After a while, she pulled back and frantically wiped her tears away. “It’s not okay until you say you won’t keep looking. Mike, you have to promise me we’ll let this go.”
“I thought you wanted answers about Quinn.”
She sniffled and said, “I got them. Wesley had a letter that Quinn had written to her real father. In the letter, she said she had a little boy and that she was excited for her father to finally join them. It doesn’t say where, or give the little boy’s name. But at least I know Quinn was safe and brought her child into this world. Hopefully, she had lots of babies. Wesley said James Hathorne disappeared not long after Quinn and Jonathon vanished. They believe he found his way to Quinn.”
Dropping Sydney’s hands, I stood and began to pace. “Where did Wesley get the letter?” I asked.
“I didn’t ask. I’m assuming it was passed down to him. He had a safe filled with items. That was where he put Quinn’s journal.”
“You let him take it?”
“Yes. And we have to burn the other clues we found.”
I stared at her, dumbfounded.
Sydney stood. “Mike, I know this is hard for you. Letting go of something you need to find the answers to. I was never supposed to find that coin. Or the letters. Yes, it brought us to discover Vickie, and for that I’m so grateful. But we need to let this go. I want a future with you, and I don’t want us to be looking over our shoulders, wondering if they’re following us.”
I lifted my hand and placed it on the side of her face. “You really want to give this up? You believe Wesley?”
Her hand covered mine. “Yes, to both questions.”
I took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Okay. If that’s what you want, then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll forget all about the Alchemists and Truth-seekers.”
“You promise me, Mike? Swear you won’t go digging into this behind my back. Please.”
My gut was telling me to listen to Sydney, but the cop in me itched to find out more information. But I knew this was bigger than anything I could handle. If these people had moles planted in the police department or the city council, I would be putting not only myself but also Sydney in danger. That was not something I was willing to do. I needed to let this thing go.
“I swear to you, from this moment on, I’ll never mention any of it again.”
She threw her arms around me, and I held her close to my body.
“I’m exhausted,” she whispered.
“Then let’s head on up to bed.”
Sydney wasn’t the only one who was wiped out. After my long shift and then digesting all of what Sydney had told me, I was ready to close my eyes and forget all about this day.
“I invited Peggy over for dinner the night after next.”
Smiling, I picked her up and carried her up the steps. “Okay, let’s turn off our minds. Tomorrow we can start fresh with everything.”
She snuggled her head into my chest. “Mmm, that sounds wonderful.”
When I walked into her room and slowly set her down, Sydney looked up at me, her eyes no longer sad or fearful. There was something else brewing there. Something beautiful that made my heart feel like it stalled in my chest.
“I love you,” she said softly, her gaze never breaking from mine. “I love you so much, Mike.”
Cupping her face with my hands, I smiled. “God, it’s so good to hear you say that. I love you too, Syd. More than you’ll ever know.”