now.
