Page 64 of Fire on the Moon

“Three twenty one, but the place is all on one floor, to make it easier for the residents. When you go in the front door, you walk all the way to the end of the hall and turn right. Then it’s the . . .” she stopped and thought for a moment, “The fifth door on the left.”

“Okay.”

“But you can’t just walk in there. You have to be making a delivery to a resident,” Francesca said.

“We already thought of that. A generous donor has provided flower arrangements that everybody can enjoy in the dayroom.”

“How far is the dayroom from your dad’s room?” Zane asked.

“When you get to the end of the hall, you turn left instead of right. It’s at the end of the corridor. But it’s not that far.”

“Got it,” Jonah answered. He turned to Zane, “And let’s arrange a little coordination before we split up.”

The three Decorah agents huddled together for a few minutes. When they had agreed on a plan, the two bogus deliverymen walked to the van, where Knox opened the back door and set the flowers inside.

“You go ahead,” Knox said. “We’ll follow in a few minutes.”

Zane slipped behind the wheel. Francesca took the passenger seat. Glancing over, he saw the grim set of her mouth. “It’s going to be okay,” he said gently, hoping he was telling the truth.

“I can’t shake the feeling that I’m going to hear something that will change everything I know about my dad.”

“You didn’t think of that before you decided to visit your uncle in Florida?”

“Maybe a little. But I was so focused on making Dad happy by giving him back his brother. Then I went down there, and all my good intentions hit the fan.”

“Yeah.”

She kept her gaze on Zane. “And now I have to tell him that Uncle Angelo is dead.”

“I know. I’m so sorry.”

“It would have been better if I’d just left it alone.”

“But then you wouldn’t have met me.”

She covered his hand with hers. “That’s what makes all the bad stuff worth it.”

He pulled into a space around the corner from the entrance.

“You were a regular visitor before you left for Florida?” he asked.

“Yes. They know me pretty well here.”

When she started to get out, he put a hand on her arm. “Just let me look around first.”

“I guess I’m not the only one who’s jumpy.”

“Just being cautious.”

He stood on the sidewalk, sweeping his gaze over the parked cars and sniffing the air. He couldn’t say exactly why, but he was uneasy.

When he saw motion from the corner of his eye, he turned and saw the flower truck pulling into a space at the front of the building. He didn’t acknowledge the arrival of the other Decorah agents, but their presence was reassuring. Leaning in the passenger side window, he spoke to Francesca. “Let’s get it over with.”

She joined him on the sidewalk, but before she could approach the building, he put his hand on her arm to stop her.

“Do you ever bring visitors to see your father?” he asked.

“No.”

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