Chapter 4 - The Bird with a Secret Inside

Officer Vega took one look at the necklace and told us not to touch it again. Ruby immediately started crying because she thought she was in trouble.

"You did exactly the right thing telling us," Vega assured her. "You're helping."

Ruby sniffed. "I thought it was a treasure hunt."

"Who gave you that idea?" I asked.

"The man at the fence. He knew where Mommy kept her old picture box."

Claire looked sick. The box had been in our bedroom closet for years. A stranger knowing its location meant he'd been inside or someone close to us had talked.

Vega photographed the charm. The seam along the bird's wing was nearly invisible, but a jeweler later confirmed it unscrewed. Inside was a narrow strip of microfilm no wider than a fingernail.

Our house stopped feeling like ours.

By noon, an investigator from the state police had arrived. His name was Thomas Reed, early forties, neat hair, tired eyes. He spoke gently to Ruby and firmly to us.

"We're moving you to a safe location until we know who's targeting you."

"What about school?" Ruby asked.

"A few days off," I said. "Think of it as an adventure."

"Adventures have snacks," she said.

"Then we'll bring the good ones."

I wished I believed my own smile.

While Claire packed, Reed pulled me aside. "Your wife used to go by another name. Is there anything else you haven't told us?"

"She told me twenty minutes ago."

"Then don't be surprised if there are more things. People under threat don't always share the whole story at once."

His honesty hurt. So did the idea that Claire might be hiding more.

At the motel outside town, we took two adjoining rooms. Reed posted an officer down the corridor, and Vega promised to update us after the charm was processed.

That evening, Ruby sat between us on the bed and whispered, "I didn't tell you the other part."

Claire went still. "What other part, baby?"

"The man at the fence gave me a phone. He said if I kept his secret, he'd tell me where Grandpa Daniel went."

She pulled a tiny black phone out of the lining of her stuffed rabbit.

It lit up before I could take it.

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One incoming message filled the screen.

TELL CLAIRE I NEVER DIED.