We stopped at Bodhi’s door and I knocked as Hondo put the phone in his back pocket. Bodhi opened the door and we immediately saw she’d been crying. She invited us inside and hugged us both, holding the hugs a good ten seconds. She said, “I hoped I’d see you two again.” She asked me, “How is Amber?”
“She’s healing. How are you?”
She took a shuddering breath, “Fine. It’s just everything’s happening so fast, like being caught in a whirlwind. The attorneys are with Mom and Troy right now, finishing papers that have to do with Mother’s money and holdings.”
I said, “So that they’re separate holdings, Troy’s and Sylvia’s?”
“No, I don’t think that’s it. Some sort of combining documents thing, with a number of ‘In the event of’ clauses about any deaths. I didn’t want to hear all that, so I came to my room. My mind’s reeling.”
Hondo said, “You call us anytime, for anything. Even if it’s just to say hello. And come by the office to visit. You know where it is, and you have our numbers.” He bent at the waist and looked at her. He said, “Okay?”
She blushed, “Okay.”
I said, “Can we ask you a few questions?”
“Sure.”
Hondo said, “Did Troy use his phone while you two drove home?”
“Two times.”
“Do you remember what he said?”
“Not exactly. The first was something like, ‘It’s all good,’ like he was answering a question, which was funny because Troy was the one who made the call. Then he called Mother and said he had me with him.”
“That was all?”
“He got excited and told her about how he rescued me, making it sound like he’s Superman or something.”
We visited with her for half an hour longer before we got up to leave. Bodhi hugged us again, “Don’t forget me.”
Hondo pulled out Troy’s phone while we walked the hall and had it open in ten seconds. I asked him, “Did you know his password?”
“No.”
“Are you the Amazing Karnack now?”
“I typed in the word ‘Oscar’.”
“Ho-ly cow.”
“He’s brilliant, I tell ya.”
We scanned through his phone and the only ones that caught our attention had no names associated with them, only numbers. I took photos of them with my iPhone to check later.
Troy met us before we left the mansion and Hondo gave him a big hug, sliding the phone back in his pocket without Troy noticing.
Wilson walked with us to Shamu. “I’m going to hang close to Bodhi for a while.”
Hondo said, “Good idea.”
I said, “If you need us–” and I made the gesture of holding a phone to my ear.
“I will.” He punched some numbers on his phone that opened the gate and nodded as we drove through.
We passed the trip to the office in silence, each with our own thoughts. As we parked, I spotted something in front of our door. Hondo and I looked at each other as we approached it. I said, “Okay, now I believe these are messages. Tell me what they mean.”
Hondo said, “You’re asking me?” He picked it off the concrete and held it up by the short purple ribbon. The heart-shaped medal hanging from the ribbon showed a gold border around a purple field, and a gold side image of George Washington centered it.