“Is it just me, or did Victor sound even drier than normal when we told him we were headed to Chicago?” I ask Micah. After we finished with Janine’s garden last night, we called him to let him know we found the next clue and were headed straight for the Windy City.
“Yeah, he sounded sort of sad.”
The flight to Chicago is short and sweet. This constant travel reminds me of the height of my modeling days, but I’m enjoying the time.
Traveling with Micah is nice. When he’s not trying to get under my skin and shoving pillows into my back, we mesh well together.
“You gotta be kidding me,” Micah mumbles when Victor’s face is the first one we see as we make our way to baggage claim.
“Why didn’t you tell us you were meeting us? How’d you get here so fast?” He must’ve hopped on the first plane out as soon as we called.
He greets us with the poise we’ve come to expect. He’s like a royal palace guard. I’m determined to see him break character. I know Tanya must’ve accomplished it.
“I go where I’m needed.” Dry as ever. “I hope you had a good flight. Your baggage claim carousel is this way.” He leads us to our assigned belt, which spits out our bags soon after.
As we’re walking to Victor’s car, Micah speaks. “Since you’re here, maybe we can squeeze in that game of chess you owe me.”
Victor smirks. “This will be a short trip for me, but my office is open to you anytime.”
Tanya tried to teach me how to play chess a couple of times. It didn’t interest me, but I loved how much she enjoyed it. I can’t say I’m surprised that Victor is also a fan.
Victor is subdued as we drive to the bank that was on the deposit slip clue. He shows the woman at the front desk the proper documentation to gain entry, and then we’re escorted to the back room.
“You’ll need this,” he says, handing us a laptop.
“You’re not gonna stay?” I ask.
“Like I said, I go where I’m needed. You don’t need me for this,” he confirms. He and the bank employee close the door behind them to give us some privacy.
“What do you think is in here?” I ask once the door shuts. It feels like whatever it is has the power to send us both flying into orbit.
“Only one way to find out.” Micah puts his hand on top of mine and we open the box together.
There’s a flash drive that makes the reason for Victor’s laptop clear. And then there’s a deed to a house and a copy of the marriage license we saw in Richmond.
“I’m almost scared to watch this one.” The flash drive feels like it weighs a ton in my hand.
We connect it to the computer and Tanya’s face appears.
I can see her only from the waist up, but I can tell she had lost a ton of weight. Her fingers are bony and her skin is slightly paler. We are watching her wither away right before our eyes.
My stomach flips.
“Hi, my loves. You must be very confused because the name on that marriage license is not George Holden. I met Roger Lucas exactly one year after George died. I was still a wreck. I had taken about all I could take. I was offered a job here in Chicago and I considered taking it.”
Her words are interrupted by the harshness of her cough. Her chest rattles with every move. Still, she’s determined to push past her obvious pain.
“Excuse me. Where was I? Oh yes, I considered taking the job in Chicago, but I also didn’t want to give up the home I shared with George. It was the last place he had touched, you know? So I decided I’d go to Chicago for a visit. See if it felt right before I committed. I stayed at the Lennox Bed and Breakfast, and that’s where I met Roger. His sister owned the place.”She smiles mournfully before continuing.“He was so like George in a lot of ways. It was like talking to his ghost. I let that coincidence tell me it was something more and I became swept up in all that was Roger. Within two months, the man had proposed and bought us a house. I said yes when I should’ve said no. I knew it didn’t feel right. I knew when I saw our names side by side on the marriage license that I had made a mistake. I cried in my bathtub for hours at the thought of getting rid of the last name Holden.”
Coughs overcome her body once again. It takes her a solid minute to recover. A familiar hand presents her with a cup of tea from behind the camera.
“These coughing fits really do disrupt the power of my story, huh? I’m sure you were on the edge of your seats until I hacked up a lung.”
Micah and I laugh at that.
“I’m getting to the point now, I promise. As you probably guessed, Roger and I didn’t get married. I hated breaking his heart, and like the kindest man he was, he didn’t get angry with me. He even insisted I keep the house. I left the reminders of Roger in Chicago because that place belonged to him. Everywhere else belonged to George. So now, when I said I was leaving you everything, I meant everything. The house is yours. I always wanted to do something special with it, but I never figured out what that was. Maybe you’ll have better luck.”
Her mention of luck sends my hand up to the necklace lying around my neck.
