Page 31 of Emerald Queen
Cassie frowned, “Don’t you want to keep some of that stuff?”
“Maybe some of the jewelry, but not the other crap. I am not a shoe girl… you can take them if they fit.”
Emersyn started sifting through the tower of heels, tossing them toward Cassie to try on. Her mother loved shoes so much, it was almost an obsession. Once the shelf was devoid of patent leather, Emersyn started sifting through the multitude of bags. She flipped them over, shaking out any contents hidden inside.
“I can’t believe I haven’t found anything.” Emersyn tipped the final bag over, shaking it violently. She grunted when a leather-bound book tumbled free. “What the hell?”
She bent down, dropping the bag she held, and scooped up the book. “Cassie,” Emersyn called out to her friend, “I found something.”
Cassie’s eyes went wide, “Holy shit. I think that’s your mom’s journal.”
Emersyn dropped to the floor, crisscrossing her legs. She turned the book around in her hands, noting the intricate detail embossed in the leather. A small padlock sealed the book closed and three small initials had been burned into the brown leather – DAV.
“Holy shit…” Emersyn stared at her friend, “How can I get this thing off?” She pulled at the metal lock, the clasp refusing to budge.
“Hang on,” Cassie ran from the closet.
Emersyn ran her finger over the leather-bound spine. This was her father’s hidden words. Surely something inside this book would help them crack the riddle and find Dimitra. There had to be a reason her mother was hiding it inside her things. Why wouldn’t her dad have hidden it amongst his stuff?
“Here,” Cassie handed her some pliers. “These were in the tool kit under your sink. Maybe they’ll cut through the metal.”
Emersyn slid the thin nose of the tool beneath the lock and clamped down. At first the metal refused to budge. But once she scrambled to her knees for leverage, an audible popping sound signaled the metal had fractured. The tiny lock split and fell to the floor.
“Oh my God. It worked.” Emersyn panicked.
This was her father’s private thoughts.
Was she ready to delve into her father’s mind and read what he’d written?
What if there was something in the book that changed the way she saw her dad? Or her mom?
“Emersyn… do you want me to look first?”
“No… I just,” Emersyn stood, “I think I need to do this alone. I’m going back to my quarters. Just leave this mess, I’ll have someone else come fetch the bags.”
“Are you sure?” Cassie watched as Emersyn clutched the book to her chest as though her life depended on it.
“Yes,” She reached out, pulling Cassie into a hug, “Thank you, Cassie.”
“Any time. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Emersyn hurried from her parent’s quarters and practically ran down the hallway. Officer Sterling was poised outside her door.
“Evening, Your Majesty. Everything alright?”
“Yes, Sterling. I just need a few minutes alone.”
Emersyn pushed through the heavy door and sealed herself inside. Part of her wanted to call Drake, but this was something she needed to do without him.
Seating herself on the massive bench beneath the window, she opened her Father’s journal and began to read.
Chapter 18
January 12th
How am I supposed to look at her in the eyes now that she knows? I am ashamed of myself for letting my past corrupt my future. Emmalyn is my everything – if I’d only known then that she would be the one for me, I wouldn’t have done so many things that could come back to haunt us.
∞ ∞ ∞
