But when there was a baby in the house, no one would notice me. I had just long enough to get into my father’s study, to find any indication of evidence. Any receipt and any note of a location could help me.
“Kathryn, could you go and get us some coffee?” my mother asked as she held that little baby in her arms. “I’m sure that Joanna could use a little pick me up.”
“Oh, I actually can’t have caffeine while breastfeeding,” she said. “But I would love the opportunity to get up and help in the kitchen.”
That smile sparkled at me, and I could tell she was tired. I wondered just how much sleep she’d actually been getting.
I just needed some time. Just a little bit. Maybe while I was supposed to be in the kitchen.
“Sure!” I said, smiling. “I could definitely use some company.”
What I needed was a cover. As soon as we got into the kitchen I grinned at her. “How are you feeling?” I asked.
“I don’t know, honestly. I haven’t slept for days. All I know is that my face is numb from lack of sleep, and I feel like my eyes are dragging on the damn floor," Joanna admitted. "I love her, though. I love them both."
I chuckled. “I hear that it gets better, hon. But you know that if you need anyone to come and help at any time, I will be right there.”
“Do you mean it?” she asked. "Because I really will call you up asking that very thing. I'm so lonely."
“Of course. I don’t know a whole lot about babies, but I would love to learn alongside you. It has to be hard.”
“It is. My uncle sent a card, but no one from my family has so much as come by. I’ve got to be honest, having your mom take her, if just for a few moments, was exactly the break I needed.”
I could tell, though, that she was struggling to stay in the room. So I took my chance.
“I’ve got to run to the restroom, do you think you could handle things for a few moments?” I asked.
“Sure, it’s just making coffee.”
I grinned and pushed my way through the second kitchen door, the one that went down the hallway to the bathroom and my father’s study.
No one would even notice if I slipped in there, so I ducked to the right and opened the door. I was in.
His study was always perfectly organized. A beautiful mishmash of books, documents, and personal art. He knew exactly where everything went, and he was completely aware of its place.
So I knew that I would have to take note of every little detail before I went rooting.
I pulled out my phone and took a picture of his desk. I wanted to make sure I got it right.
Then I started digging.
I looked through his top drawers first because they seemed the most logical place to find a key or some piece of scrap. Nothing. Then I worked through his bottom draws. Nothing was locked, so it was unlikely he would keep anything important in there, but anything, no matter how small, might just help.
I just needed to keep digging.
A creaking noise above me startled me. Someone was upstairs. I let out a breath. Probably one of my sisters.
Finally, I saw something in the bottom right of his deep drawer. It looked like a damn pull. Was it a secret compartment? I pulled on the little trigger and a small box popped out of the side of the desk. Damn.
A booklet sat in there. One filled with names and dates. I didn’t know what it meant, but I knew it was important.
I took picture after picture of the contents then stuck it back in. That had to be something. I closed it just as I heard a creak outside the door. f*ck
.
f*ck
. f*ck
. f*ck
.
“What are you doing?” my father asked as I made sure everything was appropriately placed.
“I’m looking for your coffee mug. The one with the globe on it. I know you love it, and I thought you might like it.” It was a quick lie, a great one, really.
“Oh, I took it to work, hon. You don’t need to worry about that. But thank you for thinking of me.” He never betrayed a damn emotion, and I wondered if he had any at all as he stared me down. That man was a freaking shield of stoicism.
I walked back with him towards the living room. I wasn’t sure if I got anything worth while, but at least I tried, and it was something. Hopefully, it would be enough.
Hopefully, it would be something.
Chapter Sixteen
Janson
“I have something,” Kat said on the other line.
“On?” I asked.
“I think you know.” She was trying to be sneaky, but what she was talking about was obvious.
She meant on her father, but I told her never to use real names or anything like that on the phone. We didn’t know who was listening. Hell, we had to assume that any form of technology was being watched somehow by someone.
“Do you want to meet to discuss it?” I asked.
“Well, I want to meet, that’s for sure.”
Any moment I got with her was fleeting, and she knew as well as I did that each time we did, we might never get another.
“When can we meet?” she asked. I could hear the lust in her voice.
“Not right now, baby.” Not right now was an understatement. I was about to walk into the biggest deal of the century.