Chapter 4
"Get out," she said to him.
"Tell Victor whatever you want.
I don't care anymore."
Derek's pleasantness flickered.
Underneath it was something colder.
"Mrs.
— Ms.
Walton.
Victor has been patient.
But if you refuse to cooperate, the timeline moves up.
That means tomorrow morning, not three days."
Harold stepped forward until he was between Derek and the door.
He was sixty-eight years old and he was not a large man, but something in the way he stood there made Derek stop.
"You tell Victor," Harold said, "that I found her.
You tell him I have the eviction notice with his name on it.
And you tell him that if anyone comes near this room tonight, they'll be explaining themselves to my attorney before breakfast."
Derek's jaw worked once.
He looked past Harold at Anna, as if calculating something, then looked back.
"Victor's not going to like this."
"No," Harold agreed.
"I don't expect he will."
Derek pulled his collar up, turned, and walked back toward the parking lot without another word.
Harold watched until the car reversed and disappeared onto the main road.
He turned back to his daughter.
She was crying.
Not dramatically — just standing in the doorway with tears moving silently down her face, like she hadn't noticed them yet.
"How did you find me?" she asked.
Harold opened his palm.
The ring lay in the center of it, catching what little light there was.
Anna pressed both hands over her mouth.
Lily looked up at Harold and then at her mother.
"Mom?
Is that the man Grandpa Thomas talked about?"
Anna couldn't answer.
Harold's throat tightened.
"Who is Grandpa Thomas?"
"He's the man who helped us," Lily said simply.
"He said if anything happened to him, we should find someone named Walton."
Harold looked at his daughter.
She finally lowered her hands.
Her face was stripped bare now, no defenses left to arrange.
"Come inside," she said.
May you like
"There's a lot you don't know."
He followed her in.
