Page 56 of Lust

“Yes, I’m his daughter,” I say, fighting the anxiety over her answer.

She frowns, as if she’s not sure to believe that or not. “He discharged himself early this morning.”

“And you just let him walk out of here?”

She scowls at the accusation in my words. “No, Miss Kincaid, it was against doctors’ orders. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have patients that need me.” She strides off down the corridor, leaving me wondering where the hell Pa went.

“You reckon he’s gone home?” Blake asks.

“Maybe.” But something tells me he won’t be there.

“Let’s go and find him,” Blake says, and I watch as he and Roman share a look. A look that says they think the same as me.

The guys turn to leave, but I enter the room, scanning the empty bed and thanking the lord the room is empty because Pa stupidly discharged himself and not for another reason. Shoving the thought aside, I go the small cabinet beside the bed and open it. It’s empty. I search the rest of the room, but there isn’t a trace of Pa here, or that he was ever here.

“He took all his things,” I say out aloud but more to myself than anyone else.

“Come on, Syd, I’m sure he’s at home,” Blake encourages, coming over and placing a hand on my lower back to guide me from the room.

It’s nearly dark by the time we pull up outside Pa’s house, and without entering I know he’s not here. There are no lights on and no movement inside.

But I go through the motions; retrieving the key from under the porch mat, unlocking the front door and go inside. It’s cold and empty. Nobody is here.

I head for the kitchen, switching on lights as I go in case he left a note. “Pa,” I call even though I know it’s pointless.

“Is there somewhere else he would go?” Roman asks as he steps up behind me.

I shake my head. “No, the only other place is the church, but why would he go back to the place he was…” My words trail off as the answer materialises the same time as Roman speaks.

“Because he’s looking for something or someone.”

I race from the kitchen and up the stairs.

“Sydney, what are you doing?” Roman says following behind. He catches up with me as I reach Pa’s bedroom, grabbing my arm and pulling me back before I can open the door. “Wait,” he orders.

I step back, rolling my eyes and shaking my head, because as if there is going to be someone hiding in there.

Roman opens the door slowly, and a sliver of light from the hall grows bigger as the door opens. While the room is cast in shadow, it’s clear there’s nobody there.

“All safe, officer,” I joke, pushing past him and flicking the light switch as I enter. I immediately open the wardrobe, shoving the hanging clothes to the far end and revealing a small safe in the back wall.

“Do you know the code,” Roman asks, looking over my shoulder.

“It’s been a while since I’ve opened it, but providing Pa hasn’t changed it since, then, yes, I know the code.” But I hesitate because I’m suddenly struck with the realisation that there could be incriminating evidence in there, or more specifically, details about who my pa really is. I mean, I know he’s not who I thought, but to see it there in black and white…

“What are you looking for?” Blake asks as he enters the room, joining Roman and me at the wardrobe.

“I’m not really sure. Maybe something that will help us figure out where he’s gone. Pa is smart, well, he’d have to be to have kept his identity hidden all these years. But he’s also sentimental.”

I shake my arms, loosening then like I’m limbering up to go to battle. An emotional one, not physical. Then I step forward and put in the last code I used to open this safe.

The wait for the click feels like an eternity, but it’s mere seconds. The door pops open, and I swing it open all the way and peer inside.

There are two shelves, one containing paperwork and money, but it’s the top shelf I’m most interested in. Pushed to the very back is a metal box the size of a show box. I reach up and drag it forward, the screech of metal scraping against metal fills the silence. As it reaches the edge, I lift it, flicking it up and sliding it forward at the same time.

Strong arms reach over the top of me and pick it up. “I’ve got it,” Roman says, lifting it down and turning to place it on the bed behind us.

What I had hoped would be easy, just got a lot harder as we’re faced with a keypad on top of the box, and I have no clue what the code is.

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