“You all about done up there?” Rose yelled. “Thirty minutes passed thirty minutes ago.”
Derek hollered, “It’s not their fault, Mother. It’s mine. We’ll be down in a few minutes.”
“Thanks for taking time to show us around,” Luke said. “I mean it. This place is amazing. We can’t thank you enough.”
“Hey, look. I’m sorry I accused you two of anything. It’s just been hard, you know?”
“There’s no need to apologize. Sounds like your family has been through a lot lately. You have every right to be on edge.”
Although the visit wasn’t a complete loss, it was far from what Addison had envisioned. With no sign of the girls and no way of getting into the attic, she felt like she’d failed—not only herself, but also the girls.
Derek stood. “Hey, I almost forgot. There’s an old homestead house out back. More of a storage shack, really. It was already here when my parents bought the place. Used to play in there as a kid. It’s so old it has a historical plaque on the front. Thought you might be interested in taking a look at it before you leave.”
Luke nodded. “Absolutely.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Addison caught a faintest glimpse of white. “Do you mind if I use the restroom first and meet you two at the homestead when I’m done?”
Derek considered the request. “I … guess so. I tell you what, we’ll head out back. I suggest you steer clear of my mother. It’s best not to let my mother know you’re in here without me.”
“Absolutely. I wouldn’t want to get you in any trouble.”
Derek cracked a smile. “I’m concerned for your sake, not mine.”
He and Luke left the room. Once they were out of sight, Addison glanced over the sofa, seeing what she thought she had before. “Shadow? Where did you come from?”
She bent down, reaching a hand toward the cat. The cat jerked away. Addison retracted her hand. “All right, all right. I get it. You don’t want me to pick you up.”
Shadow crossed the room, stopping in front of one of the bookshelves. He looked at the books then back at her, almost like he was trying to tell her something. While she pondered the unlikely possibility, Shadow rubbed his head across the spine of a few books on the bottom shelf.
“What are you doing, you crazy cat?”
Shadow responded by ramming the top of his head against the same set of books a second time. They slid back, and Addison heard a tinging noise which couldn’t have come from one of the books. She walked over and knelt down. Shadow scurried out of the room.
Reaching back, she felt behind the books, and her hand came to rest on something thin, cold, and hard. She fisted her hand around the object and pulled it toward her, surprised when her eyes came to rest on a long brass key.
Footsteps approached.
“What are you doing in here? Where’s my son?”
Addison looked over at Rose. Hands on hips, Rose stamped a foot on the ground, waiting for an answer. Addison closed her hand around the key again, slipping it inside her back pocket. “I was admiring your library.”
“Where’s my son?”
“He’s showing Luke the homestead house. I hear it’s quite old.”
“Why aren’t you with them? You were supposed to stay together. He told me you’d all stay together. This isn’t a museum or an exhibit on display. It’s my house.”
“I was with them,” Addison lied. “When I was in the library earlier, I was so intrigued by all of your books, I wandered back here while they were talking. I doubt Derek saw me leave. Please, don’t blame him. Blame me.”
The sincerity in Addison’s voice seemed to win Rose over. For now.
“I suppose I can’t blame you for wanting to spend some time in here. It’s my favorite room in the house.”
Addison spread her hands to the side. “This room is amazing. You must have over five hundred books.”
“Over a thousand, actually.”
“Which one is your favorite?”
“Asking me which is my favorite is like asking me which of my three children is my favorite. All of them.”
“Oh, I should tell you Shadow was in here a few minutes ago. I tried picking him up, but he ran out.”
Rose’s complexion paled. “What did you just say? How did you know Shadow’s name? I never mentioned him to you.”
In an attempt to repair the damage, Addison said, “Your son must have said something to me.”
“Why would he?”
“Why wouldn’t he? Shadow is your cat, isn’t he?”
“Was my cat. Shadow’s dead.”