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I found ht have mustered a weak protest, but ould have been the point? I’d been wrong in lect Aunt Gin had refused her letters, thus cutting off communication I cleared my throat "I appreciate this"

"Go ahead and open them if you want"

"I’d prefer to be alone if it’s all the same to you Unless the letters turn out to be too personal or too painful, I’ll be happy to et them back to you"

"Take your time"

"Will you tell Grand you found them?"

"I don’t know yet If you return the letters, I won’t have much choice The minute Grand sees the seals are broken, she’ll know the secret’s out, whatever it may be"

"And if I don’t return the to ask Shein the files Actually, there’s so else that ine what could trump the ace she’d laid on the table the moment before

She took the envelope from my hand and pulled out a thin sheaf of letterhead stationery She offered h rapidly They were invoices subator na, with an office address in Lompoc The information was sketchy--no reports attached--but a cursory look at his charges suggested he’d been in her employ for more than a year He’d billed her four thousand bucks and change, not a trivial aiven his rates, which were low by today’s standards

Tasha said, "Grandfather Kinsey was still living when this was done, so she either browbeat hi for it or she did this behind his back In any case, the as done"

"I don’t see any reference to what he was hired to do"

"It’s possible the invoices became separated from his reports or maybe the reports were destroyed Grand hates to lose and she hates being thwarted, so nothing of this was leaked to the rest of us I believed Mom when she said Grand tried to make contact, but I was startled to see the proof I have trouble believing she’d go so far as to hire an investigator, but there it is I’ back, Hale Brandenberg was the next logical step"

I said, "Well"

I thought she was on the verge of taking my hand, but she made no nore She said, "Look I know this is hard for you Once you’ve read the letters, youthe same alienation, but at least you’ll know more than you do now If you’re like me, you’d rather deal with hard facts than speculation and fantasy"