“Someone’s awake,” Shawn says. We all look around at one another, debating what to do. It’s Tech who makes the first more.
He starts up the paved walkway and climbs the porch. We all follow him, but hang back a little. We don’t want to overwhelm the older woman when she opens the door.
Tech knocks, looking nervous. I’m nervous too. We really shouldn’t be bothering her this late. Just then, a woman answers the door, but it’s not who we’re looking for. She’s too young, around the same age as my father.
She stands on the doorstep, looking us over before pausing on Tech. There is a hint of recognition in her expression. “Can I help you?” she asks him.
“Oh, uh…” Tech starts. “I’m sorry. I’m looking for Gloria Mendez. She is—”
“I knew it,” she breathes out, sounding relieved as she presses her hand to her chest. Her eyes grow misty as she gazes at Tech. She offers a watery smile. “You look a lot like him, you know?”
“Uncle Gabriel?” Tech asks, and I can tell it makes him proud.
She nods. “My cousin always knew someone would show up eventually,” she says. “I’m Ariel. Now, come in. We have a lot to talk about.”
I think we’re all stunned, but regardless, we walk inside Ariel’s house.
I’m nervous as I shift my gaze around. She’s there alone, the TV volume blasting until she turns it off. There is a half-empty bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and a glass of iced tea sweating on a coaster. It’s a modest but comfortable home. Familiar, in a way that reminds me that they’re Chasers.
“Let’s go into the kitchen,” she says. “There’s more room there.”
We walk in and take a seat at the table, all of us a bit skittish. We definitely thought we would need to talk our way inside. We’re quiet as Ariel gets us all some water, iced tea for Shawn, and then she sets a bag of chocolate chip cookies in the center of the table. When she sits down, I’m slightly more at ease, but still very confused.
“I’m sorry,” I say, speaking up. “How did you know Tech would come here?”
“I didn’t know it would be Tech, necessarily,” she says. “But someone. Gabriel always believed someone from his family would come to find him.”
“Where is he?” Tech asks, smiling. “I’d love to finally meet him.”
Ariel wilts. “I’m so sorry,” she says gently. “He… sadly, he died just over a year ago.”
Shawn gasps, and Jamie looks down at the table. I immediately turn to Tech and watch as his smile slowly fades. My heart aches for him. He was so close to finding his uncle. I reach to put my hand over his, and he squeezes it before letting me go.
“How did…?” he starts, but has to clear his throat before continuing. “How did he end up here? On this island. And where is my great-aunt?”
“My mother passed away several years ago,” Ariel says. “But… Gabriel came to live with us almost forty years ago. We took him in, hid him for a while. When the dust settled, he was able to start working odd jobs around the island. Everyone here knows him as Gabe. We supported my mother, helped keep her house. I’m sad that he’s gone,” she adds. “He was more than a cousin—he was my best friend.”
Tech listens, but his eyes are searching around like he’s thinking. Like he’s not sure what to believe.
“If he was here all this time, why didn’t he ever call his sister?” Tech asks. “His mother? I mean, Grandma waited for him.”
Ariel laughs softly. “Your grandmother is the one who sent him here,” she says. “She helped him leave, and in return, he stayed away to protect her. To protect our whole family.”
“I don’t understand,” Tech says. “How was he protecting us? He should have come back to clear his name. Told the truth about what happened at the Starline Hotel.”
“He couldn’t,” Ariel says. “These people… understand that these were bad people. They would have killed him, Tech. Maybe even our whole family.”
The idea is horrific, even after what we’ve seen. And my mind turns to Felix. He had found the Starline Hotel—he was there, at some point. Did he threaten to tell someone? Is that why they killed him?
“I know this is a lot to take in,” Ariel says, reaching to put her hand over Tech’s. “And I’m sorry he’s not here to tell you himself. But… he did write it all down.”
Tech straightens up, and I exchange a look with Shawn. I’m not sure what exactly Ariel knows, but maybe this is the information we came looking for.
“What did he write?” Tech asks.
“Everything,” Ariel says with a shrug. “The details about that night, about Florence Marsten. He was sure there would come a time for the truth. Obviously, we had hoped it would have been sooner, but… he hoped right up until the end.”
“Couldn’t he have told a reporter?” Jamie asks, cutting in. “Since he was out of Cape Hope, wasn’t there someone he could tell?”
