turned away from the house.
The maple branches moved lightly in the wind.
“What?”
“There are travel records, medical forms, signed releases. Some appear genuine. Some don’t. The recovered fragment shows Evan saying Anna may not be the only person involved.”
“Who else?”
Elise exhaled. “There’s a name we need to verify.”
“Tell me.”
Another pause.
Then she said, “Marisol Vale.”
I searched my memory. Nothing.
“Anna’s sister?”
“That’s the problem,” Elise said. “Officially, Anna Vale was an only child.”
Before I could respond, Lily called from the car.
“Ryker! Captain found a secret button!”
I turned.
She was holding up the bear, laughing, but my body went still.
Captain’s green ribbon had slipped loose in her hand.
Underneath it, pressed into the fabric near the seam we had already opened, was something we had missed.
A second zipper.
Smaller.
Hidden deeper.
Almost invisible unless the ribbon fell exactly the
