Gulf of Deception by Kelly Hopkins

Author:Kelly Hopkins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Champagne Book Group

Thirteen

The following morning, Mom left for the office after eight. I didn’t care what she said. She wasn’t ready to go back there, but what choice did she have? Harmony Law needed a Harmony in the office. Someone to make sure clients were happy.

As soon as her car cleared the end of the street, we hopped in my Audi and drove off in the opposite direction with the sunroof open. Sanibel Island sat just off the coast of Florida, tethered by a narrow highway. I wondered what it would have been like to visit Sanibel in the 1950s, when the only way to the pristine shores had been a chugging ferry boat. The romantic in me liked the idea. The practical part was happy to crest the causeway and land on the other side in minutes.

When I was a kid, we often visited Sanibel’s beautiful coast and serene preserves. My dad piloted his boat past the lighthouse because it was my favorite landmark. I’d lean against the rail and watch the pelicans and ospreys dive into the water searching for a fresh fish meal.

Belle gazed out the window without speaking as we followed the best lead we had to find out who owned these companies and why did someone—my wager was on Patrick—forge my father’s signature. My heart thumped like a bongo player in a reggae band as I considered the possibilities. I had never liked him. Although shrewd and rarely kind, he’d never been outright mean. He was the type of person who was at least nice to your face.

So, why had our mother kissed him?

“I’m sorry I can’t talk about school,” Belle said out of nowhere as we made a right off the Sanibel Causeway onto Periwinkle. The GPS told me I’d taken the correct path.

“I didn’t ask,” I reminded her. If she wanted me to know, she’d tell me. Otherwise, I’d wait until she wasn’t paying attention and figure it out on my own.

“That’s not what I mean. I can’t talk about school because I haven’t been there in six months. I quit just before the end of the fall term.”

I darted into a small parking lot next to a laundromat and slammed on the brakes. “You quit?”

She tugged her lower lip into her teeth and nodded.

“Oh my God,” I murmured. “How did you hide it from us?”

“I don’t come home much,” she said. “I figured if I wasn’t around, I wouldn’t have to lie.”

Before Dad’s death, the last time I’d seen my sister was just after the new year before she went back to school. Almost six months ago. With the distraction of Christmas, her secret had gone undiscovered.

Stunned, I asked, “What have you been doing?”

“Working. I got a job at a computer firm. We handle data security. It’s okay, but not what I want to do with my life.”

“Do you know what you want to do?”

She smiled. “Yes. I wasn’t kidding about joining the FBI.”

I smacked the steering wheel. “That’s freaking amazing.”

“You think so?” She sounded pleased at my approval.

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