Page 53 of Echoes at Driftwood Cottage

Daniel took advantage of the moment and took a few steps back toward the grassy section of the lawn, tugging her with him while he pulled out his phone to dial 911.

While he spoke in whispers to the police, Rowan could only make out the words break-in and the address before she realized her hands were shaking. She watched Daniel approach the backdoor and reach for the doorknob. Her pulse pounded as Daniel rushed inside. But the intruder dashed out the front door in a blur to get away.

“Who the hell are you?” Daniel shouted as he went after the man, despite Rowan tugging on his arm, trying to prevent a confrontation.

“Don’t,” she cautioned, looking around at the mess the intruder had made in the living room. “This guy seems desperate. He could have a gun. Let the police take care of it.”

But Daniel didn’t listen. Running out the front door, he chased after the man until he lost sight of him leaping over a row of hedges.

Frustrated and out of breath, he kicked the curb where Rowan stood next to the mailbox.

“Why is this happening?” Daniel huffed out, hands on his hips, trying to catch his breath.

“This guy must be connected to our big mystery. I’m sorry you’ve been dragged into this thing, kicking and screaming. Come on, let’s check the mail before the cops get here. Who knows? Maybe you no longer have to wonder about your parentage. It’s time one of us gets some concrete answers.”

Back inside the house, they stood in his living room amid the obvious vandalism and ripped open their envelopes at the same time.

“You go first,” Rowan urged.

Daniel unfolded his letter. “Wow. One hundred percent DNA match to Robert Cardiff.”

“Your uncle was your father,” she acknowledged, restating the results for her own benefit. She watched how Daniel took the news. But he began circling the room, closing drawers, or picking up the couch cushions from the floor and rearranging them on the sofa.

She motioned for him to sit. “You’re taking this well.”

“Because I’m not really surprised. Deep down, I’ve always known something was off. How about you? What does yours say?”

“No DNA match whatsoever to Lynette Dewhurst. It seems I’m not her real granddaughter after all. And there lies the crux of the problem. Who am I? Where did I come from? Why is this happening now that I moved back to Pelican Pointe?”

“And what do we do about it?” Daniel added, reading over the lab’s letter. “Did you read this last paragraph? You paid for a genealogy report that’s arriving separately.”

“That’s something, I guess. It would’ve been nice to have that in hand tonight. Maybe then I could see a path forward.”

“Yeah. Look, I’ll need to poke through my stuff and see if that guy stole anything before the police get here.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Isn’t it? It feels that way from where I’m sitting.”

While he took photos of his possessions scattered throughout the house, Rowan answered the knock at the door only to find Brent and Eastlyn standing there shoulder to shoulder. “We need to talk. Something crazy is happening and I need to know why.”

“You haven’t touched anything, have you?” Brent asked, marching into the house, moving past her like Harry Callahan on a mission.

“I think we may have a lead,” Eastlyn announced. “But we need a couple of details from you to proceed.”

“Sure. But we have news, too. I’ll do what I can to point you in the right direction,” Rowan said, leading the way into Daniel’s kitchen where they could sit around the table and talk. “Take a seat. The house didn’t look like this yesterday. Want anything to drink? I was considering making a fresh pot of coffee. It has the makings for a long evening ahead.”

“I’m fine,” Eastlyn replied. “I’ve already had my limit for the day.”

Brent pulled out a chair. “Not me. If it’s not too much trouble, I could use some caffeine.”

“No trouble at all,” Rowan countered, walking over to the coffeemaker. It took her several minutes to grind the beans and start the brewing cycle. She used that time to gather her thoughts, trying to make a mental note of everything she needed Brent to know.

When Daniel came up behind her, he laid a reassuring hand on her back. “I’ll do this. You sit down with them and lay it all out. Get it over with. You’ll feel better.”

She nodded in half-hearted reluctance and blew out a breath, leaving the task to him. “Before we get started, you should know I got the results back from the DNA I submitted.” She slid her letter from the lab across the table. “There’s no familial match to Lynette Dewhurst. None at all.”

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