Page 120 of False Evidence

Sadly, Kendall wasnota labeler, and the first several boxes were a bust. They were several boxes in when they found one that held textbooks and papers from graduate school—and some of the papers were Alexandra’s.

“The box will be large—the skirt of the gown isbig—and lighter. The heavy ones are almost certainly school papers and books.”

They lifted and sorted. Some boxes were plastic, some cardboard. They had to move heavy ones to the side to reveal stacked boxes in the next row.

“This plastic one is light for its size,” Tricia said as she lifted a hinged storage box that looked to be four feet long, two feet wide, and eighteen inches high.

Alexandra set aside a small but lighter box and joined Tricia. “That does look promising. It’s sealed tight with plastic wrap.” Most boxes were taped shut, not wrapped with cling wrap. “Let’s move this downstairs where the light is better, and it’ll be easier to cut off the wrapping when we aren’t hunched over.”

“I would not mind getting out of this attic,” Mara murmured.

“Same,” Erica said.

Mara descended first, followed by Erica, then Alexandra. When she was halfway down the attic ladder, Tricia handed down the box, which Alexandra then passed to Erica below.

They all sported a fine layer of dust and cobwebs as they carried the box to the living room, where Eden and Chase were searching the bookshelves.

“Any luck?” Eden asked.

“We hope so.”

Mara grabbed four knives from the kitchen and passed them out. They each took a side and made quick work of the layers of wrap. Hearing the commotion, the others left their search areas to watch as Alexandra flipped the latches on the plastic trunk and raised the lid.

Her heart surged as she lifted the pile of silver silk fabric from the airtight container. The gown was more beautiful than she remembered.

She held it to her chest, and there was a collective gasp along with more than a few cheers.

“Wow,” Trina said. “That’s stunning.”

“Perfect for New Year’s Eve,” Isabel said.

“I hope it still fits. Eleven years and one baby later, my body has changed.”

“Dresses—especially ones with that much fabric—can be altered,” Trina said.

Leah cleared her throat. “This trip was successful in more ways than one.”

Alexandra’s gaze jerked in her direction. “What did you find?”

“First, I found two things inside the case, taped to the side. A Post-it Note with a file name for a Word doc, and this.” She held up a plastic bag with the note and what looked to be a small vial with some kind of liquid in it.

“Last,” Leah continued, “I found something jammed in the CD ROM slot, which is where I’d hide something if I didn’t have time to open the case where I’d already hidden other items.” The bag contained a small memory card—the kind used in digital cameras. “It holds a terabyte.”

“Not something I’d have used with that old computer. It’s been at least ten years since it was used regularly. I don’t think terabyte storage disks were even available back then.”

Leah nodded. “They were not—not in this format, anyway. I’d ask if anyone has a camera so we can view the contents,” Leah said, “but I think this is something we should do at the compound. Mothman can make sure the files aren’t damaged or contain a trojan or virus.”

“We should check out the other old computers and drives before we go,” Keith said.

“Nate and I already started. We’ll finish while Alexandra tries on the dress.”

Tricia looked to her boss. “You want to call Rav, Dominick, and the investigative team while I call the operatives?”

Keith nodded. “Tell everyone to meet at the compound in two hours.”

ChapterForty-Six

Mothman queued up a video. They’d all gathered in the big conference room with the large screen. JT’s focus should be on the screen, but Alexandra had all his attention.

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