Chapter 20: The Locked Office

On Wednesday night I sat in Keaton's old corner office with the blinds up and the lights off.

It was mine now. Nobody had told me where to put the furniture, so I hadn't moved any of it.

Emmett came in at nine with takeout and a new lanyard around his neck.

"They gave me a visitor badge," he said. "It says Minority Shareholder."

"It's accurate."

"The guard laughed."

I took the cream envelope out of my bag and put it on the desk between the cartons.

He looked at the front.

"For Mr. Stroud," he read. "Ask Tess."

"I'm Tess."

"May I open it?"

"Yes," I said.

He slit the flap with his thumbnail and shook out a brass key on a loop of green thread.

A note came with it, one line on a torn page.

Behind the store, under the green tarp. Ask her first.

I stared at the page for a long time.

"It's my father's truck," I said. "I thought June sold it."

"Do you want me to find out?"

"Not yet." My voice came out rough. "Go look at it for me next week, and tell me if it's even there."

"I'll tell you before I tell anyone."

"Thank you."

I took the key from his palm and put it back in the envelope, and I set the envelope in the drawer.