That was the first moment I began to trust him.
Not completely.
But enough to ask, “Where do you live?”
He almost smiled.
“About two hours from here. Outside Macon.”
“Do you have a family?”
“I have a daughter. Her name is Elise. She’s twenty-four and studying nursing.”
“Does she know about me?”
“She knows you exist. She has been asking questions since I called her from the road.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That you are her cousin, that you’ve had a difficult week, and that she should not overwhelm you with enthusiasm.”
Rosa laughed softly.
“Was that advice for her or for you?”
“Both.”
Despite myself, I smiled.
It felt disloyal at first, as if smiling meant I had already forgotten my father. But Gabriel noticed and smiled too.
Then his expression changed.
“There is one more thing.”
The warmth in the room receded.
He opened the folder again and removed a small white envelope. Unlike the first, this one had no name on it. Only a date.
