Page 74 of The Two Last Moments

“Then it’s better to look, don’t you think?”

She huffs a laugh. “I guess it is. Now you see how those emails gave me hope. I wanted to tell my son how much he meant to me. When they stopped, I felt all the hurt all over again.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“You shouldn’t be sorry, Lark. You had nothing to do with it.”

But… What if I did?

I can’t speak. All my fears are squeezing my windpipe. Finally, I get my voice to work. “After Danny and I saw the emails last week, he asked Bennett Security to look into it. They found the IP address where the emails were sent. It was a café in Solvang.”

“And that’s why you went there yesterday? You and my grandson are sneakier than I gave you credit for. I had no idea. But I see why you didn’t tell me. You didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

“We went to the café to show around a picture of Travis, just in case someone recognized him. It was a long shot.”

“And?”

I almost tell her all of it. But then I just…can’t. Not yet. Because then I’ll have to tell her about that awful note left on Danny’s car at the beach after we returned from Solvang. The implied threat, and my deeper fear. That if I keep digging for answers about my past, it won’t just lead to Travis. It’ll lead to someone far worse.

“They didn’t. Recognize him, I mean. I have no idea if we can pick up the trail and find Travis. But if there’s a way, do you want us to keep looking for him?”

I hold my breath while I wait for her answer.

Then she says, “It hurts either way. So it’s better to look. Isn’t it?”

“Then we’ll keep searching.”No matter what we find.

27

Istep into the backyard. “Lark? You out here?”

It’s mid-morning, and I haven’t seen her since I left her and Nina to talk. I found Ryan brewing the coffee in the kitchen and hung out with him instead. I can’t figure the guy out. He’s in the medical field, so we should have a few things to make small talk about. At the very least. But dragging more than a few words out of him was impossible.

Finally, I gave up and tried buffing the scratches out of my Charger’s red paint. But I was too distracted thinking about Lark. Missing her, replaying our night in my head… And wondering what she and Nina were talking about. Once I couldn’t wait any longer, I went to look for her. I stopped by Nina’s room, and then Lark’s.

And that’s how I’ve ended up out here. The backdoor camera recorded Lark coming outside, and we’ve established that I’m not above a little spying if it keeps her safe.

“Lark?” I ask again.

“I’m here,” she calls out softly.

It’s a perfect fall day today. This is Southern California, so everything’s in bloom, but the temps stay nice and mild. Yellow sunlight bathes the yard. There are brightly colored blooms and green foliage everywhere I can see. But I don’t see my girl.

Then I reach the far corner of the yard and catch a darker shade of green beneath the willow tree. It’s her dress.

I head over, brushing the branches out of the way. She’s sitting on a picnic blanket at the base of the trunk, staring off into space in deep thought.

“Hey. I wondered where you’d gone.”

“Just needed to think.”

I take a seat beside her on the blanket and lean in for a slow kiss. Her skin is warm, and I feel the frown on her mouth and the tightness in her arms when I touch her. “What is it?”

She chews her lip. “I told Nina that we went to Solvang looking for Travis, but not that the barista recognized me. Or about Cam. Or the note on your car.”

I exhale, toeing off my shoes. I don’t want to get the blanket dirty. “Yeah. Nina didn’t say anything, so I guessed as much.” I trace my thumb over the crease between her eyebrows, wishing I could take her stress away.

“I don’t want to lie or hide things from her. Once we know what really happened with Travis, I’ll tell her everything.”

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