Page 38 of Moon Claimed
“That’s… I mean, I can almost understand that mentality. I want to hide you. I don’t want you in the spotlight or for you to be under so much stress. But why not come out with the truth when you were stolen? Or even years later.”
I understood the pressure of maintaining image better now. “Because they’d already hidden it for so long. Secrets get like that. You become more scared of the time that’s gone by than the secret itself.”
“Sometimes you say stuff and I imagine you with a beard and a staff.”
“Like Gandalf?”
“Who’s Gandalf?”
“That’s disgusting. Educate yourself.” I paused outside the office. “Hold on, I need to grab my jacket. The meeting room gets cold.”
I strode into the office, rounding the desk. I paused at the sight of partly open drawers. “Someone has been in here.”
Rhona pushed off the doorframe. “You left them closed?”
“I didn’t have a lot of space in my bedroom back in Queen’s Way. Unless I closed the drawers all the way, I’d always bang my hip. It’s just a habit now, but I’m certain everything was closed. I mean, not that anything in here is secret.”
My mouth dried, thinking of the journals. I extracted the key from my pocket and crouched to unlock the locked drawer. I exhaled loudly.
They were still here.
“I don’t like that someone was digging around,” Rhona said, eyes narrowing. “It’s not that they would have found anything. It’s that they did it at all. Does someone think you’re hiding something?”
If they were smart. “Maybe they knew more of Herc’s secrets.”
“You think Dad had other secrets?”
No matter what Pascal recollected from the rock-climbing incident, the words Herc exchanged with Murphy were still a mystery. “Doesn’t everyone?”
“I’m an open book.”
I pulled the journals free. “You’re anything but an open book. No one would ever know you have a gooey interior.”
“I’m not sure about that.”
“I am.” I locked the drawer again. Checking the contents of the top drawers, I clutched the journals tight to my chest.
Rhona followed me to the door. “You gonna lock the office door?”
“As long as nothing goes missing, I hope the person finds whatever they’re looking for.”
I’d check the hall cameras to see who came in. If someone was suspicious of me, I had to know who. “Look. Could you go on ahead to the meeting? I just remembered something.”
“Only because I yelled at you and feel remorse.”
Watching her leave, I asked for directions to the security office, and let myself in. A woman sat in there who defied the IT stereotype almost entirely. She turned and I caught sight of herStar Trekslogan tee.Well, nearly.
“Hi, I’m Andie.”
“I know. Nice to meet you. I’m Heather. Heather Sullivan.”
“Lovely to meet you.”
“Ha!”
I jolted, peering behind me. “What’s funny?”
“Nothing. Nervous thing. How can I help you?”