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“What could anyone do?” He shrugged.
“I’ll get it. Where can I find it?”
“His bottom right desk drawer. It’s in a hanging file folder with my name on it. Looks exactly like his research disk.”
“Anything else you want me to get?”
“Just my dad.”
I looked into his eyes and hated the rawness I saw there. I could only imagine what it cost him. “Is that why you could feel my emotions so clearly when we met? Because you didn’t have a filter?”
“Yes. But—” He focused on the floor, and his long lashes cast a dark shadow on his cheekbones. There was no evidence of the playful, flirty Kaleb. “I’m pretty sure I would’ve connected with you anyway.”
I didn’t know the appropriate response to that statement. He seemed to have that affect on me. Fumbling around for words, I asked, “Um … hey, does everyone think that Landers is the one who killed your dad?”
“There weren’t any other suspects,” he answered, seeming grateful for the subject change. “The police questioned a few people, but they had no logical explanation for the fire, so ultimately they called it an accident.”
“Was Landers questioned?”
“Briefly,” Kaleb scoffed. “He had an iron-tight alibi.”
“I cut my teeth on murder mysteries. Alibis can be faked.”
“There was no way the authorities could have proved he did it. They don’t even know about places like the Hourglass—how could we explain his motive?”
“I’m worried.”
“I know,” he said, not bothering to hide his grin.
I smacked his gargantuan bicep. “Don’t tell me Michael won’t try to get proof about your dad’s murder when we go back.”
“Okay,” Kaleb said, raising his eyebrows. “I won’t tell you that.”
“But …” I motioned to the timetable on my lap. No room for error.
“He’s not going to do anything to put you at risk. I’m not going to deny that if he gets the chance to find out who did it, he’ll take it. But not if it puts you in danger.” Kaleb took my hand, rubbing his thumb across my knuckles. “He’s going to take care of you. That’s what Michael does.”
o;Okay, Michael, you have keys to the car, yes?” He held them up and then returned them to the table beside his computer, and Cat made a tick mark on the paper in her hand. “I have the keys to the science department.”
“You need the identification number for the cadaver you need to steal,” Dune said.
I couldn’t help but shudder.
“I’ll pull that up and make a note,” Michael said. “What else?”
“Keys, cadaver—oh, then there’s the …” Cat continued stalking around the kitchen, muttering under her breath.
Dune turned his attention to me. “I’ll check Thomas and Dru’s flight arrival time, too. I know you’ll want to talk to them before you go, make sure they got to the island safely.”
“Thanks, Dune.” I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths. My thoughts kept straying back to Landers and what he was up to. Would any of us ever be safe again? If he were on a power trip of the magnitude everyone thought he was, what would be the retribution if we were successful in resurrecting Liam?
“Hold it. What about money?” When Kaleb spoke, I opened my eyes. “What’s Dad supposed to live on for six months?”
Cat tapped her pencil on the notepad she was holding. “I can liquidate some assets, raise some cash, but we have to make sure we don’t use any bills printed after the date he died.”
“Yeah, I don’t think being arrested for counterfeiting would be a good way to stay under the radar. I can go to the bank,” Nate offered, putting the town map down on the counter. “Use my skills to sneak into the vault and get what we need. That way we won’t have to explain our need for bills with specific dates.”
“Nate,” Cat scolded. “Liam would never approve of your stealing—”
