Page 56 of Truth, Lies, and Second Dates
“Not very scientific,” she observed. “Besides, Uncle Tom has an ulterior motive.That’swhat you should be wondering about.”
That got Tom’s attention, because his thoughts had begunto wander back to Ava, which was bad, and worse if Hannah had somehow picked up on that.
He’d been appalled to find her so ill the previous evening, which, coupled with her drug test and doctored moisturizer, was alarming. Once he’d talked her into letting him stay close, he’d contacted his supervisor and requested the next two weeks off. Because he rarely took time off (Hannah’s bout with chicken pox fourteen months ago had been the last time), he had loads of vacation and family leave time accumulated; his employer accommodated him with nary a murmur of protest.
But none of that mattered now, because Hannah’s comment demanded his full attention. “Did you say I have an ulterior motive?”
“Yes. MAGE isn’t the only reason we’re here.”
“You are always my top priority,” he replied, because it was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but. It had been that way since Hannah took her first breath.
“This is a working trip for you. Well, for me too, if my ‘job’ is to be a genius, but also for you.”
“MAGE is the priority,” he said again.
“Which doesn’t make my previous statement untrue.”
Abe had been leaning forward to catch his eye, then looked down at Hannah. “If you have a point, darlin’, make it.”
“Uncle Tom thinks Danielle Monahan’s killer might be targeting Captain Capp. He’s going to bodyguard her.”
“It is impossible—and inappropriate—for you to know that,” he said sharply.
“You probably shouldn’t have downloaded the Monahan file into your phone then.”
“Hannah—”
“Or your approved family leave request.”
“Hannah.”
She threw up her hands, flashing the Cone of Shame bandage across her palm.*Hannah’s two favorite movies wereUPand the documentaryJiro Dreams of Sushi.“I can’t be blamed if you make it so easy to guess your password.”
“My password this week isfollicle,” he protested.
“See? Easy. You shaved your head earlier this week, you’ve been reminding me I’m overdue for a trim, and you’ve mentioned Ava’s curly hair twice. I can only assume youwantedme to hack your phone.”
His late sister’s teasing came back to him
(“Why has God punished me by making my kiddo exactly like you, big brother? Shouldn’t he have madeyourkid exactly like you?”
Dead four months eight days seven hours later.)
and he onlyjustmanaged to avoid smiling. Instead, he thought of dead puppies. An unbreakable cell phone contract. Ava murdering Danielle Monahan. When he was sure he had affected an appropriately stern mien, he said, “You know perfectly well I would not want you looking at files pertaining to my work.”
“Also, you seemed tense when you came home and I wanted to find out why,” she added in a small voice.
“Oh.” He sat there, at a loss, until Abe cleared his throat.
“There were other ways to get to the bottom of that, Hannah. I know your intentions were good, but that doesn’t make it okay to snoop.”
“I wasn’t—”
“Definition of ‘snoop,’ please.”
She sighed and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. “It’s a verb. It means to pry or sneak.”
“I know when you get curious about something, it won’t let go of your brain ’til you’re satisfied,” Abe continued, “and I know you’ve been smarter than me for two years. But some things I know more than you, even so, and snooping on someone you love is not okay.”
