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As Julia walked around, she saw that there wasn’t a speck of dust on any of the furniture If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve thought someone did live in this room

But the bedroom was a snapshot in ti in here It was like his mother was still alive There was even a silky blue robe laying on the bed, as if placed there by his mother to be used when she returned

Julia frowned as she eyed the robe

Why would someone lay out a robe on a bed if they had no intentions of returning to use it? That seeain, she didn’t know if their mother had laid that robe out Perhaps Livie did She didn’t know, but soered in the back of her ot down to business

Julia felt weird going through the woman’s stuff, because it seriously felt like at any second sonored the tingly feeling along the nape of her neck and carefully rooted through the drawers, searching for signs of the photo albums or journals Daniel mentioned The pearls had been easy to find They were nestled in a velvet box on one of the dressers and she found a stash of super long pearls on display inside the closet She gathered thee straw basket she’d found next to the dresser

There were no sign of journals or photo albums, at least no place obvious That left the stack of boxes in the back of the closet There were large square ones, like the kind designer purses or hats were shipped in Several brown Gucci boxes sat one on top another, next to a pile of white ones Julia went through the every level of envy as she uncovered several purses she’d give her left ar the Gucci boxes aside, she alaze landed on the floor of the closet There was a section of the floor, at least three boards each about a foot long, that seeers over the boards, finding that they were raised about an inch higher than the rest They didn’t budge when she pried at the hidden under the boards or had they just been replaced for so that could be used to pull the boards up, she didn’t see anything she could use except for coat hangers, and she doubted that would work

Filing that little discovery away, she reached for the next box, a white one Peeking inside, she found what she was looking for

"Bingo," she whispered Picking up the box, she brought it over to the bed and sat down She peeled open the lid to get a better look at as inside

She had hit the jackpot

There were three large, black photo albums inside Why would the photo albuh? Julia had no idea The family was just really weird Julia placed the up a worn, red leather-bound journal with a leather strap binding the journal closed She ran her finger down the strap, lifting the so to the journal, so she supposed that it was just so, but stopped, her finger frozen under the strap A trail of icy fingers glided over the nape of her neck, spreading a wave of tiny buht as the hairs all over her body rose Whipping around, she saw nothing but e to see the apparition of Lucian’s ination was really getting out of control The icy air was probably just that--air kicking on frolanced down at the thick journal, then tightened the strap Rising, she placed the journal in the basket and then picked up the box Eager to get out of the roo memorial, she quickly put the box back where she found it Snatching up the basket, she locked up the room and then hurried down the hall

Julia never went down three flights of stairs as fast she did in the od-awful a hall and ending up in the sa close, because her stoht the scent of melted cheese and fried bread

God, she was brilliant

Got Lucian out of a painful experience and rilled cheese sandwich She deserved that candy, too

Her steps slowed dohen she heard Devlin’s voice colanced down into the basket she was holding She had a sinking suspicion he would not be happy knowing Julia had been left alone in his ?" Devlin asked

"What does it look like?" ca a grilled cheese sandwich"

"Congrats," Lucian replied dryly "You’re able to rinned

"Since when did you start eating like a six-year-old with a cold?"

Her grin started to fade What the hell? Grown adults ate cheese sandwiches all the tih practically shook the walls "Is there soet a chance to ask yesterday, how did the lunch go with our cousin?"

"It was aed cousin Danny-boy this entire time And then I was like, et I even asked," Devlin cut in

There was a pause and Lucian said, "Do you even care if Maddie showed any improvement? Because the question you should’ve asked was how did our sister respond?"