Page 79 of A Spot of Tea
Mackenzie dropped the bananas. “Are you sure about this? Aren’t you feeling a little…desperate?”
“Of course I’m desperate, but I still know what I’m seeing.”
“Eliza is never wrong,” Joey said. His eyes were on her, and when she looked up at him, he smiled.
Butterflies took off in her stomach and got caught in her throat. “We just have to figure out which one it is. Then we can tell the FBI and be done with this.”
Mom clapped her hands together. “That’s a plan. Okay. We can do this.”
The slow connection didn’t faze her. Seated at the desk, Eliza clicked wildly on her laptop, opening tabs, searching housing and employment records, pulling pictures from every corner of the internet.
In less than thirty minutes, she found him. “This is the robber. Derek Donovan.”
They gathered behind her and she clicked, bringing a video to life.
“This is one of my original poems,” the man said with a smile. He cleared his throat. “Falling asleep on the train, dozing off without refrain. Will we wake at our stop? Or miss it, our worries atop? Lover, lover, fears abound – you are mine. With me, you’re found.”
Eliza paused the video on a close shot of the guy’s face.
Joey leaned in, squinting. He was so close to her she could smell the mint from his chewing gum. If only she could get closer, close enough to feel the heat coming off his skin, close enough to know if he was still angry at her…
“Wow.” Mackenzie stood with her hands on her hips. “He’s a great bank robber, but a terrible poet.”
“Abysmal,” Mom nodded.
Eliza clicked over to another tab. “This is his son, Derek Junior. He’s thirteen and lives with his mom in Topeka. According to Junior’s TikTok, Dad left when he was a baby to pursue his dream of becoming an actor and yoga instructor.”
Joey groaned. “He can’t be a real person. He’s too awful. Is he really Grace’s son? She seemed so nice.”
Mackenzie shrugged. “It happens. What are the other sons like?”
Eliza clicked through more tabs. “They all seem to be normal members of society, at least on the surface.” She paused. “One is a bank manager at a Pebble Bay Bank.”
“One out of five isn’t bad,” Mackenzie said, stifling a laugh. “Good thing you never had that fifth daughter, Mom. That’s where it might’ve gone wrong.”
She laughed. “All of my kids are perfect. Not a bad one in the bunch.”
“I know, but the fifth…” Mackenzie scrunched her nose. “Could’ve been bad. Could’ve been a bank robber. Or a Mary Bennet.”
“There is nothing wrong with Mary Bennet,” Eliza said.
“She’s right,” Joey added. “She was a bit tedious, but she was still so young and so bright.”
Eliza turned to him, eyes wide. “You’re a Jane Austen fan?”
“My sister watchedPride and Prejudiceon repeat. I’ve always been more of a Bingley fan myself,” he said, then stopped when he caught Mackenzie’s eye. “Anyway, Mary was at least curious.”
“Curiously boring,” Mackenzie said with a smirk.
Eliza sucked in a sharp breath.
Mom put a hand on her shoulder. “Eliza, you’vedone it.You found him.”
“See? You’re not a Mary,” Mackenzie added. “You’re definitely Elizabeth.”
“Are you sure it’s him?” Joey asked. He was further away from her, out of reach. “I’m not doubting you, I just – I can’t believe it.”
Eliza stifled a smile. “I do think it’s him. His voice, his mannerisms.” She dug in her pocket and pulled out a business card. “I’m going to call Ramona.”
