Doug had kept me busy with the missing evidence in Vickie’s case as well as a burglary that had happened late Monday night. I jumped in and worked alongside the lead detective on the case. That meant I was working longer hours and hadn’t gotten to see Sydney but three times all week. By Friday morning, I was ready for a break. Sydney had cleared her schedule for the day, and I’d taken the entire weekend off, including Friday.
“I think I have everything. I can’t wait to see this house. Do you think we’ll find anything?” Sydney asked, putting her bag in the back of the car.
“I’m not sure. It could be a dead end.”
Sydney drew in a deep breath. “I think we’re going to find something, Mike. I feel it.”
I placed my hand on the side of her face; my thumb rubbed gently over her soft skin. “I do too, baby.”
Three hours later, we were pulling into the driveway of the Cape Cod–style house we had rented through Airbnb. We got out of the car and Sydney glanced around, smiling. Kids were playing across the street and we could smell the fresh ocean water. Provincetown had a charm that would never get old, and of course it was loaded with history. Another plus.
Once we brought our things inside, I called the owners of the house on Commercial Street.
“Hi, Tim, this is Officer Mike Murphy. We spoke a week or so ago and I mentioned my girlfriend and I are huge history buffs.”
“Yes! Mike, so good to hear from you. Are we still on for the tour this afternoon?” The man’s voice sounded like that of an older gentleman.
“We most certainly are. I can’t tell you how excited my girlfriend is to see the house. Thank you so much for allowing us to invade your home like this.”
“Nonsense, we don’t mind at all. We’re still on for noon?”
“Yes, if that still works for you.”
“It does. See you both soon, Mike.”
“See you then.”
I hit End on the phone and tossed it onto the bed. I took out my laptop and typed in the address of the house once more. From the information I’d been able to gather, when they did the restoration of the house, they had found many artifacts from over the years that had fallen between floorboards or been hidden behind shelves. There was a good chance we might see something but an even better chance we wouldn’t.
“Okay, I’m ready to go,” Sydney said, walking out of the bedroom dressed in a long, blue sundress. It felt like she had stolen the air from the room. Her hair was pulled up into a soft bun on top of her head. It wasn’t one of those perfect, tight buns some women wore. There were a few loose strands that looked as if they were floating around her face, framing her beauty.
“You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her. “Ready to go on an adventure?”
Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “Yes. I’m feeling so lost and confused by all of this. I have no idea what we’re looking for, but I have a gut feeling there is more to this stor
y.”
I nodded. “I agree; there has to be more. My guess is we are looking for another symbol. Either the one on the coin, or the Truth-seekers symbol. Keep your eyes open.”
“Will do, Officer Murphy.”
Sydney and I ended up walking to 72 Commercial Street since it was such a beautiful day and only a block away. Cape Cod–style homes lined the street, giving the feeling of a small, oceanfront town.
Before we even had a chance to knock, the door flew open. An older couple stood there, huge smiles on their faces.