I stared at the screen for a moment before replying.
A lot has happened since the last time we spoke. I’d rather talk in person.
Her response came without hesitation.
Can you come by?
I said yes, grabbed my coat, and headed out, driving the winding road to her home. Gabriel came to the door when I knocked, smiling as he said, “Georgiana, it’s good to see you again. Talia told me you were stopping by. Come on in.”
Today, the house smelled like coffee and toast, but there was no sign of Brianne.
“Is your wife here?” I asked.
“She’s out running errands. I can see how long she’s going to be if you’d like.”
I swished a hand through the air. “Oh, no. It’s fine. She doesn’t need to be here.”
We walked into the kitchen. The table was set with two mugs, one empty, the other full, and a plate of untouched pastries.
“Talia’s in her room,” he said. “I’ll tell her you’re here.”
“Thank you.”
He went upstairs and then returned, pouring me a cup of coffee before I had the chance to refuse it. Then he gestured toward the table. I sat, and he remained standing.
“How’s Talia been since the last time I was here?”
“Worried and sad, just like we’ve all been.”
“I can imagine.”
“She’s still not eating much or talking much.”
Talia entered the room a moment later, her hair pulled into a loose braid, sweatshirt hanging off one shoulder. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around me, a gesture I wasn’t expecting.
Once she pulled back, she said, “I keep thinking we’ll wake up, and we’ll find out this has all been a big prank. And Audrey will walk through the door and laugh at us for falling for it.”
“While we can’t change what’s happened, we can get justice for her and her family.”
She searched my face. “You seem so confident that we will.”
“I am.”
She exhaled and sat across from me at the table. Gabriel joined us, folding his arms over the top of it.
“Can you tell us anything?” he asked.
“We’re making progress,” I said. “Before she died, Audrey found something connected to the past, an object someone wanted to stay buried.”
Gabriel nodded, his expression solemn.
“I’m not surprised,” Talia said. “Audrey picked up on everything, and she often noticed things other people missed.
“She also asked a lot of questions,” Gabriel added. “She used to say her curiosity was her best and worst trait.”
Talia reached for a pastry and popped it into her mouth. “What about Logan? Have you heard anything?”
I gave the question some thought, knowing I needed to choose my words with care. “I hear he’s alive.”
