Page 40 of Storm Surge

Mark stared at it for the longest time before taking it. “Sorry, I’ve lived on my own for so long.”

“Nice to meet you, Mark.” Will smiled and gathered Lizzy close.

“You, too.” Mark hesitated. “But to be completely honest, I know about you and Strike Force.”

Will frowned at the admission. “You do? How?”

Mark glanced at Lizzy. “I’m sure your wife told you I was a hacker. Part of a Christian group of computer experts who use our skills for good only. My screen name is Spider. I’ve helped your teammate, Jordyn Adams, out on several cases.”

Will’s brows shot up. “You’re Spider? Man, it’s nice to meet you. Jordyn is always bragging about your skills. She’s going to be so jealous I got to meet you first.”

Mark chuckled. “Jordyn makes things interesting.” He looked to Lizzy again. “So, there was a positive ID on our mother.”

Lizzy slowly nodded. “There was.”

Mark swallowed several times. “How did she die?”

Will answered, “She was strangled.”

Mark’s grief was clear. He’d known their mother well. Lizzy was slowly regaining her memories of the beautiful woman who loved to laugh.

“You said you’d found a key in her pocket?” Mark asked.

Lizzy nodded. “We did. It appears to fit a small case or—”

“A trunk,” Mark supplied. “It fits a trunk.”

She stared into his eyes. “You have it.”

He confirmed with a nod. “I do. When our grandparents passed, I kept some of their things. I stored them in the basement and haven’t looked at them in a long time. But when you mentioned the key, I knew instinctively what it fit. Let’s go find out what’s inside.”

Lizzy clasped Will’s hand and they followed Mark into the cabin that was rustic and decorated with only the minimum of possessions.

Mark opened a door to the basement and clicked on the light. They descended to the cement floor, and he moved to the corner of the room.

An old trunk was covered in dust and cobwebs. Lizzy brought out the key that she’d carried with her because her mother had touched it at some point. Holding it in her hands made her feel closer to the mother she loved.

Mark slipped the key into the lock and it clicked open.

Lizzy wasn’t sure what she expected, but inside the trunk was a stack of old journals. She knelt beside Mark and picked up one. A handwriting she vaguely recognized wrote:

Dear Diary, I love him so much. And he loves me. We’re going to sneak off and get married.

Her mother’s journals from her life before the CIA. The part of her Lizzy knew nothing about. Tears filled her eyes, and she hugged the journal close. “I can’t wait to read them all. I want to know our mother like you did.”

Mark swallowed. “You should take them. Perhaps there will be something useful in them regarding the case.”

Lizzy wanted to know her brother as well. She and Will had talked about it on the way to the airport. She looked to her husband who smiled his encouragement.

“Mark, this is no way to live. Hiding from my father’s threat.” She grabbed Will’s hand because she needed his support to get this next part out. “We can help you.”

He didn’t let her finish. “How? He’s out there somewhere, and once he realizes I’ve told you about our mother, he’ll try to kill me for sure.”

What could she say to convince him otherwise?

Will squeezed her hand. “You said you know me and Jordyn, then you must know we can protect you. Come with us to Washington. We can use someone like you on our team. Help us find Collins, and when we do, I’d like for you to be there.”

Mark’s eyes darted from one to the other. “You want me to leave here?” He glanced around the space. “I’m not sure I can. I’ve lived in hiding for so long.”

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